The Book of Acts
Paul Before Agrippa, Part 2
Acts 26:4–18
If you count the number of times Paul shared his testimony as a prisoner, you will find that the answer is six. Tonight we are in chapter 26 of the book of Acts, and we are studying about the fifth of those six times.
This time, the testimony is shared with a king who is named Agrippa. Paul has been accused of trying to lead a revolt of the Jews against Rome, and at the same time, being a religious heretic. As is often the case, there is no logic to trumped up charges. They want to accuse Paul of being Jewish and at the same time, not being Jewish.
And even though he has been accused and tried over and over again, so far, they have not been able to make anything stick. He is innocent; they can't bring any witnesses against him, and yet they are still trying. And he is has now appealed his case to Caesar in Rome.
And Festus, the governor of Caesarea, has no choice but to send him to Rome. It is his right as a Roman citizen. But before he goes, he decides to have him make an appearance before the Jewish king. Ne needs an accusation and he doesn't have one. So maybe Agrippa, since he is Jewish, can help him out.
That is the plan from the side of Festus and Agrippa. But what they don't realize is that God and Paul have an agenda also.
Because of in the middle of this situation where Paul is giving testimony to Agrippa so they decide on a charge, Paul is giving testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ in an attempt to convert Agrippa. In fact, I think that is primarily why Pau is there. I don't think he is nearly as interested in the legal side of things as he is the spiritual side of things.
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is trying to get a credible accusation, Agrippa is just curious, but Paul is looking for a convert. And when the time comes, they are all there, along with everybody who was anybody in town! And when we come to the beginning of chapter 26, Paul has the floor and he is there to preach the gospel.
And as we saw last week, Festus has brought Agrippa and his lover who is his sister up to speed on what's been going on and invites the king to meet with Paul. And Agrippa, primarily out of curiosity, accepts the invitation. We called that "the consultation."
Then we looked at the circumstances surrounding this hearing. Everyone comes to the place of the hearing with great pomp and pageantry and Paul is brought before the king and his court.
That brings us to
3. Paul's Confession
We looked at his introductory remarks last time. Paul seizes the opportunity he is given and in a very courteous way begins his presentation.
verses 1- 3
Why was Paul happy to have this opportunity? Maybe he thought that Agrippa, unlike the other Jewish leaders, would be objective. They were so driven by their hatred, not only for Christ and Paul, but for Rome, that everything was tainted by that hatred.
But here was Agrippa, who, though he was a Jew, was also a man who had been educated in Rome, was faithful to Rome and in his heart, in spite of his nationality as a Jew, was a Roman. So perhaps Paul was holding out hope that he would be objective and fair.
But I think even more than that, he wanted an opportunity to share the faith with Agrippa and see him converted.
It's interesting to me that we seem to avoid and dread the opportunities we are given to talk about our faith. We make excuses and say people don't want to hear or they'll find it offensive, but Paul was happy, eager to talk about Jesus, even in a hostile environment.
So he uses this as an opportunity to try to convert Agrippa by sharing his own testimony as a Jew to a Jew. And there is one primary thing I take note of as a I listen to him: His message keys on the fact Christ is the Messiah, and it is proven by His resurrection, and in turn, the change in his life is because of the resurrection of Jesus.
So as he shares his testimony, that's what he shares. He talks about how his life was transformed when he met Christ on the road to Damascus.
And basically, he says, “I can't deny that Jesus is the Messiah because he knocked me down int he dirt on the road to Damascus, changed my life and sent me out to preach the gospel. How could I argue against that? He has to be the Messiah. He has to be the Savior.” That’s his whole argument.
Watch how it unfolds:
verses 4-5
For those of you who've had three-minute story training, it's based on this passage of Scripture. To use that vernacular, Paul begins with his life before Christ, and in particular, his early life as a Jewish young man.
He tells Agrippa about his education in Jerusalem and how he served as a Pharisee, the strict legalists of Judaism. And he mentions that many of accusers knew all of that about him and could verify that he was telling the truth. And some of the language he uses is very strong, but remember, he's painting a backdrop that reveals this massive transformation that has taken place because of Christ.
At verse 6, he moves from his life and conduct, to his judgment and condemnation.
verses 6-8
He says, “I was raised a Jew. I was a Pharisee and now I am being condemned for believing the promises that God made to our Jeweish forefathers!"
Notice, in verse 6, he mentions the "hope" of the promise made to our fathers. In other words, our hope is a Jewish hope! So what was the Jewish hope? The Jewish hope was the coming of Messiah. The hope of every Jew was Messiah would come and deliver Israel.
All of their history has been marked by struggle and war and opposition. In their entire history, they have had very little independence. And they longed for the hope to come, the Messiah to come. Because when Messiah came He would set up His kingdom and even the dead Jews would be resurrected to enjoy that kingdom. That was their hope.
Even way back yonder, Job voiced the hope that even if worms ate his body, he would see God! Since the very beginning, Jews believed in resurrection to new life! Their hope depended on the resurrection!
That's why he says, "King Agrippa, I'm being condemned for believing what every Jew believes!”
And according to verse 7, the twelve tribes affirm their belief in this promise!
And I'm sure Agrippa was thinking, "Believing in the the resurrection is not the issue. It is the resurrection of Jesus that we don't buy!"
And Paul is no dummy. He had to anticipate that Agrippa would think that. So notice how he continues his confession:
verse 9
In so many words, he says, “Agrippa, I'm sure you're thinking, 'That's all well and good Paul! We all agree on resurrection theology. It's you're fascination with Jesus that causes the difference of opinion!"
So Paul says, "I used to think Jesus and his claims to be our Messiah had to be destroyed, and I did of lot of things to put an end to the movement."
in fact, in verses 10-11, he confesses many of those things.
verses 10-11
No wonder he saw himself as the chief of sinners!
So he says, "King Agrippa, I understand this hatred against me! I spent years doing exactly what they're doing. I understand those who oppose Jesus Christ."
But
verses 12-14
This is the high point of the his testimony. What Agrippa needs to hear is not how sorry Paul used to be, but how amazing is the grace of God!
He was persecuting Christians, and on his way to Damascus one day, right in the middle of the day, the brightness of God overwhelmed him! In fact, it was so bright it knocked us to the ground! And a voice began to speak to me. In fact, he called me by name and told me I couldn't win in a battle with Him! He told me I was kicking against the goads.
Goads were little sharp things.
When a young ox was first being trained to be tied up to a yoke to pull a single plow, one ox on a single plow, upon being tied to the plow, he would begin to kick and get rid of the yoke.
So the farmer would take a long stick that had one end sharpened to a point and he would jab the heel of that ox so that he would learn through the pain how to tolerate the yoke. Because after a while, the yoke was much less uncomfortable that the pain in the heel.
That was how a young ox learned submission, and that's exactly what Paul was saying. I was a young ox who had to learn the hard way that it doesn't pay to keep kicking against Jesus. He always wins! And when I asked Who it was that was speaking, he told me it was Jesus that I was persecuting!
Now, we aren't told what happened in the courtroom when Paul said that, but you can imagine the buzz that must have swept through the crowd! Jesus can't be alive! He was crucified years ago and the disciples stole his body!
Paul is crazy if he thinks Jesus talked to him! He’s out of his mind. He’s a fool.”
But Paul simply shares the facts of his conversion. he talks about his life before Christ, how he met Christ, then moves to his life after he met Christ.
verse 16
Remember, Paul was blinded and knocked to the dirt! Now he is told to get up and follow God!
verse 17
“Get up Paul, you are now an apostle! Remember, an apostle was someone who had to be personally appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ. So being called to be an apostle involved a direct choice by Jesus Christ Himself, and that's exactly what happens here.
He also says in verse 17 that God will be with him as he ministers to both Jews and Gentiles. That tellsus we are saved out of the world to go back and minister to the world.
We need to learn to view our workplaces and schools and homes and families in that way! Just as was the case with Paul, we are missionaries! We are sent out.
Not only does God save him and commission him, but he also tells him how to share the message he wants him to speak.
verse 18
First, eyes must be opened. That's why we put such emphasis on preaching the Word of God. When the Word of God is shared, all of a sudden people see things they've never seen before! They see sin, not only in general, but in a personal way! The come to understand righteousness and judgment and the see the person and work of Jesus Christ!
But it’s not just a matter of opening their eyes. It’s a matter of changing their lives from – turning them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God.
That sound like conversion, doesn't it? Transformation and change that is brought by Jesus. They are removed from the power and influence of Satan and placed in contact with the power of God. They come out of the darkness into the light!
That's what happens when the gospel is shared and accepted. And that's what Paul says to Agrippa! God radically changed my life when I met Jesus! And he is the one who has sent me to preach a gospel that offers forgiveness of sin and an amazing inheritance to those who are saved by faith in Christ!
Don't you know old Bernice was fidgeting around by now? And I would guess Agrippa wasn't all that taken with what Paul had to say either! And I don't know for sure, but I would guess when Paul got through, there was a long awkward silence and a cold, penetrating stare!
Agrippa and Bernice and everyone else in the room knew enough to know that what they were doing was sin. They knew it not only because they knew the law of God, but they knew it because of their own conscience.
But in a sense Paul was saying, “Forgiveness is available, Agrippa. Whatever you and Bernice have done, whatever you are, that’s our message.”
And that is an exciting message to share with a sinful world! To be able to say to someone who is continually kicking against the goads, "You don't have to live like this!"
So how do we get it?
verse 18
In so many words, Paul said, "It’s all yours Agrippa, through faith in Jesus.” Jesus said to Paul that day, Paul you go and you preach “to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sin and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith that is in Me.” You tell them that if they believe in Me it is all theirs. And so Paul quotes to Agrippa the words of Jesus, the words of our Lord as they were given to him in Damascus.
There’s only one way to know those things and that’s by faith. The simple gospel of Jesus Christ that we’re called on to preach is the gospel of Ephesians 2:8 and 9, “For by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”
So he says, “Agrippa, look what happened to me. I was a Jew of all the Jews. I was zealous not only for Judaism, but I was killing Christians and trying to get them to blaspheme. But one day I was walking on the way to the Damascus road and the light shone in the middle of the day brighter than the sun itself. It smashed me down and I heard a Jesus Himself asking, ‘Why don’t you quit fighting me, Paul?’ And that day, I quit fighting and strated serving. "
And you can too! How did Agrippa respond? We'll see next time!
Let's pray.
