Acts:26:19-20
Intro: As a young medical Doctor I had to testify in a murder trail, as I have done the autopsy on the victim. It was my very first time in a courtroom, and that the High Court of all places, and I knew that the honourable Judge H W O Klopper, who used to be president of the World Boxing Council, was presiding. He had a reputation, of being a No-nonsense, strict judge, you did not take any changes with him. Having been a ruthless boxer himself, he carried the same attitude he had in the ring, into his courtroom. I will never forget the moment he walked into that courtroom, dressed in flowing black robe, with his white hairpiece on, he stood on the bench, gave the people in the courtroom a penetrating glance, lasting several seconds, before sitting down. The announcement came; “This court is now in session, you may take your seats.” A cold chill ran down my spine, shortly I would be called as an expert witness, before a judge who had the full authority of the State, including the power to give the death sentence, vested in him. As I was sitting listening to the charges brought by the Authorities against the defendant, the moment I feared, came when my name Pieter Daniel Fraser Botes, was called out, and I started walking forward to the witness box, I was asked to take an oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. The next moment the Judge was looking me straight in the eye, and there I was so glad that he could not see my wrongdoings. My late payments on my tax, an unpaid fine for a parking infringement, and breaking the speedlimit on the way to court, was sitting very uneasy. I made a decision right there, I would do my utmost never to stand as the accused in court. A decision that still today influences every motive and action I take. I told the truth, I answered every question I was asked in fear and trembling. You might never understand the relief I felt when the Judge said, thank you Doctor, you are allowed to step down. Although I carried on doing medico-legal work for another 9 years, and testified in many hearings after this incident, I would never feel at ease, and I was not even the one who had to defend myself. My respect grew as I was time and again overwhelmed to see the absolute authority vested in the presiding judge.
Now in our reading today: Paul is standing before King Agrippa, and I understand how Paul felt, I know that Paul’s words would be chosen well, and that he would tell the full truth and nothing but the truth.
Now I want to examine today our text: Acts 26:19-20. I believe that this message Paul got from Jesus himself is what we need again to hear, a simple message that all can understand. Lets look at it:
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a) “20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent”:
How do we need this to happen again, God’s message has not changed!
Today in Hamilton New Zealand, at the very place this message is preached, a play has started last night, a controversial play that has Jesus as a pot-smoking activist and teenage dad, and our youth are fed this rubbish. You can never be saved without repentance, and we live at a time where people don’t want to hear that message any longer. The mesaage tat John the Baptist started his ministry with, that message that Peter preached at the first Pentecost, Repent and be baptized, the message our Lord Jesus opened his public ministry with: Repent…..for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
People ask “what is repentance”?
Let me give you this illustration:
Wabush, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, was completely isolated for some time. But recently a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only on one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only way he or she could leave---by turning around.
Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Wabush, there is only one way out--a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about face is what the Bible calls repentance, and without it, there’s no way out of town.
b) “turn to God”
You see it is not enough just to turn from sin, form the power that the Evil One has got over us, we must turn to God, He is the only One who can protect us against the Evil One. We must confess our sins and put our trust in God.
I want you to see tonight that this is then an ongoing process in our lives, we don’t just turn and then face God, we must follow God.
c) “and do works befitting repentance”
……AND !! We live at a time hat we as Christians turns from evil, we follow God, and that is good, BUT we forget that there is an AND in this sentence…………
We MUST DO WORKS BEFITTING REPENTANCE!
John the Baptist said in Matt 3: 8”Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9and do not think to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
We can not just rely on saying we are God’s children, John says God can raise children from stones.
James the brother of our Lord Jesus said: (James 2:19-20)
19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
Jesus said: 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matt 28:18-20)
Jesus said: GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES!
What is your and my excuse tonight?
Why are we not doing this?
Is it because our love has grown cold, is it because we do not have the fear of God any longer?
Have you and I forgotten there is a day coming, that we are going to be judged?
You might be gasping, …… YES THERE IS A DAY COMING THAT CHILDREN OF GOD ARE GOING TO BE JUDGED!
Rom 14:12 “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God”
For what:
1 Cor 3:13 “each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
EACH ONE”S WORKS ….will be judged
1 Cor 4:5 “When the Lord comes, he will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives (NLT)
YOUR MOTIVES…..will be judged.
2 Cor 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
You see Children of God wil not be judged for
a) Sins, Jesus paid it all at the cross (Rom 8:1)
b) Our sonship, we must judge ourselves, and confess or be chastened ( 1 Cor 11:31-32; Heb 12:7)
BUT WE WILL BE JUDGED ON OUR SERVANT-HOOD: (2 Cor 5:10; 1 Cor 3:9-15; Rom 14:10)
YES A FUTURE JUDGEMNT AWAITS:
That judgement day when we stand ALONE before Christ, it will be a day
a) Rewards –for you works
b) Rebukes - for your lack of works
c) Revelation – of your motives
Truly Galatians 6: 7-8 will be fully fulfilled on that day:
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Conclusion: John the Apostle the Lord loved, at the Island of Patmos, hears a voice he must have been longing to hear. He was the one who lay on the breast of Jesus, he was the Apostle who was at the cross, he was the Apostle Jesus entrusted his own mother to.
When he turned around he saw the Judge. Rev 1: Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.
This same John, one we would see as worthy, a man who followed and love his Master and Lord above all, is seen in Revelation 5 where he crying, crying because he saw his own unworthiness, before the Lamb of God.
My friend today you still have time to decide what you are going to hear on that Judgement day. When the Judge with all authority in Heaven and on Earth (Mat 28:18), the One who knows you better that you know yourself, unlike the earthly judge I stood before in fear and trembling, on THAT day calls you name, to give account before Him for yourself. What are you going to hear?
Are you going to hear “"Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matt 25:23)
OR
Are you going to stand ashamed ( 1 John 2:28) as your works are going to be turned into ashes? (1Cor 3:15)
Invitation
To God all the Glory.
