Acts 25-26
Notes
Transcript
Paul’s Defense and Witness..
Paul’s Defense and Witness..
Good morning my friends!
It is a joy to see your faces, I hope you’ve had a good week, but all the more, are you ready for the coming week?
The week that lies ahead of us, while unknown to us, well God knows every detail of it already.
Do you believe that?
So I ask you that for this reason… Are you depending on the Lord for what lies ahead.
You see, if you are depending on Him and not self, you have the opportunity to know and do the will of God in your life during the course of the week.
I want to accomplish His will for my life, don’t you?
We are close to finishing the book of Acts my friends, and we have learned so much as we have through the text, I hope you have enjoyed this sermon series.
Now lets get started, remember where Paul is, he is in Caesarea, by the sea of Galilee. This is the place where Herod the Great had a palace, where not Festus and the Roman garrison resides in that area.
He has been held in custody here for over 2 years now, as a favor to the Jews.
And even while in custody, the Jews haven’t forgot about him, they still seek the death penalty for Paul, all because He preached Jesus.
Jesus always brings people to a point of decision, you will either believe or reject Jesus.... And of course, they had rejected and crucified Jesus so many years before.. But as Paul testified, He wasn’t dead… Jesus was alive and calling people to be saved.
Last week we looked at the choice Festus gave Paul, would he go to Jerusalem to tried in front of the Jews by him. But Paul knew they were seeking to ambush and kill him. Yet Paul was right in saying, am I not in Caesar’s court now…
And if he must endure a trial, as a Roman Citizen, he desired to be tried in Rome.
And now awaiting his transfer, anew visitor is with Festus and he wishes to see Paul.
1. A Kings Visit....
It wasn’t long after Festus assumes rule of the area appointed to him in replacing Felix we find that King Agrippa II, who was the great grand son of Herod the great pays a visit to Caesarea and the governor Festus.
Now understand, Agrippa, while a king had little authority, ruling over several small territories and Emperor Claudius had appointed him to rule over the Temple in Jerusalem, where he could appoint the High Priest.
He comes to his position in AD 53 and stays in that office until his death.
He travels there with his half sister Bernice, who was his constant companion.
Lets look at verses 13-16 and verses 20-22
13 Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. 14 And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man left prisoner by Felix, 15 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. 16 I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him.
And then verses 20-22....
20 Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. 21 But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”
Now I broke this passage up because in explaining the issue to Agrippa, Festus retells Paul case and I think we know that pretty well by now.
They hated him because he had converted to Christianity and preached Jesus...
Now the message and person of Jesus is one that has impacted the world for more than 30 + years now, and Agrippa and his family is well acquainted with it.
But as Festus relates the story to Agrippa, telling of how Paul has been left in His custody, the charges against him and now awaiting trail.
Now sharing all this information to Agrippa and Bernice is more about being polite, He does ask Agrippa his thoughts on the matter..
And the king’s response is simple, He wanted to hear more of the story from Paul verse 22… and Festus tells him, tomorrow you will hear this man yourself...
Here is something I want you to see my friends, People are curious about Spiritual matters.
People want to know more, especially topics related to supernatural events, Jesus may have laid down his life, he may have died but death and the grave couldn’t keep Him and now he is alive.
And because many want to know, friends you can tell.... and here is a little truth for you, if you are a new creation in Christ, a born again believer…well you have something great to tell.
So here is a second thought......
2. Paul’s defense to Agrippa....
Now the Scriptures tells us that indeed on the next day, King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice enter into the palace and they meet Festus in a very formal way...
Look with me at verses 23-27 Acts 25:23-27
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.”
So with all the formalities in place they come into the palace and Festus has Paul brought before King Agrippa and He lays out the charges that have been brought against Paul.
And with the start of chapter 26, Agrippa gives Paul the opportunity to defend himself against these charges....
Look with me at verses 1-3 Acts 26:1-3
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.
Paul knows Agrippa has been in power for a long time, over 2 decades. And Paul expresses his thankfulness since Agrippa has a fair understanding of the Jews and their customs and beliefs.
But I think also, Paul is thankful, because he can share Jesus once again...
So Paul lays out his case before him.... So lets look at all Paul would communicate to Agrippa this day… I am going to divide it into subtopics for you..
A. I Grew Up Here.... V 4. Paul tells Agrippa that from his boyhood or youth until he was an adult, he lived and studied in Jerusalem, among His people… the Jews, and a Pharisee on top of all that… the leading religious group in among the people.
Paul even says that those who would bring charges against me knows these things...
There were among the religious leaders those who remembered the old Saul and they still cannot believe the change that has taken place in his life...
But that is what happens when Christ enters our hearts my friends, we are changed. Paul bore witness of this in …2 Cor 5, verse 17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
It took place in His life, and it does ours as well.....
Then Paul moves on and and tells Agrippa why he is under arrest and been imprisoned for these past 2 years...
B. Believing God’s Promise is my Charge… This day Paul stands before Agrippa not for any wrong doing, but because by faith he believed God’s promise...
Look at verses 6-8 Acts 26:6-8
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?
What was the promise? That at the last day, they would experience the hope of the resurrection… let me share a passage from Isaiah the prophet...
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
The Jews, well at least the Pharisees looked forward to the end time fulfillment of the Lord’s promises, and it would all begin with the resurrection of the dead.
How would this be made possible.... A Savior… Jesus.
Do you remember that God had promised Abraham in Genesis 12, that because of his faithfulness and trust, if he would follow Him, His direction traveling to a land he would show him, in turn the Lord would bless all families of the earth through him… all of this would come because of His obedience, He had faith, he followed God and God gave him a son. even in his old age. His family lines would continue until the Messiah came, Jesus.
And that Messiah, Jesus was put to death on a cross. But rose on the third day and now He is a alive… Paul knew this and now bore testimony of the Savior.
These religious leaders, they believed in a end times resurrection, they longed for it, waited patiently for it. But for Paul to speak of Jesus… suddenly their hearts were hardened as Paul tried to tell them their hope was present and ready to change them.
For all of this Paul stood trial and these leaders sought to punish him regardless of his words or their beliefs.
This was the opening of Paul defense before Agrippa.
Next we see that Paul tells Agrippa of his past, hoping to give him a full picture of what had happened in His life...
C. Paul Shared his Past.... Paul is faithful to tell Agrippa of his former way of life, how he would not have associated with or had anything to do with the name of Jesus.
He was himself originally one who persecuted these members of the Way, even getting permission from the high priest to travel to places like Damascus that these disciples might be punished...
This was Paul’s past, he wasn’t proud of it but that was his former way of life.
And the truth is we all have a past, you know where it is? it’s behind you… Not in front of you so that you can run into it again and again, it is behind you.
And it is under the blood of Jesus. And now all that matters is that you are in Christ… being conformed into the image of His Son, Jesus.
And Paul will tell me just that, He is now in Jesus… He shares his conversion.
D. His Conversion… The truth was all this changed on the day he traveled to Damascus. Here the Lord appeared to him and called him. Listen to the testimony Paul shared with Agrippa as the Lord spoke to him..... Acts 26:16-18
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.’
The Lord appeared to him for his purpose. The Lord knocked him off his high horse so to speak and got his attention… changed his heart and called him according to His divine purposes.
Paul was to be a servant and a witness… Friends, Paul was a witness… he told everyone about Jesus.
I want to tell more and more people just how good
Jesus has been to me..
Has the Lord been good to you? Then tell others.
God was going to use Paul to help open the eyes of those who didn’t believe, to turn them from darkness to light.
Listen there is the key… what we do in the kingdom of God is literally a matter of life and death. We are revealing darkness and light… and we are calling people to leave the darkness, forsake it and come to Jesus.
You see darkness leads to death, but there is life in the light.. because Jesus is the light …
Listen to John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus is the light and He is life...Amen
And then Paul shared his mission
D. His Mission...
Listen as Paul shares with Agrippa, how he has been faithful to God… no matter what… verses 19-23
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.”
Wow… Paul has been a great commission Christian. Jerusalem - >, Judea - >, Samaria - > and to the world..>>
Calling for people to repent and turn to God, and then keep on living for just 1, the Lord our God.
This was Paul’s mission and for this obedience the Jews seized him and sought to have him executed. But He is only guilty of communicating what Moses and the prophets had already pointed too..
For close to 30 years, Paul as been faithful to carry the gospel wherever the Lord led him, sharing the overflowing joy and mercy God extends to those who would call upon His name.
Now with his declaration, Festus perhaps wanting to get this over with said with a loud voice telling Paul that he was out of his mind...
His education and background had left him unhinged if you will. But Paul counters this claim, look at verses 25-26
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.
Jesus wasn’t a myth, he was a historical person.. whose coming into the world bothered his great grand father Herod the great and now the world is hearing, understanding and testifying to the power of Jesus Christ…Herod Agrippa the II, stood before Paul knowing all this to be true....
Now Agrippa, he wondered, are you trying to convenience me? Could you in a short time?
And I want you to hear Paul’s heart here… verses 28-29
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.”
I want all, I plead for who hear me to believe that they may be like me.. except without chains..
What did Paul mean that they might become such as I am…???
That they might become a responsible follower of Jesus. Paul wanted what God wants and desires for each person..
1. To be saved… to come to Jesus Christ as Savior
2. To be a servant, One who has let their life go, whereby we are not number 1, we are not the most important thing in the room, Jesus is.
3. And our task, our job, our calling for every believer is that we might tell others about Jesus, so that they might have the same hope as we do..
So today, are you saved? Do you know for certain He is your Savior?
Do you know someone who doesn’t… When have you prayed for them, have you told them about Jesus, have you invited them to attend church with you
Are you doing all you can to follow the Lord. Praying, reading, living our best life for Him that he might be glorified in and through us..
That is our call this morning, if your missing a part of this today.. seek his face, ask for forgiveness and then ask Him to help you change and do what is He desires.
Pray..