Trust God and Be a Blessing: Paul's Journey to Caesar

Nov 23, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God’s Plan in Uncertainty

God’s purposes for your life cannot be thwarted by circumstances, opposition, or even your own limitations. Just as Paul’s journey to Rome was filled with shipwrecks, snakebites, and trials, God’s promise to bring him before kings was never in doubt. When God calls you to something, He will accomplish it—your role is to trust Him, even when the path is unclear or the waiting is long. Trusting God means surrendering your need to control the outcome and believing that He is both able and good, no matter what you face. [43:34]

Acts 25:7-12 (CSB)
“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.’ But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me there on these charges?’ Paul replied, ‘I am standing at Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I’ve done no wrong to the Jews, as even you yourself know very well. If then I did anything wrong and am deserving of death, I am not trying to escape death. But if there is nothing to what these men accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!’ Then after Festus conferred with his council, he replied, ‘You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go.’”

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are struggling to trust God’s timing or plan? What would it look like to surrender that to Him today?

Day 2: God’s Faithfulness Despite Our Doubts

Throughout history, people have struggled to trust God’s promises, often taking matters into their own hands when waiting becomes difficult. From Adam and Eve in the garden to Abraham and Sarah’s long wait for a child, the temptation is always to doubt God’s goodness and try to control the outcome ourselves. Yet, even in our failures and impatience, God remains faithful and works out His purposes. The challenge is to resist the urge to “order our future a la carte” and instead wait on the Lord, believing that His timing and ways are best. [47:38]

Genesis 15:1-6 (ESV)
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.’ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.’ And he brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

Reflection: Where are you tempted to “help God out” instead of waiting on His promise? How can you practice patience and faith in that area this week?

Day 3: Blessing Others in the Midst of Hardship

Even when Paul was shipwrecked and bitten by a snake, he chose to serve and bless those around him rather than focus on his own troubles. He healed the sick and cared for the people of Malta, demonstrating that being a blessing is not dependent on our circumstances but on our willingness to serve. When you are in a difficult season, you can still pour into others, trusting that God will use your acts of kindness and service to make a difference. Blessing others is a powerful way to reflect Jesus, even when life is hard. [52:03]

Acts 28:7-10 (CSB)
“Now in the area around that place was an estate belonging to the leading man of the island named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days. Publius’s father was in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, and praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him. After this, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. So they heaped many honors on us, and when we sailed, they gave us what we needed.”

Reflection: Who is someone in your life you can intentionally bless or serve this week, even if you are going through a challenging time yourself?

Day 4: Examining Your Heart Before God

Before taking communion, we are called to examine our hearts and lives, honestly asking if we are living in a way that reflects Jesus. This is a time to confess where we have not trusted God, to repent of sin, and to rededicate ourselves to following Him. Self-examination is not about shame, but about realigning our hearts with God’s grace and purpose, so that we can receive communion with gratitude and sincerity. [01:01:57]

1 Corinthians 11:23-28 (CSB)
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.”

Reflection: As you prepare your heart today, what is one area where you need to confess, repent, or realign your life with Jesus before God?

Day 5: Living Out the Gospel by Trusting and Blessing

The Christian life can be summed up in two simple but profound actions: trust God and be a blessing. When you trust God with your life, your future, and your past, and choose to bless your neighbors, family, and community, you reflect the heart of Jesus to the world. This is not just about big acts of service, but about daily faithfulness—serving in your church, giving generously, and loving those God places in your path. As you live this out, you become part of God’s mission to bring hope and transformation to your city and beyond. [01:00:26]

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Reflection: What is one practical way you can trust God and intentionally be a blessing to someone in your church, neighborhood, or workplace this week?

Sermon Summary

This morning, we gathered as a church family to lift up the Davis family in prayer, especially as they enter a difficult season of treatment for Tilly. Their journey reminds us of the power and necessity of community, and how we are called to support one another in times of trial. As we turned to Acts 25 and 28, we followed Paul’s journey—a journey marked by hardship, uncertainty, and yet unwavering trust in God’s purpose. Paul’s appeal to Caesar, his shipwreck, the snake bite, and his eventual arrival in Rome all serve as vivid reminders that when God calls us to something, no force on earth can thwart His plans.

Paul’s life is a testament to the truth that God’s purposes are not always straightforward or easy. He faced opposition, false accusations, and physical danger, yet he remained steadfast because he trusted that God would fulfill what He had promised. This trust was not passive; it was active, expressed in Paul’s willingness to bless others even in the midst of his own suffering. On the island of Malta, after surviving a shipwreck and a snake bite, Paul did not retreat into self-pity or exhaustion. Instead, he healed the sick and served those around him, turning an accidental detour into an opportunity for ministry.

The stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Paul all converge on a central question: Will we trust God, especially when His timing and methods do not align with our own? Our natural inclination is to take control, to “help God out,” or to grow impatient in seasons of waiting. Yet, it is precisely in the waiting that our faith is refined and our character shaped. Trusting God means surrendering our desire for control and believing that He is good, even when the path is unclear.

As a church, we are called not only to trust God but also to be a blessing to others. This takes tangible form in serving within our community, investing in the next generation, and supporting missions both locally and globally. Our annual missions offering is one way we collectively extend the blessing we have received to others, saturating our city and the world with the gospel.

Ultimately, the call is simple but profound: Trust God. Be a blessing. In doing so, we reflect the heart of Jesus, who gave Himself for us and invites us to remember His sacrifice as we come to the communion table. May we examine our hearts, recommit ourselves to Him, and step forward in faith, trusting that He will accomplish His purposes in and through us.

Key Takeaways

1. Trust God’s Unstoppable Purposes God’s plans for our lives cannot be thwarted by circumstances, opposition, or even our own limitations. Paul’s journey to Rome, despite shipwrecks and danger, demonstrates that when God calls us, He will see it through. Our role is not to engineer the outcome but to trust that God is both sovereign and good, even when the path is uncertain. [43:09]
2. Waiting Refines Our Faith Seasons of waiting are not wasted; they are the crucible where faith is tested and deepened. Like Abraham and Paul, we are often called to wait longer than we would choose, and it is in this waiting that we confront our desire for control. True trust is forged not in the fulfillment of promises, but in the patient endurance of hope. [47:38]
3. Bless Others in the Midst of Hardship Paul’s example on Malta shows that even when we are weary or suffering, we are called to serve and bless those around us. Ministry is not reserved for seasons of abundance or ease; often, our greatest impact comes when we pour out from our own places of need. God uses our willingness to bless others as a means of advancing His kingdom, even in unexpected places. [52:17]
4. Community and Generosity Reflect Christ Being part of a church means belonging to a family that supports, serves, and gives together. Our acts of service—whether teaching children, brewing coffee, or giving to missions—are not mere tasks, but expressions of Christ’s love. Generosity and community are not optional add-ons; they are central to what it means to follow Jesus and participate in His mission. [53:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:03] - Praying for the Davis Family
[32:15] - “I Want to Speak to the Manager”
[33:09] - Paul Appeals to Caesar
[34:52] - Paul’s Mission and Imprisonment
[36:17] - Paul Before Festus and Nero
[38:20] - Paul’s Epic Journey to Rome
[40:25] - Shipwreck and the Snake Bite
[41:08] - The Call to Trust God
[43:34] - The Struggle to Trust
[45:10] - Abraham’s Waiting and Doubt
[47:38] - The Challenge of Waiting
[49:48] - Blessing Others on the Journey
[53:11] - Serving and Giving as a Church
[56:10] - Missions Giving and Impact
[1:00:26] - Trust God, Be a Blessing
[1:01:30] - Preparing for Communion
[1:06:35] - Communion: Remembering Christ
[1:16:16] - Closing and Giving Opportunity

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading

- Acts 25:7-12 (ESV)
> When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove. Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

- Acts 28:7-10 (ESV)
> Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

- Genesis 16:1-4 (ESV)
> Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived.

Observation Questions

What reasons does Paul give for appealing to Caesar instead of being tried in Jerusalem? (Acts 25:7-12)
After surviving the shipwreck and snake bite on Malta, what actions does Paul take toward the people on the island? (Acts 28:7-10)
According to the sermon, what are some of the hardships Paul faced on his journey to Rome? [39:23]
In the story of Abraham and Sarah, what did they do when waiting on God’s promise became difficult? (Genesis 16:1-4; [45:36])

Interpretation Questions

What does Paul’s decision to appeal to Caesar reveal about his trust in God’s plan, even when facing powerful opposition? [33:09]
How does Paul’s willingness to serve and heal others on Malta, even after his own suffering, challenge our ideas about when and how we should serve others? [52:03]
Why do you think waiting is such a significant theme in both Abraham’s and Paul’s stories? What does this say about how God shapes faith? [47:38]
The sermon mentions that our natural inclination is to “help God out” or take control when waiting gets hard. What are the dangers of this approach, as seen in Abraham’s story? [46:14]

Application Questions

The sermon says, “Trust God. Be a blessing.” Which of these two is harder for you right now, and why? [52:17]
Paul continued to serve and bless others even when he was tired, shipwrecked, and bitten by a snake. Can you think of a time when you felt worn out but still had an opportunity to help someone? What did you do? [52:03]
Are you currently in a season of waiting for something important? How are you handling the temptation to take control or “help God out” instead of trusting God’s timing? [47:38]
The sermon highlights the importance of community and supporting each other, like the church did for the Davis family. What is one practical way you can support someone in your church family this week? [53:11]
Serving in the church was described as more than just a task—it’s a way to bless others and reflect Christ’s love. Is there a specific area of service (children, hospitality, missions, etc.) where you feel God might be calling you to step in? What’s holding you back? [53:31]
The story of Abraham shows the consequences of not waiting on God. Is there an area in your life where impatience has led to regret? What would it look like to surrender that area to God now? [46:14]
The sermon ended with a call to examine our hearts before communion. Is there anything in your life right now that you need to surrender or confess to God in order to trust Him more fully? [01:03:25]

Sermon Clips

32s

#AppealToCaesar

“Paul says, listen, I haven't done anything wrong. And he appeals to Caesar because he's a Roman citizen. It's something he can do that Jesus wasn't able to do. Jesus wasn't a Roman citizen. Paul was. Paul says, I appeal to Caesar. And Festus says, all right, we're going to send you to Caesar because it was the right of every Roman citizen to have their case seen by the emperor himself. Now, you may not know who the Caesar was or even what Caesar is. You're like, why are we talking about salad dressing? Like, what is Caesar, right? Caesar was the title. It was not a name.”

34s

#PersecutionAndFaith

“You find under Nero's leadership that Christians were crucified on the Appian Way, which is like Main Street in Rome, all the way up and down it. But he was also the one that, tragically, was the one who introduced the games in the Colosseum where they would actually have Christians eaten by lions. So Nero's not a good guy. He's the worst emperor. But that's who Paul says, I'm going to go see. And what follows over the next couple chapters is you find the story of Paul's journey all the way to Rome to meet Nero. And the story reads almost like a novel.”

36s

#TrustGodAlways

“As he does, there's a snake that's in the sticks. And the snake comes out. Poisonous viper comes out and bites his hand. And he's like, yeah. And you would think at this point, Paul would just fall over dead, right? Just from sheer shock that actually he, you know, shipwrecked and snake bit him. But that doesn't happen. He just shakes the snake off in the fire. Just like throws in the fire. And everybody waits for him to die, but he doesn't. And here you find this story of this epic journey of shipwrecks and snake bites and the whole event happening.”

38s

#PaulTheTransform

“As I was trying to pray through like what the hell you guys like, how do we apply this to life? And how do we like make this come alive in our own story? I just felt the Lord kind of put in front of me two words that I think encapsulate all of Paul's life, but also our life. And the word is this, trust God. Trust God. See, God wanted Paul to go to Caesar. And if God decided that Paul was going to get to Caesar, nothing was going to stop it. There's nothing that would keep him from getting there.”

34s

#GardenOfTrust

“You see that with Adam and Eve in the garden. The very first man and woman. God says, you can eat anything in the garden. The only thing you can't eat is this one tree over here. And where does Satan attack Adam and Eve? He says, listen, the only reason that God doesn't want you to eat from this tree is because you can't trust God. The father of lies says that God is a liar. That God's only keeping that tree from them because if they ate from it, they would be like God. And so Adam and Eve decide not to trust God and they eat of the fruit.”

29s

#SinAndConsequences

“The Bible says that the world experienced sin and death for the first time because of their decision. And every single one of us has experienced the same. We've all died or we all will die. Every single other person who's lived in the history of the world has died. And there is sin and brokenness. And you can just see it on the news every night, right? You see sin and brokenness all around us. We see it in our families. We see it in our own story. The reason for all of that is because Adam and Eve decided not to trust God.”

24s

#FaithInWaiting

“Deep down in all of our heart, we love to, like, order our future a la carte. Like, we love to see God, like, just show us all the things that could happen and go, God, I'll pick this, this, and this. Or, hey, God, you got this plan for me, but let me just, like, insert myself into that and say, like, we should, like, do it differently. Or maybe we could, like, take away this season of waiting. Because waiting is the worst, isn't it? Like, trusting God would be great without the waiting.”

36s

#GlobalMissions

“Am I going to really wait on the Lord? And am I going to trust him that he is a good father or not? And that's what Paul has to decide. God, you said I'm going to Rome. You said I'm going to preach to the king. I'm preaching to Caesar, hopefully. But God, as I'm going through this journey, will you continue to be faithful? So what do we do on the journey? Well, I think we do what Paul does. Not only does he trust God, he blesses people. He blesses people.”

39s

#MissionsOffering

“What a great formula for life. Trust God. Be a blessing. Trust God. Be a blessing. When you're looking at your life and you're going, like, I'm going through a difficult season. What should I do? Trust God and be a blessing. Bless the people around you. Pour into them. Pour yourself out. Serve them. This is what Paul does. He trusts the Lord. God, you've got a plan for us. And you sent us to Malta. Because we're here, we are going to bless the people that you're putting in front of us.”

33s

“All that, said all that to say this. What does it look like to follow Jesus? Well, I do think that you can just dial it down just to these two things. Trust God. Be a blessing. Trust God. Be a blessing. Trust God with your life, your future, your past. And be a blessing to your neighbors, to your children, to your spouse. Because when you do, you look a whole lot like Jesus.”

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