The Gospel’s Limits

Intro

Still on trial. Felix, Festus and now Agrippa.

We have already had 3 official hearings in which the apostle Paul is called to defend himself: it was a dramatic and stressful time for Paul.

We too can find ourselves living unpleasant experiences on more than one occasion.

Example: a house filled with rats.

As with Paul, God will give us the strength to endure these repeated attacks by the adversary.

Naive believers. However, I want to clarify a topic that is very close to my heart.

There are many believers convinced that just preaching the Gospel will be enough to see all their difficulties disappear.

There are 3 things that God cannot do:

“Tolerate wrong” - Habakkuk 1:13 “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”

“Be tempted by evil” - James 1:13 “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;”

“Deny himself ” - 2 Timothy 2:13 “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

Jesus has always been very clear with us - John 16:33 ““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””

This is why we must have balance in our vision of the Christian life.

Sermon’s outline. No one can deny that chapter 26 of Acts does not contain one of the most memorable preachings of the Gospel in the history of mankind.

But even though it was Paul who exposed the message of the Gospel, we note some reactions to this wonderful sermon that we could summarize as follows:

The Gospel does not automatically transform people;

The Gospel does not remove external chains;

The Gospel does not eliminate prejudice.

N.1 - The Gospel does not automatically transform people

Acts 26:28 KJV 1900

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

Almost saved. Unfortunately, Agrippa almost didn't accept Jesus.

Although it was "little" that kept Agrippa from accepting the Gospel, it was still a lot that made him dead in his trespasses and sins.

Agrippa was not transformed and did not give his heart to the Lord.

The Gospel is not magic. Paul wrote to the Romans that the Gospel is the power of God to those who believe:

Romans 1:16 NIV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Many go from service to service, from devotion to devotion, from song to song, but when they close their Bibles they say: "I almost became a disciple of Jesus..."

The only virtue that Hell has is knowing how to wait while Heaven is impatient:

Psalm 95:8 NIV

“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

300 Illustrations for Preachers Refusing to Be Saved or Wear a Seat Belt

Perhaps they can be compared to the 45 million Americans who still refuse to wear their seatbelts. The federal government says that 38 unbelted people die in traffic accidents every day. Most of those people would still be alive today if they had simply fastened the belt. It is easier to be saved than it is to buckle your seatbelt. “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” What could be simpler? Yet many refuse it.

Romans 10:13 NIV

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

N.2 - The Gospel does not remove external chains

Acts 26:29 NIV

Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Chains first, chains after. When Paul began his preaching he was a prisoner, when he concluded his sermon the cold cell of the prison was still waiting for him.

Healthy, Rich and Free. Many profess this type of Gospel: believing in God means living on clouds.

Everyone smiles at you and nothing can hinder your happiness.

Yet Jesus never promised to remove the external chains but to remove the internal ones.

Perhaps this disease is wearing away your wrists or this trial has worn away your ankles, but our heart is free from the chains of sin because, as with Joseph, the Lord is with us:

Genesis 39:20–21 NIV

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Gospel, Content

To preach a social gospel without the redemptive background of the individual salvation from sin of the individual sinner is like launching a paper airplane instead of a high-powered plane. A paper airplane may soar for awhile on the fickle currents of the wind, and climb high on some sudden up-draft, but it is the four whirl-wind motors that will carry a bomber to the stratosphere and jet-propulsion and rockets that will take a plane beyond the speed of sound” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Man’s Ruin [Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1952], pp. 161–162).

N.3 - The Gospel does not eliminate prejudice

Acts 26:24 NIV

At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

Festus' Attack. Festus repeatedly declares that he recognized Paul's innocence (Acts 25:25).

Yet, as Paul proclaims the Gospel, Festus interrupts him, mocks him, and tries to delegitimize him. Why this behavior?

It is not because of your silence. Hatred, Anger, contempt, derision, and animosity, according to some naive believers, should disappear the moment the Gospel is announced.

This text reminds us that it is our own words that create these reactions.

Jeremiah died in a foreign land, Isaiah was sawn asunder (Hebrews 11:37), John the Baptist was beheaded, and Stephen, because of preaching the Gospel, was stoned.

Continuing to ask why there is so much hatred is a futile exercise. Do not be surprised, but continue to persevere in the truth.

Conclusion

Magic Wand. Proclaiming the Gospel does not mean having a magic wand.

We begin to think of our faith as a sparkling magic wand: we wave it, and presto, our problems are gone in a puff of smoke. But this is, bluntly put, heresy. It not only makes Christians incredibly naive in approaching complex problems, but it can shatter the fragile faith of the believer who expects the magic wand to work every time.

Charles Colson

The Gospel gives us the strength to live rejection, to endure trials and to face hostility with confidence, strength and courage.