Victorious Christians
The Book of Acts - Part 87
Acts 26:19-32
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - June 21, 2015
BACKGROUND
*God's Word has a whole lot to say about this season in Paul's life. Back in Acts 21, Paul arrived in Jerusalem. Paul went there, both to worship the Lord, and to deliver a generous love offering for the poor Christians in the city.
*After Paul got to Jerusalem, he was nearly murdered three different times. He was also held prisoner by the Roman governor in Caesarea for at least two years. Now in Acts 26, Paul is in the middle of the fourth trial where he faced the death penalty. With this background in mind, let's read about the end of the trial starting in Acts 26:19.
MESSAGE
*If anybody ever lived a victorious Christian life, it was the Apostle Paul. That's why in his last letter, in 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul could write: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
*God wants all of us to have victorious Christian lives, and Paul pointed us to this truth in Romans 8:35-37. There he said:
35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36. As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.''
37. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
*God wants us to have victorious Christian lives, and this Scripture helps us understand what that means.
1. FIRST: VICTORIOUS CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THE BIBLE.
*We believe the Bible, and this includes the New Testament we are studying tonight, the New Testament that was being written as Paul spoke these words before the court.
*Paul began his testimony by telling the story of how Jesus miraculously met him on the road to Damascus. Then starting in vs. 22, Paul said:
22. "Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come
23. that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.''
24. Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!''
25. But he said, "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.
26. For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner."
*Jesus Christ was not some kind of secret Savior. He lived His life in a very open and public way. The story of Jesus we read in the New Testament was well known everywhere that Jesus went.
*John Phillips explained that "Festus was a newcomer to the country. Agrippa, on the other hand, was at home there. He could not help but know about Jesus of Nazareth. For three and a half years Jesus had preached, crossing and re-crossing the country from northern Galilee to Jerusalem. He had taught God's truth in a pungent, authoritative, and unforgettable way. Who, having heard them, could forget the parable of the prodigal son or the Sermon on the Mount?
*Jesus had electrified the country from end to end with remarkable, numerous, and spectacular miracles. People by the score had been healed. Thousands had feasted on a few loaves and fish miraculously multiplied from a little boy's lunch. Demons recognized Jesus and fled at His command. The very dead had been raised. Moreover, He had lived a life of immaculate holiness combined with all-embracing compassion and love.
*The Lord's illegal trial and crucifixion, His burial in the tomb of one of the wealthiest and most influential Jews in the country, and His subsequent resurrection had rocked the country. . . Christ had appeared again and again, on one occasion to more than 500 credible witnesses. Nothing but deliberate refusal to face the facts could account for unbelief." (1)
*That's why we have every reason to believe the New Testament we are studying tonight. But we also believe the Old Testament Paul mentioned at his trial. Again in vs. 22-23, Paul said:
22. "Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come
23. that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.''
*Then down in vs. 27, Paul put this soul-searching question to King Agrippa: "Do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.'' Apparently, Paul was wrong about that. There is no biblical evidence that King Agrippa really believed the Old Testament prophecies.
*But Christians, we believe! And we should believe because so many of the Old Testament prophecies have come true.
*Think for a moment how hard it is to predict the future. Here are some examples from a book called "The World's Worst Predictions": In 1773, King George II said the American colonies had little stomach for revolution. In 1939 The New York Times said the problem with TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn't have time for it.
*And on May 31, 1911, at the launch of the Titanic, an employee of the White Star Line arrogantly said: "Not even God himself could sink this ship." Less than a year later, 1,500 people died when the ship went down. (2)
*We don't know that's going to happen tomorrow, but God sees the end from the beginning. Thus says the LORD in Isaiah 46:9-10:
9. "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
10. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'"
*God sees the end from the beginning, and He has revealed it in His Word. Consider the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus. Online sources list over 350 Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled when He was on the earth. (3)
*Here are just a few examples:
[1] About a thousand years before Christ, Psalm 2:7 prophesied that the Messiah would be the Son of God. There the coming Messiah said: "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'" This prophecy was fulfilled many places, including at the baptism of Jesus. Matthew 3:17 says, "Suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
[2] Around 725 BC, Micah 5:2 prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.'' The Christmas stories in Matthew 2 and Luke 2 show that this prophecy was fulfilled.
[3] A few years after Micah, Hosea 11:1 prophesied that the Messiah would be called out of Egypt: "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 2, when King Herod sent his soldiers to murder all the baby boys in Bethlehem.
*Matthew 2:13-15 says:
13. . . behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.''
14. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
15. and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son.''
[4] About 520 BC, Zechariah 11:12 prophesied that the Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver: "So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver."
*This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 26:14-16:
14. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15. and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?'' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
16. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
[5] And a thousand years before Christ, by the mouth of King David, God prophesied how the Messiah would die. Psalm 22:16 says, "For dogs have surrounded Me; The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet."
*Wow. -- No wonder we believe the Bible! That's crucial because nobody can be saved without believing in God's Word. And nobody can be a victorious Christian without believing the Bible.
2. VICTORIOUS CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THE BIBLE. THEY ALSO RECOGNIZE THE DANGER OF REJECTING JESUS.
*This is the catastrophe unfolding in vs. 28 when "Agrippa said to Paul, 'You almost persuade me to become a Christian.''' Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian. He was almost persuaded to be saved. But to be almost persuaded is to be altogether and eternally lost.
*Bill Bouknight explained that "the word 'almost' is a sad word in anybody's dictionary. It keeps company with expressions like 'if only,' and 'not quite'. 'Almost' is a word that smacks of missed opportunities and fumbled chances.
*Swimmer Tim McKee was a 3-time winner of a silver medal in the Olympics. In the 1972 games in Munich, Tim was edged out of a gold medal by two-thousandths of a second. Was he fast enough to win the gold? -- Almost. (4)
*No doubt Tim could have been disappointed for weeks or even years. But no earthly disappointment can compare to the non-stop, eternal despair of knowing you were almost saved, -- almost saved, but altogether and eternally lost.
*Paul recognized the catastrophic danger of rejecting Jesus Christ. So in vs. 29, he spoke to King Agrippa and everyone in the courtroom that day. "And Paul said, '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.'''
3. VICTORIOUS CHRISTIANS RECOGNIZE THE DANGER OF REJECTING JESUS. AND THEY ARE UNDEFEATED BY UNFAIRNESS.
*Victorious Christians are undefeated by the unfairness in life. This is God's message for us at the close of Paul's trial in that ungodly legal system. Verses 30-32 tell us that:
30. When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them;
31. and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, "This man is doing nothing worthy of death or chains.''
32. Then Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.''
*Talk about a "Catch-22," no-win situation. If Paul had allowed himself to be sent back to Jerusalem for a trial before the Jewish High Council, he almost certainly would have been murdered there or somewhere along the way. The appeal to Caesar saved Paul's life. But appeals to Caesar were irrevocable under Roman law. So even though the governor and king knew without a doubt that Paul was innocent, they could not let him go. (5)
*Life is not fair. We were reminded of this hard truth this past week, when 9 Christians were gunned down at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. They were young and old, ranging in age from 26 to 87. They were there as we are here tonight for prayer and Bible study.
*The pastor was there along with mothers and fellow ministers, a barber and a librarian, a speech therapist, and a community development director whose 4 daughters sang in the church choir.
*They welcomed the thin white stranger who was sitting quietly in one of the chairs. There was no way for them to know that he was there for a massacre. "An hour or so later, Dylann Roof stood up, made some racist comments, and began firing his .45 caliber handgun, stopping only to reload. (6)
*Life is not fair. But God is good! Robert Schuller once wrote a book with that title: Life's Not Fair, But God Is Good" And victorious Christians are undefeated by the unfairness in life.
*We have seen this truth in a extraordinary way since the Charleston massacre. Here's part of a report from The Christian Science Monitor: "In media interviews and at a court hearing for the alleged killer Friday, relatives and close friends of the victims expressed forgiveness, some asking God’s blessing on Mr. Roof. . .
*'We already forgive him for what he’s done, and there’s nothing but love from our side of the family,' teenager Chris Singleton told BBC News. Chris’s mother Sharonda Singleton was one of those killed. She had been a speech pathologist and coach of the girls track team at Goose Creek High School. . .
*Speaking for Daniel Simmons, Wanda Simmons said, 'Although my grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate, this is proof. Everyone’s plea for your soul, is proof that they lived in love and their legacies will live in love. So hate won’t win. And I just want to thank the court for making sure that hate doesn’t win.'
*'I forgive you, my family forgives you,' said Anthony Thompson, the grandson of Myra Thompson. 'But we would like you to take this opportunity to repent. Confess, give your life to the one who matters the most, Christ, so that He can change it -- can change your ways no matter what happens to you, and you will be OK. Do that and you will be better.'" (7)
*Those were amazing statements. And there is only one reason why anyone could ever make a statement like that: Jesus is living on the inside.
*And victorious Christians are undefeated by the unfairness in life. Many of the greatest heroes of our faith have suffered incredible hardship for the good news about Jesus Christ. Over and over we have seen Paul suffer for Jesus. Paul was beaten, stoned, almost torn apart, and held prisoner for two years.
*He wasn't surprised by all of that. When Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus years before, he was struck blind by the glory of God. Paul was then led into Damascus, and the Lord sent a local Christian to help.
*Starting in Acts 9:10, God's Word says:
10. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias.'' And he said, "Here I am, Lord.''
11. So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.''
13. Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.''
15. But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
16. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.''
*Many of God’s best have suffered the worst for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why were they willing to do that? -- Because they realized the incredible value of the good news. And because they never lost sight of how much Jesus suffered for us.
*These verses from Isaiah 50 help us understand the Lord and His suffering for us:
4. "The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, he awakens My ear to hear as the learned.
5. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.
6. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7. For the Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.
*And from Isaiah 53:
3. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace 9was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
CONCLUSION:
*That's why Paul and countless other Christians have been willing to suffer for the Lord. May God help us to be more like them! And we can be like them.
*We can be victorious Christians, for Romans 8:35-37 says:
35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36. As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.''
37. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
*Thank God for the victory we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Would you please bow for prayer.
(1) Adapted from EXPLORING ACTS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Paul's Courtesy" - Acts 26:24-26
(2) Sources:
THE WORLD'S WORST PREDICTIONS - SermonCentral sermon "The Promise" by Guy Caley - 2 Peter 1:19-21)
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/titanic.html
(3) Sources:
https://accordingtothescriptures.org/prophecy/353prophecies.html
http://www.newtestamentchristians.com/bible-study-resources/351-old-testament-prophecies-fulfilled-in-jesus-christ/
https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/scriptures/old-testament-prophecies-jesus/
(4) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "Almost Persuaded" by Bill Bouknight - Matthew 19:16-30
(5) EXPLORING ACTS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "How the court was convinced" - Acts 26:30-32
(6) Source:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/victims-charleston-church-shooting-diverse-group-article-1.2263187
(7) Source:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/0620/Charleston-Victims-families-tell-alleged-shooter-Dylann-Roof-We-forgive-you-video
