Acts 25:23-26:32 - Do You Believe?

Introduction

What is the all-encompassing, overarching, and ultimate purpose of your life? This is probably a lot to ask before lunchtime on a Sunday, but I really want us to think about it this morning. What in the world are you living for?

I know we all do a lot of stuff… We give time to working at our jobs, we put effort into fixing up our houses, we spend money to maintain our cars, we play with our kids, spend time with our spouse, build relationships with our friends, and many of us also have other hobbies and goals we chase on top of all of that… But I’m asking, “What’s it all for?” What is that all-encompassing, overarching, and ultimate purpose that gives all of those details consistency and motivation?

Are you just working and fixing and building and playing so that you can just keep doing it all again tomorrow? Or is there some bigger purpose for your job than just your paycheck? …a bigger purpose for your house than just having a nice place to store your stuff? …a bigger purpose for your life than merely living another day?

In today’s passage we are going to see a man whose life is marked by a single-minded perspective of what in the world he is living for. The Apostle Paul had an all-encompassing, overarching, and ultimate purpose… and I think, though we are not Paul, and we are not capital “A” Apostles, we can certainly see Luke recording this scene in Paul’s life as a sort of snapshot for Christians who would read about it to understand their own place in this world.

Our passage this morning is also something of a culmination and summary of the book of Acts… but this will only be obvious to those of us who have been following along with the storyline. A quick reminder won’t hurt any of us, and it will probably be a help to most of us.

The book of Acts begins with a form of the Great Commission and the establishment of the New Covenant people… complete with its own foundation of twelve, just like Israel of old… though with the New Covenant people the twelve are Apostles and not physical descendants. And Christ’s Apostles, and all those who believe their message, are to be witnesses in all the world.

Of course, they are all to be empowered by God’s or Christ’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit), who did indeed show great power in the conversion of thousands on the first day of Pentecost after Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. And after that first public gospel announcement, the Apostles and other believers spread throughout the known world, sharing the gospel, and seeing sinners brought out of the kingdom of Satan and this world and brought into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

About a third of the way through the book of Acts, Luke focuses most of his attention on one particular Apostle and his missionary exploits – the Apostle Paul. Paul was an Apostle “untimely born” (as he puts it himself in 1 Corinthians 15), but Paul was a hard-working and faithful witness for Christ… all the way through to the end.

So far, in Acts, we’ve seen the gospel go out to Jerusalem, to Judea more broadly, to Samaria, and now Luke is telling us how Paul got from Jerusalem all the way to Rome. In our passage this morning, we’re picking up at an episode where Paul has already been in prison in Caesarea for more than two years. He’s been accused of all sorts of things he hasn’t done, and he’s been writing letters to churches both to encourage and to correct them during his time in captivity.

What will Paul do with this now fourth opportunity for him to defend himself against his accusers? What will be the focus of his efforts? Will he aim to be free… or will he continue to make the gospel the emphatic center of his defense? And, what will he urge his hearers in the courtroom to do?

Let’s all find out as we read Luke’s account of Paul’s appearance before the commonly known king of the Jews, Agrippa, and the rest of the court.

Scripture Reading

Acts 25:23–26:32 (ESV)

23 So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.

24 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. 25 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.

26 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 we have examined him, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”

1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:

2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.

6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.”

25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

30 Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Main Idea:

The gospel of Jesus Christ comes to sinners from God, who has been working throughout human history toward a final day of judgment, and Christ Himself offers the gospel of grace through sinners who repent and believe.

Sermon

Verses 22 and 23 of Acts 26 provide a sort of outline for our whole passage this morning. Paul says that he has had “the help that comes from God” from the first moment of his conversion all the way to “this day,” when he was standing as the accused in front of a Roman king (v22). Paul also says, in v22, that he has been preaching and teaching “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass.” And in v23, Paul says that Christ Himself was the one “proclaiming light” to the Jews (or “our people”) and also to the “Gentiles.”

And, of course, the hanging question throughout this passage (really throughout the Gospels and Acts) is there in v27, “Do you believe the prophets?”.

These verses form the structure of my sermon today: (1) Paul’s help from God, (2) the gospel from the Old Testament, (3) preaching light in the darkness, and (4) Paul’s prayer for his hearers – he wants them to repent and believe.

1. Help from God

When Paul said that he’d always had “the help that comes from God” (Acts 26:22), what did he mean? Well, for one thing, Paul believed that it was by God’s “help” that he was “standing” there in front of Festus and Agrippa that day. Paul said, “To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here…” (Acts 26:22). This was in spite of the Jewish leaders’ attempt to “seize” Paul “in the temple” and their attempts to “kill” him (Acts 26:21).

It wasn’t for lack of trying that Paul was standing there alive that day. From the time when Paul was first converted to Christ, he was a bold evangelist, “proclaiming Jesus” as the “Son of God” in “the synagogues” of Damascus (Acts 9:20). But so too was the Jewish leadership, in every town along Paul’s way, flatly against Paul and against his message.

In Damascus, “the Jews plotted to kill him” (Acts 9:23). On Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem as a new Christian, the “Hellenistic” Jews (or Greek-speaking or Greek-cultured Jews) “were seeking to kill him” there as well (Acts 9:29). When Paul began his missionary efforts in Antioch in Pisidia, the Jewish leaders there “reviled” (or “blasphemed”) Paul, and “stirred up persecution” to “drive [him] out of their district” (Acts 13:45, 50). And it was the same in Iconium and in Lystra. As a matter of fact, many of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium actually traveled to Lystra and stirred up a mob that “stoned” Paul to death, or so they thought (Acts 14:19). They believed they’d killed him, and Luke says they “dragged” his body “out of the city” to rot as the condemned corpse of a guilty man (Acts 14:19).

The list of reasons and opportunities for Paul to be dead (instead of testifying in front of Agrippa) is long, and Paul knew that it was only because of God’s help that he had survived. Paul summarized a good bit of his troubles in 2 Corinthians 11… he said, “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure” (2 Cor. 11:24-27).

I’m laboring this point again today, because we are so easily and so often encouraged to think about God’s help in unbiblical ways. It was God’s “help” that brought Paul through all of this horrible affliction and distress; it was not God’s “help” to ensure that Paul would avoid affliction or distress. God had “helped” Paul endure the pain and sorrow and persecution and tribulation of living a faithful Christian life in the face of relentless opposition.

Jesus Himself told Paul, in Acts 26:16-17, “I have appeared to you [Paul] for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you…” Jesus wanted Paul to testify not only that Jesus was/is the Christ, but also that Jesus was working in every circumstance of Paul’s life to ensure that the gospel went out far and wide.

Brothers and sisters, may God grant us a biblical perspective of God’s help, and may God help us through whatever trials and tribulations we must face as well.

2. Gospel from the OT

In Acts 26:22, Paul says that he has been preaching and teaching “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass,” and throughout our passage Paul makes reference to the reality that the gospel he proclaimed was from “the prophets and Moses” or from the Old Testament. It may come as a bit of a surprise to some of us, but the biblical gospel is a story that begins long before the writings attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

It’s interesting to note that Paul seems particularly excited to be testifying in front of a Roman official who’s got some familiarity with the “customs and controversies of the Jews” (Acts 26:2). King Agrippa hadn’t become king of the Jews without knowing a good bit about Jewish religion and politics, which went hand-in-hand. So Paul was explicit in his efforts to “make [his] defense” (v2) by pointing to the foundation of his “hope” which was “the promise made by God to our fathers” or to the Jewish people by way of the prophets (v6).

Now, it’s one thing to say that the gospel of Christ, and especially His resurrection, is a fulfillment of God’s promises in the Old Testament… but it’s another thing entirely to make that case. How would you do it? If someone asked you what the New Testament has to do with the Old, how would you describe the connection? Where does the Old Testament talk about resurrection?

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (a Welsh pastor in London, who died 6 months before I was born) wrote of the doctrine of resurrection in the third book of his series called “Great Doctrines of the Bible.” He said, “So we must approach this doctrine in the way we have approached all the other doctrines. First of all, we must look at the scriptural evidence for the doctrine of the resurrection, and we begin with the Old Testament. We do that because the Old Testament is a part of Scripture, but also and particularly because there have been those who have tried to teach that there is nothing at all about the resurrection in the Old Testament.”

But he went on to say, “That, of course, is just not true. If they had said that there is much less, or not very much, teaching, then that would have been true. But there are many Christians who are rather stumbled by just that fact. They wonder why there is this difference in the teaching of the Old and New Testaments with regard to the resurrection. There is a striking difference but, to me, it does not constitute a problem at all because the whole doctrine of salvation is not as clear in the Old Testament as it is in the New. It is there, of course, and if we read the Old Testament with New Testament eyes and with a New Testament understanding, we can find the doctrine in all sorts of places.”[i]

Let’s do that for a moment this morning. Let’s read “the Old Testament with New Testament eyes.” Let’s read a handful of passages, remembering that one example of Paul’s preaching of the gospel is found in Acts 17, where he said, “God… commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30–31). So, Paul clearly believed that the OT taught that Jesus’s resurrection from the dead was evidence that Jesus would ultimately raise all people everywhere to a time of judgment, and that God’s command was/is to repent.

Pay close attention here; the God of the Bible (of the OT and the NT) commands sinners to repent in anticipation of a coming day when we shall all face God’s judgment, and Christ Himself shall stand as high Judge of all people everywhere. But how and where does the Old Testament teach such a thing?

First, I’d like to point to that first promise God made of a snake-crushing offspring in Genesis 3. Just after sin and death entered the world, God promised that there would come an “offspring” who would “bruise” the “head” of the “serpent,” even as that “offspring” would Himself be “bruised” on His “heel” (Gen. 3:15). This promise forms a fundamental reference point for many other prophecies throughout the Old Testament.

For example, the prophet Isaiah wrote of the coming “day of the Lord,” when God would “punish” that “serpent,” and “he will slay the dragon” (Is. 27:1). And it is common in the Bible for God’s promise of judgment for the wicked to come alongside God’s promise of salvation for His people. Isaiah said that the destruction of the “serpent” would happen at the same time as God’s own people would “live; their bodies shall rise” (Is. 26:19). Isaiah went on to say, “You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead… 21 For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain” (Is. 26:20-21).

The psalmist also wrote of his ultimate salvation from all his enemies as a time when God would “confront” and “subdue” the wicked (Ps. 17:13) and also deliver the righteous (or His people) from destruction by way of resurrection. The palmist wrote, “you will not abandon my soul to Sheol [or the place of the dead], or let your holy one see corruption… in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:10-11). And again, “Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword… As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake [i.e., awake from death], I shall be satisfied with your likeness” (Psalm 17:13-15).

And one of the most profound Old Testament passages, referring both to redemption and resurrection, is Job 19. Job (in the midst of his suffering and anguish) says, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25-26). Job, the psalmist, and Isaiah all looked forward to a coming day when the wicked would be judged and the righteous would be delivered, and they all perceived that this would happen in the context of life after death.

The prophet Daniel also prophesied of a coming day of “trouble” and “deliverance.” He said, “And there shall be a time of trouble… But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And… those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:1-2).

Passages like these are why Paul could say, in Acts 26:8, “Why is it thought incredible by any of you [those who know of the Old Testament Scriptures and the “hope” which “the twelve tribes” long to “attain” (v7)]… Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?”.

Friends, the consistent testimony of Scripture – from the OT to the NT – is that the God of all creation will stand in final judgment over all people everywhere. The dead shall all be raised; some will enter everlasting death, while others will enter everlasting life. Those of us who are honest with ourselves for more than 3 seconds know that such a day is coming, because we feel the pain and shame of our guilt in those moments when we hear the conviction of our own consciences.

Christ’s own death and resurrection points us to this fact, that the day of the Lord is coming… and (praise God!) Christ’s resurrection proves beyond doubt that there is the forgiveness of sins for those who turn to God in repentance and faith.

3. Preaching the Light

In Acts 26:23, Paul says that Christ Himself (upon His resurrection) would “proclaim light” to the Jews (or “our people”) and also to the “Gentiles.” And this is what we’ve been reading about in all of Acts. The Apostles or witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ were those commissioned to preach the gospel by Jesus Himself (Acts 1:8), and Paul was the foremost evangelist or preacher of this good news.

But the gospel was not merely the words of men. The gospel message they proclaimed was an announcement from the risen King of glory. There is “forgiveness of sins” and “sanctification” or holiness for those who “repent” and believe the gospel (Acts 26:18-19).

In our passage, Luke records the third time Paul recounted his experience of meeting the risen Lord on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians (Acts 26:9-18). And in all three places, Paul reiterated not only his conversion (his personal turning to Christ with repentance and faith) but also his commission to preach. As he says it in Acts 26:18, Paul was sent by Christ “to open [the] eyes [of sinners], so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith [or belief] in [Christ].” Therefore, in Paul, we have an example of Christ’s own initiative in making the gospel known to guilty sinners. It is Jesus’s gospel! And He makes His appeal to sinners through those who already believe it!

Let me explain… Paul himself had preached the gospel in Ephesus, but he wrote a letter to the church there, saying, “in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself… has… reconciled us both to God… through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you…” (Eph. 2:13-17). In and through the witness of His people, Christ Himself preached the gospel of peace with God and reconciliation for sinners!

Paul wrote similarly to the church in Corinth. He said, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:17-20).

Brothers and sisters, think on this for just a bit today… When we heard the gospel for the first time from another Christian… when we hear a preacher preach it… when our mom or dad teach us the basic doctrines of the gospel at home… this very moment today as I am telling it to you… the risen Lord Jesus Christ Himself is holding out the invitation to you! Whoever the witness in front of us might be, the gospel is a message of forgiveness and grace from Christ Himself!

4. A Preacher’s Prayer

What I’ve just said is quite profound. I didn’t come up with it, and it’s not profound because I said it, but the text says (right there in v23 of chapter 26) that the risen Christ is the one who “proclaims” the “light” of the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, to sinners of all sorts. And it was at that very moment – when the Apostle Paul turned his own defense in that courtroom into a divine call to repent and believe – that Festus (the governor of Judea) spoke up.

Luke says that Festus yelled out “with a loud voice, Paul, you are out of your mind” (Acts 26:24). But Paul was not deterred in the least. He said, in v25, “I am not out of my mind… I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly” (Acts 26:25-26). And then Paul laid out the question in v27, “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?”

Agrippa’s response is telling. He said, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28). And Paul replied, “Whether short or long, I would [“I wish” or “I pray” (NIV)] to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become as I am – except for these chains” (Acts 26:29).

So, the closing point I’m putting forward in my sermon (in my own argument) today is an answer to the question: “What does any preacher of the gospel want his or her hearer to do?” Or to say it another way, “What invitation does the sinner receive upon hearing the gospel?”

You know, many people I’ve talked to in East Texas who claim to be Christians think of an “invitation” in pretty narrow and superficial terms. They’ve told me that an “invitation” is a time during a church service when a pastor invites people to walk up to the front of the room to pray “the sinners’ prayer,” to “rededicate” their lives to Christ, or to join the church. I remember one man (who used to be a deacon here) ask me how in the world anyone could be saved without this sort of “invitation.”

In God’s providence, I received an email advertisement from a guy just this week urging me (as a pastor) to be sure to give exactly this kind of “invitation” each Sunday morning… He even urged me to organize my whole sermon with this goal in mind. The man said, “Be specific in what you are asking people to do. Say, ‘If you want Jesus to forgive your sin, raise your hand’ or ‘If you want to join the family of God, please walk to the front right now’ or ‘If you want to follow Jesus, bow your head before God and repeat these words after me.’” He said, “These instructions are clear, and they bring each person to a point of decision…”

But, with all respect and love for those who think and feel this way, I just wish I could wave my hand and make people forget they ever heard of that kind of “invitation.” You won’t find it in the Bible. Not one evangelist in the Bible ever asks another person to repeat a prayer, or raise a hand, or walk to the front of any room. And you can search the Bible from cover to cover, and you will not find anyone “rededicating” themselves to Christ or “accepting” Jesus.

What you will find in the Bible is the great and urgent need that sinners have for God to accept them… which He only does on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done and is doing… Jesus died on the cross as the substitute for sinners and He is now standing as the one Mediator between the holy God and sinful man… and God only accepts those who are repenting and believing.

We can see an example right in our passage this morning of the biblical invitation for sinners, and it has nothing to do with walking an aisle, raising a hand, or making a decision. Look at Acts 26:27 with me. Paul asked Agrippa, “do you believe” the “prophets” or what the prophets have said about the Christ? That’s Paul’s invitation! That’s the preacher’s prayer! Paul wants Agrippa to believe!

In v29, Paul says, “I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become as I am…” Are we to think that Paul wanted his hearers to become a Roman prisoner, or a Jewish man, or a first-century missionary? No! Paul wanted his hearers to become believers… followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, just like he was!

Paul was a sinner who heard the gospel, who once disbelieved it, but who now had placed his faith, his hope, his trust in the risen Lord Jesus Christ! And now, Paul’s prayer… the preacher’s prayer… the invitation to every sinner who hears the gospel… is not an emotional or impulsive decision to walk to the front of a room and simply say “I have faith!” or “I believe!”

No! Paul wanted his hearers… and every gospel-witness wants his or her hearer… to turn from sin and trust in Jesus for the rest of their lives… clinging to the hope that one day soon, Christ Himself will return and raise to everlasting life all those who are “sanctified” or made clean by “faith” in Him (Acts 26:18).

The “forgiveness of sins,” the move from “darkness to light” and from “the power of Satan” to the family of “God” (Acts 26:18) is available to all who “repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). In short, the invitation for sinners… the prayer of every gospel-preacher… is that the hearer will throw off unbelief and enter into a life of humble trust or faith… that the hearer will begin to see sin for what it really is (soul-killing and life-stealing) and repent or turn away from sin from now on.

Friends, there is a moment (a decisive moment) when sinners begin to repent and believe. And that decisive moment is certainly of vital importance to one’s new life as a Christian. But I am not inviting any of you to make a one-time decision that has no obvious or lasting effect upon your life later this afternoon or 10 or 50 years from now.

Like Paul before me, I pray that some of my hearers this morning will become as I am… a Christian. I pray that most of my hearers, who already are Christians, will continue to live in keeping with that profession of faith… I pray that we will be Christians in truth, and not just Christians in name or culture.

Friends, I am a Christian who still sins and doubts and even sometimes hard-heartedly disobeys God… but a Christian… who regularly turns away from sin… who longs for and strives for personal holiness… a Christian who clings to the promises of the gospel… especially the forgiveness of sins and acceptance into God’s family or God’s kingdom… on the basis of Jesus Christ alone.

I sincerely pray that we will all be repenting and believing Christians… those who trust in the Lord’s providence, as He arranges the details of our lives in whatever way He sees fit… that we will be Christians who know and understand that the God of both testaments of our Bible has been working (and continues to work) for the salvation (the full blessing and joy) of those He loves… that we will be Christians who hear the voice of Christ Himself in the offer of the gospel… and that we will be Christians who speak with the voice of Christ, as we offer the gospel of grace to other sinners, just like us.

May God help us…

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th Edition. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2005.

Calvin, John. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Edited by Henry Beveridge. Translated by Christopher Fetherstone. Vol. 2. 2 vols. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Peterson, David. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2009.

Polhill, John B. Acts. Vol. 26. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. 2015 Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984.

Endnotes

[i] David Martyn Lloyd-Jones. “Great Doctrines of the Bible: The Church and the Last Things.” Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998. 227.