Book of Acts - Ch. 26, Vs. 15-32 (07/20/2003)

Turn to Acts 26 .15. Paul is talking before Agrippa.

Greg, who is Agrippa? Russell, was he a good man or a poor man?

Yes. Joy, what about this family of Herod's?

So the Lord has placed Paul in a most precarious position as far as man is concerned.

But as he speaks, is he worried, Greg? Beginning with verse 15,

And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

Now, where are we, Greg, in Paul's discussion?

But arise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness, both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which

I will appear unto thee. Russell, that's a pretty good statement.

Well, it's the best statement that Paul could receive. If you remember, he was struck down, blind, but he saw the light.

And it was at noon. We decided that it was at noon because of the brightness of the light had to overcome all of that of the sun.

He was all alone. He was all alone as the object of Jewish hate.

Joy, they really hated Paul. Now, why?

Yet Paul was one of them until his conversion.

Yes, they had seen examples of his power.

Well, just a minute.

How much is two and two? Are you sure you're right?

Do you know it? It'd be hard for me to explain to you that it wasn't four.

But the way I look at it, it's five. They were as convinced in their belief as you are in two and two.

Now, Russell, that's right.

Well, they hated him, and he was at that moment in the hands of the

Gentiles. Now, Greg, that means that the

Roman government had him under their control. Yet, he calmly reposes on his master's assurance of deliverance, and at the same time taking all precautions for safety and all of his legal rights.

If you remember, Paul was exercising his legal rights. 17.

Delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom now

I send thee, this is the rest of God's, the

Lord's speech, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto

God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Now, Greg, he mentioned forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are the sanctified.

What did he mean by inheritance? What? That's right.

Now, I want you to understand, it is

Jesus the man that did all these things. The phrase to open their eyes, does this mean that Paul was going to open their eyes,

Russell? Yeah. Is that the eyes that we're talking about,

Joey? That's right.

A very important part. Russell, could anybody else have done this except Paul?

That's right, only Paul. 18.

Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, and how did the sense of divine godness upon his soul provoke him to go on with his work, declaring no other thing concerning Christ but what

Moses and the prophets did of old, for tell of him namely that he should be put to death, and should be the first that should rise again by his own power, and be the author of our resurrection.

Paul is talking about Jesus, that he died on the cross, that he was buried, rose again, and the resurrection is a rather sore spot.

The Pharisees believed in it, the Sadducees didn't. 20.

But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the

Gentiles, that they should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance, to do works that were worthy of a repentant heart.

He appears to have preached at Damascus, and in the neighboring parts of Arabia desert, for about three years, and afterward he went up to Jerusalem.

So Greg, does Paul start immediately to preach the gospel?

As soon as he received his physical sight, for these causes the

Jews caught me in the temple, and were about to kill me.

These causes, what were they Greg? All right, we can reduce them to four charges.

He had maintained the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of Christ whom they had crucified and slain, that this

Jesus was the promised Messiah. He had offered salvation to the

Gentiles, as well as to the Jew. Russell, that goes against everything that the

Jew believed at that time, and to this day, unless they're converted.

22. Having therefore obtained the help of God, I continue until this day witnessing both to small and great saying, none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.

Joy, was Christ different than the

Jews thought, or the Messiah? Was he different? Isn't it amazing?

Isn't it amazing how Jesus come into the world, the lowliest of parents in the most awful place.

Our nativity has cleaned it up a lot, but it was filth then.

Greg, why did he come to such a degraded position?

Russell, could he have been born in the palace? He could have been born any place he wanted to and was.

The first of those who are raised from the dead, life, and that of a most blessed life, which will be endless, and this is set against darkness, which almost in all languages sometimes signifies death and sometimes misery and calamity, but he brought a brightness to the world.

He would not be such a king as the Jews dreamed of, but one appointed to bear our miseries and our sins.

That Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should show light unto the people and to the

Gentiles. Who are the people, Greg? In these things he had the support of Moses and the prophets.

Did they preach such a thing? Joy, Moses and the prophets?

All right. He was accused of all of those.

He was not at variance with Moses and the law, but preached their meaning.

You cannot understand the Old Testament unless you study the

New Testament. If you have studied the

Old and as you study the New, it makes the Old come alive and we see things that they could not see.

As he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself.

Much learning doth make thee mad. Greg, did he believe what he said?

Well, in our day, there are a great many professing

Christians that are afraid they won't appear intelligent if they try to declare the whole truth of God.

This is so rampant in the

Southern Baptist Church. They think it's too simple and they have to add something to the picture.

You can't do that. It's a simple gospel. Greg, how do they think?

Now you talk about two sides thinking different. There are churches today that say they're a church.

They preach from the same Bible. No, it's not the same

Bible. It's a different version. But they give us a good social gospel, how to get along with your fellow man.

You're good, just be better. How can they believe that,

Greg? And I think that they have slipped into that mode, not realizing what they're doing.

It is not just an overnight thing. It has grown. 25.

But he said, I am not mad, Paul answering. Most noble Festus, but speak forth the words and truth and soberness.

For the King knoweth of these things, before whom I also speak freely.

For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him.

For this thing was not done in a corner. What did he mean,

Russell? In a corner. Joy, give me an example of the words,

I am persuaded. Just how forceful is that,

Greg? Russell, Russell, are you persuaded that the religion that you practice is right?

Being fully persuaded, the best way I know to explain it is that if you're in the park and you see a bench and there's a sign on it, wet paint, that you don't have to touch it.

Next time you're in a park and you see a sign, just watch yourself.

Do you go around and touch it? Well, God did nothing in a corner.

He did nothing that was supposed to have been done for man.

He did not hide it. The preaching of miracles, passion, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ were most public and notorious.

And of them Agrippa could not be ignorant. And indeed, it appears from his own answer that he was not, but was now more fully persuaded of the truth than ever before.

Greg, do you think Agrippa is making some headway on being saved? King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?

And before Agrippa could answer, he said, I know that thou believest. Agrippa was a

Jew. And as such, he of course believed the prophets.

Perhaps too, from what Paul knew of his personal character, he might confidently affirm that he possessed to be a believer.

Instead, therefore, of waiting for his answer, Paul anticipates it and says that he knows that Agrippa professes to believe all of these prophecies and respecting the

Messiah. 28.

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, almost thou persuadest me to be a

Christian. Joy, almost thou persuadest me to be a

Christian. Well, this is what

Agrippa said. What do you think,

Russell? Yes, is he saying a true statement?

What about the man that will come this morning, set through your sermon, grip the back of the in front of him until his knuckles turn white, of refusing to give in, refusing to be saved?

What about that man? Here in the scripture is the only man in history that almost became a

Christian. There's millions of people in this country today that will be in the same position.

They almost were saved. And many a preacher will think the same thing.

Yes, yes.

That's an end. Russell, I think that he agrees with what

Paul says, but he is not about to become a Christian. Now, I want you to know that this is a statement, not a question.

It is a question asked sarcastically by Agrippa.

But it was not a question. It's a statement.

Agrippa said to Paul, with a little persuasion, are you trying to make me a

Christian? That's from the World English Bible. That's their way of translating it.

And it's more accurate, I think. With a little persuasion, are you trying to make me a

Christian? And Paul said,

I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these bonds.

And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor and Bernice, and they that sat with them,

Agrippa, Festus, and the whole company, they know in their heart that Paul is not guilty, but they just cannot declare it.

He deserves neither death nor bonds. Yet at the same time they equate him, they discharge him not, but he is left to his enemy's hands.

Now, Greg, this is all according to what plan?

God's plan. And when they were gone out, gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, this man does nothing worthy of death or of the bonds.

They speak of his whole life, not of one action only. A favorable judgment of such a is not all that God requires.

God did not require their acquittal. How do we know that,

Joy? That's right.

It was not God's plan for them to give it. Then said

Agrippa unto Festus, this man might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed unto

Caesar. No, not unless it was

God's plan. Russell, how far ahead do we know his plan for us?

Yes. That's so true.

The king himself, who had participated in the strongest emotions on the occasion, feels himself prompted to wish the apostle immediate liberation.

But this was now remedied impractical, because he had appealed to Caesar.

So they put it off on Caesar. The appeal was no doubt registered, and the business must now proceed to a full hearing.

I think that Agrippa, on his return to Rome, represented

Paul's case so favorably to the emperor or his ministers of state that he was soon set at liberty there, as may be concluded from those things that are printed.

Well, is there any questions from anybody?

No. That's not the way the Holy Spirit works. That's not the way

God works. That's not the way Jesus works. It's not the way Christ works.

You either are or you are not. And when he calls, you answer whether you want to or not.

Of course, usually you want to. But things can change 180 degrees at that moment.

I care less what men say, that I was almost persuaded, and they go through a long rigmarole, and it's not true.

It's an emotion. Salvation is not an emotion.

It's a fact. Greg? That's so true.

Well, all I can talk about is my own conversion.

It's true, I did know thereto ahead that I should, but I didn't go that night expecting to.

And as I made my way in that little country church past three or four people,

I sat in at the end of the pew against the wall, and it was hard for me to get out.

But I made my way by them and turned and started down the aisle, and I remember feeling that this is not me doing this.

I had such a fear of the preacher. He always called for a public statement.

Well, if you had known me in those years, that was so unlike me.

I wouldn't talk to mother and dad. But I remember thinking as we kneeled and prayed, that's the next thing on the agenda.

I know it. And I stood up. He asked me for my statement, and I stood up.

And I had no idea what I was going to say. None. But I opened my mouth, and these words come out.

The Lord Jesus has saved me, and I'm willing to live the rest of my life for him.

Now, that wasn't of me. Back to the question, does the

Holy Spirit work on you? I suppose that he does, but I cannot answer that question, because it's different with everybody.

Now, I'm sorry to say I haven't lived my life for God. But as I get closer and closer to the doorway,

I'm living more and more for him. I guess that's a process of elimination, because I don't do anything else now.

...and then, in my experience, I have to say the Holy Spirit works in my life.

But I'm not doubting the Holy Spirit. No. Why would

God try to call one of his own and then change his mind?

God calls, and you come. Is there anything else?