Responding to grace

We must respond to God’s grace by repenting and believing in Jesus it is not enough to be almost persuaded but altogether.

Introduction

People respond differently to different things all the time. Many things are simply down to personal opinion and don’t carry much importance.

If we were all told this morning we were having chicken vindaloo for lunch, I would respond with delight and I imagine most of you would respond with horror.

If you told me Manchester city won the FA cup I would respond with apathy, some of you might respond with joy or sorrow depending on who you support.

These things are inconsequential, they are not that important. They are down to personal preference or taste and do not mean much.

But it is also true that people respond differently to very important things as well. This can have serious consequences if the response is the wrong one.

One example, may be a cancer diagnosis. Some people respond by accepting the diagnosis and swiftly beginning the treatment. Others respond with denial, and don’t seek the treatment without great persuasion. Some never seek the treatment.

An example of even greater importance is how people respond to the grace of God? How people respond to the Gospel.

Some respond in the right way others respond in the wrong way.

This has been going on for thousands of years. In our passage this morning we see people responding to the gospel. We see the wrong response and we are told what the right response is.

I wonder what your response has been to the message of Jesus Christ?

Have you responded in the right way or the wrong way?

How should you respond to the grace of God?

In our passage this morning we see the Apostle Paul shares his personal story of God’s grace in his life. He shares the Gospel with a Roman Governor and A Jewish King. We see how he did that.

Then we see how the Governor and king both responded and how Paul said they should respond.

In this passage we learn the wrong way to respond to the Gospel and the right way. The question for us this morning is how have we responded?

We have two main points.

Firstly, A story of grace. Secondly, Responding to grace.

I. A story of grace v.1-23

Firstly, then in our passage we read about a true story of grace.

The Apostle Paul has been arrested and is being held as a prisoner. The Jewish leaders have tried to kill him unjustly so he has appealed to Caesar. This means he must travel to Rome and present his case to the Emperor.

He is brought before Festus the governor and Agrippa the king in order to defend himself against legal charges made against him for preaching about Jesus. He defends himself by sharing his testimony.

He gives his life story about how we became a believer in Jesus and the difference Jesus has made in his life. He tells his story in three parts. He begins by describing his past.

We see he was religious but lost.

a) Religious but lost v.1-11

a) A pharisee

v.4-5 Brought up in Judaism and lived according to the strictest sect, a pharisee.

Explain who the Pharisees were.

b) A persecutor

v.9-11 He persecuted Christians.

v.9 He did many things against the name of Jesus

V.10 he put Christians in prison and helped to put them to death

v.11 He kicked them out of their synagogues and even persecuted them in foreign cities- He was travelling to Damascus for that purpose.

If we could sum up the early life of Paul we would say he was religious but lost.

App- The challenge with the early part of Paul’s life was here was someone who was sincere but sincerely wrong.

He was very religious. He had firmly held views about God, but he was wrong.

Many people are like this today. It is not enough to go to church. To say your prayers, to go through the ritual of religion. You need a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He must be your Saviour.

After sharing about his past he goes on to explain how everything changed. He was religious but lost but now saved by grace.

b)Saved by grace- v.12-18

In v.12-18 Paul describes a personal encounter that he had with the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

While he was travelling to Damascus to persecute the Christians, Jesus appeared to him on the road.

Describe event

Jesus appeared to him- He saw a light from heaven. He heard a voice.

What did it say?

i)He was persecuting Jesus

ii)He was called to be a witness

iii)He was called to preach to the gentiles

This is sovereign grace. Paul wasn’t looking for Jesus. But Jesus was looking for Paul.

Paul did not deserve the forgiveness of his sins, but God is gracious he gives mercy to those who don’t deserve it.

Paul put his faith in Jesus Christ, he repented and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

As we shall see in a moment it was from this point on that everything changed.

App- Have you experienced conversion? Have you come to the realisation that Jesus is Lord?

It may not be as dramatic as this. But the pattern should be generally the same. You were going the wrong way, living in sin, without God. You came to realise you were guilty before God and that Jesus died for your sins on the cross and rose again the third day. You changed your mind about the way you were living, you turned to Jesus and put your trust in him.

That is basically what happened to Paul. Has that happened to you?

After Paul was Saved by grace, we see the rest of his life was summed up in the phrase living for Christ.

c) Living for Christ- v.19-23

After his conversion Paul lived for Jesus- Paul preached God’s grace

v.19 He was not disobedient to the heavenly voice, but immediately preached the Gospel.

v.20 he called people to repentance

v.22-23 He preached to both small and great about Jesus Christ.

He suffered for Jesus but kept on preaching. V.21 the Jews seized him in the temple and tried to kill him.

He had continued to preach Christ to everyone everywhere.

Paul was religious but lost, saved by grace and now living for Christ.

App-

when we look at the life of Paul we see the grace of God. The love of Jesus. Just as Paul was transformed so you can be as well.

The challenge for believers is are we living obedient, sacrificial lives for Jesus like Paul did?

If you are not a Christian this morning The question is how will you respond to God’s grace?

That leads us to our final point. Responding to grace. A story of grace, responding to grace.

II.Responding to grace v.24-32

After Paul recounts his testimony we see how those listening respond.

Two wrong responses. The right response urged by Paul.

a) You are mad- Scorn v.24-25

Festus responded with mockery and scorn.

After listening to Paul for a while, he interrupts Paul’s message and says with a loud voice “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

In other words Paul you are crazy, you have lost your mind. The greek word Festus used is the word that we get the word maniac from.

He seemed angered- Cried out with a loud voice, interrupted Paul

People often respond in this way. They respond by saying it is nonsense, crazy.

They respond with scorn.

They resort to angry mocking. They belittle the gospel, make fun of it.

App-

This was the response of Festus.

Is this your response to the Gospel?

Perhaps you are happy to come along on a Sunday so long as it doesn’t get too personal. You like the people, but don’t have time for the message and if you were honest about how you really felt you would say it’s crazy.

Well this was the wrong response to grace. Festus left Paul’s presence without repenting and we have no record that he ever did. For all we know He missed out on God’s grace. Will that be your story too?

Next we see how King Agrippa responded. If Festus was scorning then Agrippa was fence sitting.

b) I am almost persuaded- Fence sitting

King Agrippa responded by putting it off.

After Paul ensured Festus he was not insane but using sense and reason he turns to address Agrippa and really calls for him to make a decision.

He says in v.27 “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”

Paul pushes Agrippa to make a public confession of Jesus Christ. How does Agrippa respond?

Different translations translate this differently, but I think the NKJV gets the intention the best.

Agrippa responds in v.28 by saying “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

Agrippa was almost persuaded.

Agrippa’s response was more restrained than Festus. We could even say it was better than Festus. Yet still wrong.

He listened politely to what Paul had to say, maybe even with interest. But he was not persuaded.

He said to Paul you almost persuade me to be a Christian. He was almost persuaded, he felt the weight of Paul’s testimony. He felt the credibility of what was said.

Yet he was not willing to repent. He was almost persuaded.

Almost persuaded is still not persuaded. This is still the wrong response to God’s grace.

App- Maybe this is where you are this morning? sitting on the fence. You feel drawn to the gospel, you are almost there, but you have not yet taken the step of repentance and faith.

You can be almost persuaded and still lost forever

If these are the wrong responses Whats the right response?

c) The right response- Repentance

After Agrippa responded. Paul gives the response he desires of everyone that was listening to him that day.

In v.29 he says “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”

I would to God you were not almost but altogether.

We see have seen Paul’s own response in his testimony. He responded to the gospel, the grace of Jesus, by a full commitment to Jesus Christ. He repented and believed and then sought to live the rest of his life in total obedience to Jesus.

Paul is saying this is the kind of response he wanted from everyone there. This is the right response to God’s grace.

You need to fully commit to the gospel. You need true repentance and true faith. You need to be altogether like Paul.

Paul says you must do the same.

App-

If you are not a Christian you need to respond like Paul. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

If you are a Christian, then have you been obedient like Paul. Yes you have repented and believed, yes you are saved. But are we living in full obedience to the call of Jesus to serve him where he wants us?

Conclusion

How have you responded to God’s grace?

In our passage this morning we have seen the story of God’s grace in Paul’s life.

The love and mercy of Jesus.

Then we saw different responses to it.

Two wrong responses. Scorning and fence sitting.

What is the right response? Repentance. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is your response?

John Newton wrote the well known hymn amazing grace. Like Paul we might say he was a very unlikely candidate for the grace of God. He was a slave trader, a very wicked and immoral man.

But like Paul he came to realise his guilt before God, his need of the forgiveness found only in Jesus. How did he respond? The same way Paul did. The right way.

After his conversion he penned the words

Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I am found. Was blind but now I see.

How have you responded to God’s grace?

Let us pray.