Paul Before Agrippa
Acts 25:23 – 26:32
July 7, 2013
Tonight we continue on our study of Acts and most recently
The segment devoted to Paul’s trial before he went to Rome.
Luke has been very interested in making sure that
You and I saw all the components regarding the trial of Paul
Before he was sent to Rome.
On one hand this is good because it helps us fill in the blanks,
But that is not the real reason Luke includes it.
As I have told you many times before, although the Bible is historically accurate, it is not primarily a history book.
There are both theological and practical reasons
To everything that is contained here.
The purpose of Scripture is never just to make you smarter or better educated.
The purpose of Scripture is always to equip you.
Paul wrote to Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
So when we read long narrative sections like this in the book of Acts,
We must take the time to ask exactly what it is
That the Holy Spirit wants us to learn.
• We know He is trying to teach us something…
• We know He will use this truth to reprove us…
• We know He will use this truth to correct our thinking…
• We know He will use this truth to train us according to righteousness…
Our job is to find out how.
Well, as we have been looking over this section there have been thus far three main truths that we have sort of focused in on as things we need to learn.
1) THE EXPECTATION OF CHRISTIAN FAITHFULNESS
We know that we as believers are called to be faithful.
This includes being focused at all times and obedient at all times.
• We saw this first with Paul in his willingness to share his testimony from the steps of the Roman barracks with those who had just tried to beat him to death.
• We saw it again when Paul stood before the council and declared that he had lived his life with a perfectly clear conscience up to this day.
• We saw it again before Felix as Paul shared with him about “righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come”
Paul has been faithful to fulfill his calling.
And this certainly challenges and convicts each of us to remember
Why we are here and what our true job is.
We so easily get sidetracked in this life.
There are always other things to do.
There are myriads of things that catch our eye and divert our attention.
• But we are called to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”
• We are called to “fix our eyes on heaven”
• We are called to “preach…as we go”
And not to get consumed with the other lesser things of life.
(It’s not that the details of life are bad, or even wrong,
It’s just that we have to remember our main purpose for being here)
So we have been reminded about the expectation of Christian faithfulness.
2) THE PROVIDENTIAL HAND OF CHRIST
We have also been fortunate to see how Christ works
For those who are working for Him.
At times it is easy to see God at work
He simply interjects with a miraculous work.
Paul was certainly no stranger to that type of experience.
• He was in Philippi when the jail cells opened up.
• He saw the false prophet Bar-Jesus be struck with blindness.
• He had been witness to numerous miracles.
But what we have been looking at are those times
When God sort of does His work from behind the scenes.
Most notably we saw Jesus rescue Paul from two assassination attempts.
• The Jews plotted against him in Jerusalem and through almost peculiar circumstances Paul was escorted out of the region to Caesarea.
• We saw again last week how another assassination plot was foiled through Festus’s unwillingness to go against Roman protocol.
And so while we haven’t seen the Lord step in and altar the flow of events,
We have seen every event end up working according to His divine will.
He told Paul:
Acts 23:11 “But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”
And Jesus has been working that out to perfection.
And then the third thing we have been learning about:
3) THE OFFENSE OF THE GOSPEL
• We saw it in Felix who was terrified at the preaching of the gospel and refused to accept it for fear that it would alter his lifestyle.
• We saw it in Festus who found the gospel to be foolishness and was not willing to be considered a fool in order to believe it.
And it is important for all of us to realize this,
For all three of these work together.
We need to know
• That the gospel we preach is not universally loved or accepted.
• That in order to preach it faithfulness is required.
• That Christ is always working behind the scenes to bring about His determined end.
But we have seen that the gospel is offensive.
And we will see it again tonight in Agrippa
Who comes across as sort of a procrastinator.
Namely he is a man who misses his golden opportunity to be saved, simply because he is too proud.
So tonight, let’s start looking at the next leg of Paul’s trial,
And that is PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA
I told you last week who Agrippa was, bet I’ll refresh your memory.
• He was King Agrippa II
• His Great Grand Father was Herod the Great who tried to kill the Baby Jesus
• His Great Uncle was Herod Antipas who killed John the Baptist and tried Jesus
• His Father was Agrippa I who killed James and then died and was eaten with
worms.
Agrippa II traveled with a woman who was his consort named Bernice,
Who also happened to be his sister.
Their sister was also Drusilla who was the wife of Felix.
So Agrippa was no model of virtue.
He was however an expert on Jewish Law and custom,
And that is why he has been included in the trial here.
What he did not realize is that while he would listen to Paul’s case,
The Holy Spirit was about to put him on trial.
Let’s look at the story tonight.
3 things
#1 AGRIPPA INFLATED
Acts 25:23-27
You will remember last week how Festus was stumped.
He agreed to send Paul to Caesar, but had no clue what charge to write against him.
Festus was actually relieved when Agrippa arrived
As he might be able to provide some religious insight to help Festus.
So Agrippa is already feeling good about himself as the resident expert.
And you will quickly notice here that it was all going to his head.
(23) “So, on the next day when Agrippa came together with Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.”
You can envision the scene.
It’s not enough for Agrippa just to hear Paul’s story,
He actually has to put on a display.
• He and Bernice come “amid great pomp”
• And not only that but they bring in all the “commanders and the
prominent men of the city”
It’s growing quite obvious that Agrippa has the big head.
This really isn’t even about Paul getting a fair trial as much as it is about Agrippa showing off his vast understanding of Jewish issues.
He is using this as his time to shine.
And Festus is right in line with it.
Once Paul was brought in, Festus tells it straight.
(We actually admire his honesty in what he says)
(24-27) “Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that he ought not to live any longer. “But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. “Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. “For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him.”
There again, Festus doesn’t strike you as a bad guy or even an arrogant guy. He just wanted to do his job to the best of his ability.
His problem was an unwillingness to become a fool for Christ.
But here he is quite honest.
He doesn’t know what to write as charges against Paul, and it seemed “absurd” to him to send a prisoner and not indicate the charge.
So he is appealing to the wisdom and understanding of Agrippa
For help in finding out what is wrong with Paul.
And obviously Agrippa is eating the notoriety up.
So we see Agrippa Inflated
#2 AGRIPPA ENLIGHTENED
Acts 26:1-20
Don’t you just love how the whole thing starts?
(1) “Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”
You can almost see his big head right there on the page.
And Paul begins to make his defense.
And what I want you to see is that even though there is a room full of dignitaries, and military commanders, and even Festus and Bernice, PAUL JUST ZOOMS IN ON AGRIPPA.
You can tell from reading here that
The Holy Spirit has singled out Agrippa,
And is making this his opportunity to hear the gospel first hand.
From here on out, everyone else sort of fades away
And God reveals the truth to this Jewish king.
You even see that in Paul’s address to Agrippa.
(2-3) “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.”
You not only hear Paul’s gratitude for getting to speak to Agrippa, but you even hear Paul begging Agrippa to listen all that he has to say.
It is reminiscent of Paul’s statement to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 5:17-20 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
You can hear that same concern in what Paul says to Agrippa there.
And so the hearing begins and Paul starts off by relating how PITIFUL all the CHARGES are against him.
READ VERSES 4-8
I don’t want to dwell too long on the details of these verses,
But you get Paul’s main gist.
They know what kind of a Jew I am
Furthermore they are trying me for preaching the fulfillment of a promise that they are hoping for.
This promise was God’s ability to raise the dead, and resurrect men to new life.
All of this would be culminated in the Messiah.
And that is why Paul says:
“Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?”
In other words:
You believe that God can raise the dead, why does it shock you when He does?
I mean the whole trial is just strange.
They are seeking to condemn him only because He has said that something they believe can happen, actually did happen.
So these are pitiful charges.
From there Paul becomes more direct with his purpose in speaking with Agrippa.
Paul reveals his POWERFUL CHANGE
And this of course is another account of Paul sharing his testimony.
And Paul begins where every testimony should begin, and that is:
Your life before Christ.
(VERSES 9-11)
That was Paul.
• He was a faithful Jew.
• And because he was a faithful Jew, he was a hater of Christianity.
• He viewed it as heresy
• He viewed it as blasphemy
• And he was on a personal mission to protect the religion of his fathers.
• To do this he locked some up on prison
• Others he voted to condemn
• And still others he tried to force to deny Christ under torture
• And when that seemed to small he tried to expand his role and actually received permission to hunt Christians down from various foreign cities.
There is no doubt what sort of man Paul was.
• Driven
• Focused
• Relentless
• Anti-Christ in every form of the word
We should also note, that at no time in Paul’s life
Did he ever go looking for Jesus.
At no time does Scripture ever indicate that Paul even had a quiver of a doubt that he might not be right in what he was doing.
He was on a mission and he isn’t vacillating about it in the least.
But then Paul had a very intense encounter.
(VERSES 12-14)
And of course you remember the story.
Paul was blinded and he heard a voice.
And naturally Paul wanted to know who it was:
(15) “And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”
I hope you could hear the gasps in the room when Paul said that.
Paul just asserted publicly, before all the noble guests
And military commanders, and Festus, and Agrippa and Bernice
That Jesus talked to him.
(It’s no wonder Festus later accused him of being insane)
Paul’s story just become far-fetched to everyone in the room.
And yet, it is the only explanation for why Paul is who he is.
It was this Jesus who changed Paul’s course.
(16-18) “’But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’”
• Paul was not looking to be saved…
• Paul was not doubting the right in his venture…
• Paul had no intention of swapping sides…
And yet, one encounter and the churches primary enemy
Became her primary advocate.
WHY?
Christ chose to appoint him a minister.
Jesus wanted it that way.
There was nothing Paul could do about it.
Paul was now going to Jew and Gentile alike to turn people from “darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”
And there is the explanation as to who Paul is.
That was Paul’s powerful change.
And then Paul reveals his PERMANENT CHOICE
(19-21) “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. “For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death.”
Paul’s response – I did just what He said.
And notice that Paul is very clear here to address Agrippa specifically
And to spell out for him the gospel.
Paul has spoken of repentance, forgiveness, faith in Jesus,
And eternal inheritance.
He is giving Agrippa the truth of the gospel,
And he is directing it directly at him.
In fact, it is almost as though Paul is completely ignoring everyone else.
This is Agrippa’s moment.
He came into this room amid great pomp, but the God of the universe wanted to have a conversation with Agrippa.
So we have Agrippa Inflated
We have Agrippa Enlightened
#3 AGRIPPA CONFRONTED
Acts 26:22-32
First Paul sums up the message he wants Agrippa to hear.
(22-23) “So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
Paul is very clear to Agrippa here.
• The Prophets said it…
• Moses said it…
• Now I am saying it…
• The Christ had to suffer (cross)
• The Christ would rise
• And He is the “light” of salvation for Jew and Gentile alike
There is no doubt what Paul is up to here.
He wants Agrippa to fully understand the gospel message
And that Jesus alone is the source of salvation.
Now you may remember from last week that Festus
Is blown away by such a thought.
(24-25) “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.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth.”
As we said last week Festus was too much of an intellectual to believe such a “fairy tale”. There was no way he was going to become so foolish.
But I want you to recognize here that Paul really disregards Festus.
He assures him that his words are truth,
But notice that Paul immediately turns right back to Agrippa.
Agrippa (not Festus) is the one on the hot seat.
(Festus is being used to make Agrippa’s decision more difficult)
(26-27) “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. “King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.”
It doesn’t get any more direct that that.
Agrippa, you know about what I’m talking about.
• You know about Jesus…
• You know about the crucifixion…
• You know about the resurrection…
You’re an expert on Jewish matters and “this has not been done in a corner”. Which is to say, “This is all public knowledge”
Agrippa knew the truth of the matter.
And then came the direct confrontation:
“King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.”
Paul had just said that the Prophets had already proclaimed Jesus,
Therefore if one claimed to believe the Prophets,
Then they had to also believe in Jesus.
That is what Paul is driving at.
And yet here is the tragedy of the scene.
Agrippa isn’t interested in coming to Christ here in this pompous setting.
(28) “Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”
And that translation is a little misleading.
That almost sounds like Agrippa is promising he will trust Chris later.
A better translation is: “Do you expect me to become a Christian in such a short time?”
Agrippa couldn’t refute what Paul said,
But he still pushed Paul’s message to the back burner.
And because of that, he remained lost.
Charles Spurgeon said, “To be almost persuaded is to be certainly damned”
You don’t get to almost come to Jesus.
A nearly believer is still an unbeliever.
With Jesus you are either all in or all out.
There is no middle ground.
Agrippa had chosen to reject.
And this of course was not Paul’s desire.
(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.”
Paul wanted every man everywhere to be persuaded to follow Christ.
He was genuinely grieved that Agrippa would reject such truth
And then Agrippa completely ends the session and changes the subject.
(30-32) “The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, ” This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
You can see there is another admission of Paul’s innocence,
But also a fine job by Agrippa to get the focus off of himself.
And yet here again we are reminded of the offense of the gospel.
• The gospel demands a change in lifestyle – which Felix was unwilling to do.
• The gospel demands a willingness to be considered foolish – which Festus
was unwilling to do.
• And the gospel demands those things TODAY, which Agrippa was unwilling to
do.
The gospel does not come to you on your timing, but on God’s timing.
Salvation is only available when the Lord offers it,
Not when you think you might want it.
That is why Paul told the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”
And yet throughout Scripture we have that recurring theme
Where people are offered the truth of the gospel and yet reject it.
Remember what Jesus said about Jerusalem?
Luke 19:41-44 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
And that is exactly what Agrippa is doing.
When the gospel comes you must accept it.
And this is another thing that is offensive about the gospel to people.
IT REQUIRES SUBMISSION OF THE WILL.
People in our society like to remain in control.
They want to do things on their time table and at their convenience.
We’ve all heard statements like – “There are things I still want to do before I commit to follow Jesus.”
And yet Jesus said:
Luke 9:59-62 “And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
In other words, you come when He calls, and you never look back.
And people don’t like that.
They don’t want to be backed into a corner, or roped into a decision.
But the God of the universe is in charge of salvation,
Not the sinner to whom it is offered.
And when God graciously offers forgiveness to a soul,
That soul must accept, for it only has the opportunity when God offers.
You come when God calls.
And that may not be a time when you deem convenient.
It certainly didn’t seem convenient to Agrippa.
• I’m sure he would have rather been alone with Paul at that moment, not dressed in all his splendor before all those dignitaries.
• Agrippa was actually called to believe in Christ immediately after Felix said such belief was insane.
The gospel confronts man when God is ready.
It asks for more than man wants to give,
And often makes him look like a fool for believing it.
And that is the message we are preaching.
However, for those who will humble themselves
And turn from their sin
And value the gospel even above their own reputation…
They find forgiveness and life and joy and peace.
But you must accept it when it is offered.
Hebrews 3:7-11 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'”
