Paul's Testimony Before the King - Acts 26 (Part Two)

Persecution of Jesus and Saints - v. 9-11

he thought to himself that he needed to cause harm to the name of Jesus

what happens when we do things that we think are right without wisdom and prayer?

Isaiah 5:21 “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!”

Proverbs 3:5–7 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”

the harm that he caused served the very One he persecuted because it caused the church to spread the gospel in other places, and it put him on a collision course with Jesus

when these saints were on trial, Paul’s voice of testimony carried much weight in the deciding the execution of the saints

lies hate the truth, and people will tell lies to cover up their own guilt and to silence those who make them feel guilty

John 3:19–20 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

“Lying covers a multitude of sins—temporarily.” Dwight Lyman Moody

in this case, Paul was willing to bear false witness and murder in order to silence his own guilty conscience

his madness drove him to attempt to cause these saints to blaspheme and deny Christ

but the truth cannot be silence by lies

these people who saw not only Jesus’ miracles, heard His words of truth, and followed Him for 3 years, but also witnessed the resurrected Jesus, could not be forced to blaspheme Him

Christ Calls Paul - v. 12-18

Paul is accurately describing his former life as a degenerate and sinful one, then seamlessly mentions that he acted under the authority and blessing of the chief priests - the same ones who now persecuted him.

the implication is crystal clear - those who supported him when he was acting in evil are just as guilty as he was, and just as needy for a saviour as he was

therefore, they are the evil ones, because they are still pursuing the same end he was when he was one of them

Paul, and the chief priests and the other Jews, were devout, but they were devoutly sinners and enemies of not only Jesus, but the Father (John 5:23 & 1 John 2:23)

when he encountered the resurrected Jesus, his life changed forever. Here, for the third time in Acts (and the second time from the mouth of Paul), we have the account of his encounter on the road to Damascus

the light from heaven, brighter than the noonday sun

voice from heaven

a new detail is included here, and that is the voice spoke in the Hebrew tongue

those that were with Paul heard the voice, but did not understand it (Acts 9:7; 22:9)

these traveling companions were likely armed soldiers, perhaps temple priests or something similar to a militia; they were not Roman

yet they did not understand these words that Jesus spoke to Paul, even though He used their native Hebrew tongue

it is quite evident these other men were not supposed to understand the voice of Jesus.

all men hear the voice of God and see the handiwork of God. All of creation is a testament to His existence and sovereignty (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20), yet seeing and hearing all of this, untold numbers of men and women do not hear the words of Christ

Jesus said His sheep hear His voice (John 10:3-5; 27), sometimes before they even know they are His sheep yet

this voice of Jesus is clear and evident to some, but contorted and vague to the rest, and the difference is those whose name Jesus calls will hear Him and come to Him

he said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Jesus called him by name and he came to Him

When Jesus calls your name, He will speak in the language that you understand.

“how will I know when He’s speaking to me?”

“how do I know what His will is for my life?”

“how can I know if I am chosen by Him?”

Verses 16-18 are a combination of several different times that Jesus spoke to Paul in giving him his mission. Paul is condensing them into one conversation for time’s sake during this retelling to Agrippa

the mission was clear: Paul was appointed a servant and witness for Christ, and would be an evangelist to the Jews and Gentiles as well as protected from them.

his purpose was the preach the gospel to both groups so that they would hear the truth and their eyes would be opened, they would be delivered from Satan, and receive forgiveness and an inheritance

The Message of the Gospel - verses 19-23

Paul declares to King Agrippa that he has been only faithful to the mission that was given to him by the Most High God.

he mentions the progression of the Gospel:

Damascus first (to the Jews)

Jerusalem second (to the Jews)

Judea (to the Jews)

Gentiles (after being rejected by the Jews)

Unlike the Jews, the Gentiles accepted Christ in large numbers

because of this, the Way began to take on a Gentile appearance, and the Jews hated it all the more, and this is the reason why they seized Paul in the temple and tried to put him to death

they tried the mob

they tried the government

they tried secrecy and assassins

in verses 22-23, Paul restates the message of the Gospel

what the prophets and Moses said was going to happen has happened

those who the most devout Jews revered and cherished spoke of these things, and Paul is telling the world that these things have taken place:

that Christ would suffer (Isa. 53; Psa. 22; Zec. 12:10)

He would resurrect from the dead (Psa. 16:10; Dan. 12:2)

this would become a light to the Jews and Gentiles alike (Gen. 12:3; Isa. 42:6; 49:6; 60:1-3;)

Paul’s message, both spoken and in writing, often and very clearly ties the Old Testament to the New Testament. Like Jesus, he sometimes does this to show how the old covenant with Israel has been fulfilled and superceded by a more perfect (complete) covenant, such as is the theme of the Book of Hebrews, specifically Hebrews 8:6

Hebrews 8:6 LSB

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.