Get Ready to Rumble

Acts 26:24–31 NASB95

24 While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. 26 “For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. 27 “King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” 28 Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” 29 And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.” 30 The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, 31 and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.”

Acts 26:24–31 NASB95

24 While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. 26 “For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. 27 “King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” 28 Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” 29 And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.” 30 The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, 31 and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.”

I. WHY DO YOU NEED TO HAVE A BASIC APOLOGETICS. (defense= apologeomai.)

A. Because our faith appeals to the mind. (Paul was not out of his mind. He spoke rational truth. v. 25)

Christian faith has CONTENT.

1 Corinthians 15:14 NASB95

14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

It’s not arbitrary faith. It’s not a blind leap. It’s believing the evidence and witness of God in History in order to join Him presently and in the future.

2. The message has CONTEXT. (v. 26)

John 5:18 NASB95

18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

C.S. LEWIS TRILEMMA. Lord, Lunatic or Liar.

B. Because people’s minds are clouded.

1 Corinthians 2:12–14 NASB95

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

2 Corinthians 4:3–6 NASB95

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

II. You need to point people to the Word . (v. 27)

A. Three inadequate sources of Authority. (They can only take you so far.)

Tradition.

Intellect.

Experience.

III. You need to prepare your Testimony.

B. A three minute summary of how you came to Christ and what difference He makes in you life.

IV. You need to be passionately concerned for people’s eternal destiny. (v. 28-29)

Challenge:

Write out your testimony with 3 elements: your life before Christ; how you came to know Christ; How Christ blesses and guides your life.

Commit to reading one of these books this year:

I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist by Norman Geisler and Jason Jimenez. A one stop shop for questions.

God doesn’t believe in atheists by Ray Comfort. A direct examination of skepticism and rebuttal.

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory. Written more as a story that weaves apologetics through the pages.

Clean Conscience: I am loyal to God first. I keep close accounts with God. Spurgeon… A cloud came between my Savior and me. I didn’t want to take another step until I dispelled it.

"The word of God has the power to turn back the attacks of Satan and to win people away from his power. People who grow deep in the word are well positioned to wage spiritual warfare.”

“We have God’s word in the Bible. When dealing with the Father of Lies, what could be more important than knowing truth directly from God himself? This treasury perfectly answers every argument Satan brings and every tactic he employs."

2) Relevance of scripture in our daily lives:

How you interact with time, money, relationships, family, the church will be a positive for your witness or a negative.

“Christians are in a unique position in the world: We have a basis for knowing objective truth based on God’s revelation. While other people have to guess what is true based on their own observations and interpretations or trust their traditions to tell them, we know that God has spoken to us through his Son. We have here a supreme weapon that is truly divinely powerful as he says elsewhere. However the revealed truth of God has one weakness, it has to be read and learned. Scripture doesn’t teach itself to us – God expects us to step forward and take in the word for ourselves.”

battle Satan's lies with TRUTH

Wartime mentality >>REALITY

Satan and His Kingdom, pg 72

INTELLECT (Can be confused or lead to wrong conclusions), EXPERIENCES (Can be biased), TRADITIONS (Can change)

INADEQUATE but informational.

CHRISTIAN LIFE

1) Identify areas of our lives where we are influenced by inadequate sources of authority rather than scripture.

We need to wrestle with the Word of God to grow in our convictions (Jacob)