May 3, 2026

Obedient or Expedient?

Pastor: David Weber Series: Acts Scripture: Acts 25:1–12

Acts

It is always tempting to choose expediency over obedience. When the quarterly numbers fall just short, the thought creeps in: “We can round up, just this once, to satisfy the investors.” But the next quarter brings the same pressure, only greater. The adjustments grow, the shortcuts multiply, and before long they become the system itself. Eventually, there is no clear sense of reality, only a carefully managed illusion. The collapse of Enron stands as a sobering reminder of where that path leads. A company ruined and countless lives harmed.

What begins as a small compromise, an effort to get the job done or avoid an uncomfortable conversation, can lead to far-reaching consequences. We tell ourselves the rules can bend. We justify our actions by assuming they do not quite apply to us, or that they belong to another time. But when expediency overrides obedience, the trajectory is always the same: it leads toward destruction.

In our passage this Sunday, we see three different responses to this very tension. Festus inherits a messy situation from Felix, including Paul’s unresolved case. Eager to clear the docket and secure favor, he shows himself willing to set aside justice for the sake of convenience. The Jewish leaders, for their part, seek Paul’s death and are prepared to violate their own law in order to stop him from allegedly violating it. In both cases, expediency governs their actions.

Paul, however, stands in contrast. He is willing to endure imprisonment or even death, but he will not compromise his obedience to God’s call. His course is not shaped by what is easiest or most advantageous, but by what is right. And that is the lesson before us: if we would follow Christ, we must not allow expediency to override obedience. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and meditate upon Acts 25:1-12, Psalm 27:14, Proverbs 3:5-6, Daniel 3:16-18, Ephesians 6:6-8, and this article.

This week we will celebrate that sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during our worship service. As we receive the elements of bread and wine look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. For as we physically receive the signs of the Lord’s body and blood, spiritually we feed upon him and all his benefits. Our hymns for this week include “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name,” “Before the Throne of God Above,” and “And Can It Be That I Should Gain?”