Standing On Trial Before King Agrippa
Notes
Transcript
Lord’s Supper
Lord’s Supper
Ask the men to come and have a seat at the front.
Reminder: when the men bring the plate around, if you wish to participate, you’ll need to take from the plate.
Pray and thank the Lord for giving His body and shedding His blood for us.
Serve the bread
Read Mark 14:22.
Partake
Serve the grape juice
Read Mark 14:23-24.
Partake
Read Mark 14:25.
Jesus was telling His disciples that His sacrificial death on the cross was not the end. It was just the beginning. He would rise from the dead, He will setup a literal kingdom on earth one day, and He will enjoy victory over all His enemies. Death cannot keep Him!
Pray
Review
Review
Turn to Acts 26.
Acts chapter 25 was all about waiting as Paul slowly endured the process of the Roman legal system. I’m sure that it was difficult, but Paul embraced this season of waiting as being part of God’s plan. Waiting time is never wasted time - even if God has you waiting for a lifetime. You must be submitted to His plan of waiting.
Acts 25 was the prelude to chapter 26 that we’ll be considering today.
Message
Message
Read Acts 26:1-7.
The American legal system has been one of the hallmarks of our country. It is part of our legacy as a nation and it has a storied history. There have been famous trials, controversial ones, and even some that have been downright bizarre. Here’s just a few:
In 1999, a woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico, attempted to sue a local TV station for $1.3 million because they showed a picture of a pickle on TV. She claimed to have a severe phobia of pickles and alleged that the sight of them caused her emotional distress. The case was dismissed as the court could not reasonably expect the TV station to know about her specific phobia.
In 2011, a man in Tennessee quit his job after his W-2 tax form had the number “666” printed on it. He believed the number was a mark of the devil and sued the company for constructive dismissal. Surprisingly, he won his case in court, and the jury awarded him $150,000 in damages.
“BIZARRE COURTROOM CHRONICLES: THE STRANGEST LEGAL BATTLES IN U.S. HISTORY” https://www.selphlaw.com/bizarre-courtroom-chronicles-the-strangest-legal-battles-in-u-s-history/
The American legal system has seen its share of strange cases, but I have yet to find a Case Where The Judges Became The Defendants. That’s nearly what happened at Paul’s trial before Festus and Agrippa.
Next slide here:
The defendant gives his testimony - Acts 26:1-23.
Much of this chapter is Paul’s formal defense before the court where he gives the most detailed account of how he was saved. We won’t read the entire testimony today, but one writer outlined it as the following:
Verses 2-3 - Paul’s introduction
Verses 4-8 - his heritage as a pharisee
Verses 9-11 - his persecuting zeal
Verses 12-18 - his heavenly vision
Verses 19-20 - his obedience to the vision
Verse 21 - his arrest
Verses 22-23 - his doctrine
Attributed to F. F. Bruce. Witness to Christ, Stewart Custer, page 360
Paul began by acknowledging that Agrippa was an expert in Judaism. Knowing this, Paul spoke freely of his Jewish heritage and of his subsequent zeal against Christianity. Agrippa knew that this Jesus Christ had risen from apparent obscurity and even more, it was claimed that He had risen from the dead. Most of the Jews believed in the resurrection of the dead. Paul argued, “why would it be hard to believe that Jesus had done just that?”
Read Acts 26:8.
At one time though, Paul thought he could never believe such a thing. In fact, he did everything he could to resist this Jesus of Nazareth, thinking that he was doing God a service.
Read Acts 26:9.
There was one problem though. Paul was not helping God; he was fighting against God. He was doing exactly what Gamaliel, his former mentor, had said not to do many years ago.
And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
Read slowly:
That was Paul! His life in Judaism could have been summed up in this way: he was a man who spent his life fighting against God.
Application: I wonder if there is anyone here this morning that might be just like Paul.
You might not be Jewish.
You might not be an expert in the Mosaic Law.
You might not be hunting down Christians.
But you are busy fighting against God.
You might think to yourself, “Now Pastor Tim, maybe that was Paul, but that’s not me. I’m trying to please God as best as I know how.”
And I say, “Yes, and Paul was trying to do the same thing! He was trying to please God as best as he knew how but he still ended up fighting against God and doing exactly what Gamaliel said never to do.”
Read slowly:
All you have to do to be like Paul is to live life your own way rather than God’s way!
Before Paul threw all his hope of salvation on Christ alone, he was doing everything he could to please God! He was trying his very best to make God happy but he was fighting against God all along.
The solution? He needed to bow the knee to Jesus Christ and then live life on God’s terms as written in the Scriptures.
And so I ask, how much are you like Paul?
Have you bowed before Jesus, the king of kings and lord of lords? Are you trusting Him alone for the salvation of your soul?
If you have made that decision, then Christian, are you living life on God’s terms, or are you still trying to do it your way? If you want to please your Heavenly Father, then you must study what He has said and live as He desires. You must be surrendered to do whatever His Word says to do.
Paul continued his speech. It was a personal defense, but it was more than that. It was, like one writer said, a “presentation of the gospel with an evangelistic appeal.”
That bring us to the second part of this trial. We’ve seen the defendant give his testimony, and now…
Next slide here:
The judges are put on trial - Acts 26:22-32.
If you thought the trials we read about earlier were strange, you can put this one right up there with them. Notice what it says as I begin reading in verse 24.
Read Acts 26:22-32.
Paul completely flips the script and goes on offense, putting the judges on trial to be judged by the truth of God’s Word! Festus interrupted Paul’s monologue and accused him of being insane. It was his way of dismissing Paul’s arguments altogether, but Agrippa could vouch for the historical accuracy of everything that Paul had said. Festus mocked, but Agrippa listened. Both were on trial as Paul told them of Christ.
In verse 27, Paul asked Agrippa a straightforward question:
Read Acts 26:27.
Now what was the point of this apparently random question? It actually wasn’t random at all. It forced Agrippa into a tough spot. Here’s how:
Besides governing his kingdom, King Agrippa was responsible for overseeing the affairs of the temple. He was delegated this responsibility instead of the Roman governors which did not understand Jewish practices.
As custodian of the temple, Agrippa was not about to confess that he did not believe in the prophets, but he did not interpret them as Paul was doing. - Witness to Christ, Stewart Custer, page 368
The Bible Knowledge Commentary (26:24–29)
[however] If he accepted the prophets he would be forced to admit [that] Christ Jesus fulfilled them.
His only escape was to avoid the question altogether, which is what he did in verse 28.
Read Acts 26:28.
In full disclosure, many good men have debated concerning the appropriate translation of this Greek statement into English.
Some understand it as a statement of sincere desire.
Others understand it as a statement of jest and mockery.
Some translate it as a question.
I don’t see how it could be a question because there is no interrogative pronoun. Literally, Agrippa says, “In a little you are persuading me to become a Christian.”
That could mean in a little time or, in a few words. Whether Agrippa was sincere or in jest is an open question, but the end result was the same. He, the judge, had become the defendant - not before Paul, but before God. It was time to stop resisting God and instead submit himself to God the Judge.
As Festus and Agrippa left the judgment hall, they talked among themselves. They both knew that Paul was innocent, but more importantly, deep down, they knew that they were not.
Application: If you were to stand in God’s judgment hall right now, would He declare you guilty or righteous? God’s standard of law demands perfection.
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
If you have violated one part of God’s law, then you have broken the entire law. Only Jesus met God’s standard. He came to this earth as a little human baby and He obeyed the law perfectly because He is God. In accordance with God’s plan, Jesus died as the sacrifice for sin so that whoever trusts Him to save their souls will be saved.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Application: Christian, you must have the boldness of Paul. From the homeless, to the rich and famous, every member of society needs to hear that Jesus saves sinners. Paul did not let someone’s high status scare him away from telling about Jesus. Christian, be bold!
