Our New Testament lesson for this morning is from Acts 26:1-29. It is found on page 792 of your pew Bible.
As you turn to this text in your Bible, let me share with you something that happened to me this week.
I was in the grocery store the other day, and the cashier was taking so much time, and was moving soooo slowly, that I picked up the latest issue of the Weekly World News.
Hmmm…
Seems that Elvis Pressley is STILL alive!
Aliens from other planets are backing Bush in the elections.
They have discovered a snake that actually has a human head – and it has the face of Jay Leno.
Now, we know none of this is true! But you know, people love gossip. We love scandals.
Between truth and a lie, sometimes the lie is more interesting to listen to!
That was certainly the case in the Book of Acts.
We have been studying the Book of Acts for several weeks. As it draws to a close, we see that in the last several chapters, poor Paul is caught in a tug of war between truth and a lie.
Toward the end of the Book of Acts, Paul has a plan. He is going to Jerusalem, then to Rome, and then to Spain.
Paul makes it to Jerusalem and he gets into trouble. There is a big scandal and people started gossiping and telling lies about Paul.
When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he makes a visit to the Temple. Because Paul was a Jew who became a Christian, a lot of Jews in the city did not welcome Paul. One thing leads to another and a riot breaks out.
Paul is falsely blamed for allowing Gentiles into a part of the Temple reserved only for Jews. Now, he did not actually do that, but the truth doesn’t matter.
After all, people love to gossip.
Between the lie that Paul broke the Temple law and the truth that Paul was faithful – many people decided to believe the lie. After all, the lie was more interesting.
During the riot, people attack Paul and beat him. So when the Roman authorities arrived, they arrested the victim – poor Paul.
He was then passed onto one authority after another.
Time and again in these closing chapters of Acts, Paul gave a defense. Each time, he insisted that he was being persecuted by the Jews because of his belief in the truth of the Resurrection.
Eventually, Paul was sent to Caesarea, so the Governor could deal with Paul.
And once again, Paul offered a defense, and in that defense he again proclaimed belief in the truth of the Resurrection.
Now Governor Felix never made a decision about Paul. He dragged his feet hoping that Paul would offer a bribe, which he never did.
This situation went unresolved for two years!
When the new Governor, Festus, assumed power, he discovers he has inherited this prisoner. He wants to get rid of Paul so he plans to send him back to Jerusalem. Paul knows the Jewish leaders will find out and attack him and kill him before he can get to Jerusalem.
So Paul did the only thing he can do to save his life – he appealed to Caesar.
Before Paul could be sent to Caesar, another politician named Agrippa, pays the new governor a courtesy call.
And that brings us to the New Testament lesson for today.
Acts 26:1-29
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense:
"King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently."
(Now, Paul tells the King to be patient, because to tell you the truth, Paul has a long speech. He talks about his long history as a Jew, as a Pharisee, and how he persecuted the Christians. Then he describes how he met the risen Christ long after his crucifixion, and it changed Paul’s life.
We pick up with verse 19.)
"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen--that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."
"At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane."
"I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."
"Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"
"Paul replied, "Short time or long-- I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." (NIV)
Belief in the resurrection was Paul’s defense. Not just with King Agrippa, but over and over – from the moment he is arrested after the riot in Jerusalem, throughout the 2 years in prison, Paul continually makes his belief in the resurrection the center of his defense.
Paul had encountered Jesus Christ, alive and well, long after Jesus had been Crucified. Paul knew beyond doubt that Jesus had been resurrected. This is what sustained him through the years of prison and trials and hardships.
Between a lie and a truth, Paul hung onto the truth of the Resurrection, even when it cost him dearly.
The question is, what do YOU do with the resurrection?
There are basically three ways you can respond to the possibility of the resurrection.
In all honesty, one possible reaction is denial.
POSSIBILITY #1 - DENIAL
Years ago, I worked as a counselor in a state prison in South Carolina. I met a lot of inmates, but I rarely met inmates who admitted their guilt.
Denial! That was their state of mind.
They didn’t rape, break into someone’s home, steal a car, or do anything the court system said they did.
Denial is as old as human history. Denial is part of the opening chapters of the Bible. After doing what they are forbidden by God to do, Adam and Eve used denial to minimize their guilt. “She gave it to me.” “The serpent deceived me.” And it continues to this day.
Denial was a part of the Resurrection Event on that first Easter morning. And it still is a response to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ today.
In the Easter story the denial takes place in those who were threatened by the Resurrection -- as Matthew records in chapter 28: “As the women were on their way into the city, some of the men who had been guarding the tomb went to the leading priests and told them what had happened. A meeting of all the religious leaders was called, and they decided to bribe the soldiers. They told the soldiers, “You must say, The disciples of Jesus came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you and everything will be all right.” So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say.” (NLT)
What motivated this denial? Fear. They feared that they would lose something of great value and importance if the word got out that the tomb was empty.
A major motive for denial is the fear of losing something - a relationship, power, influence, or the ability to choose. We become fearful of losing something of great value and importance to us so denial becomes a means to keep fear of loss at bay.
Why do some people today deny the resurrection?
Because the resurrection confirms that everything Jesus said and did was true.
But between a lie and the truth, a lot of people prefer the lie. As long as they deny the resurrection, they can deny the truth of Christ. And that means they don’t have to follow Christ. They can continue to live selfish lives. They don’t have to love their neighbor, or work for justice, or strive for peace. Instead, by denying the Resurrection, they can deny Christ and live selfish lives centered upon only themselves.
Denial was the approach of King Agrippa in this morning’s New Testament lesson, who said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"
POSSIBILITY #2 DISBELIEF
Denial is one way to deal with the Resurrection. Another way that many people respond to the resurrection today is disbelief.
Just as denial has been, and continues to be a part of the human story, so does disbelief.
Disbelief is more of a skepticism or sense of amazement than an outright rejection of something.
We see disbelief at work in Thomas as he hears the reports of the resurrection of Christ. John records his response in chapter 20 of his Gospel.
“One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
Thomas gets pretty specific in what he is looking for in order to believe. He knows what happened to Jesus. And so he says, “I am not going to believe it until I can see and touch his wounds.”
“Eight days later,” says John in his Gospel, “the disciples were together again and this time Thomas was with them.” Jesus shows up and presents himself to Thomas. Thomas sees and believes. And then Jesus makes this interesting statement in verse 29, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen me and believe anyway.”
Jesus accepts the profession of faith that Thomas gives. But He goes on to honor the faith of those who will believe even though they have not seen Jesus. Thomas struggled to believe. Can you relate to Thomas? I think that most of us can.
Why do people find it hard to believe in the Resurrection?
Many would insist they need evidence.
And yet, the Resurrection of Christ has more historical evidence than almost any other event of the ancient world.
You have the eye witness accounts of disciples who had already gone back to fishing and to their former ways of life.
You have the accounts of the Roman soldiers who were there to guard the tomb, and saw the resurrection.
You have the testimony of the apostles who were willing to die painful deaths. It would have taken only one to have said, “It was a lie.” But not one of them did. Between a lie and a truth, they held onto the truth and declared their faith in the resurrection – and then they died for their faith.
And finally you have the testimony of Paul. When Christ rose from the dead, he did not believe it. Not for a minute. He was involved in the persecution and killing of Christians. However, he himself encountered the risen Christ on the Road to Demascus, and he was never the same after that.
In the face of all the evidence, people refuse to believe in the resurrection for one reason only – they choose to disbelieve.
Between a lie and a truth, they choose the lie.
In our New Testament lesson, disbelief was the approach of Governor Festus. After listening to Paul talk about the Resurrection, Festus told Paul, "You are out of your mind. Your great learning is driving you insane."
Possibility #3 - Belief
Which leads us to the final response to the Resurrection. And that response is belief.
We see it in the responses of the women who went to the now empty tomb. Here is Luke’s account from chapter 24 of his Gospel.
“But very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. So they went in, but they couldn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. They were puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly, two men appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed low before them. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead! Don’t you remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again the third day?”
Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened.
Here were people of strong faith who believed and began to rejoice in the Resurrection.
The Resurrection is about a new life. A new life that has meaning and purpose beyond the everyday grind and the disappointment that we all face and deal with. We have been created by God to live a life that includes God and also all the blessings and benefits, as well as the responsibilities from God, which come with this new life.
Paul chose to respond to the Resurrection with belief.
That belief gave him the ability to endure prison, hardship, and all sorts of difficult trials.
God expects us to embrace the Resurrection with belief, not denial or disbelief.
And more than belief – God expects us to invite other people to believe.
Which is what Paul was desperately trying to do in our New Testament lesson.
That is, in fact, one of the reasons why our church is offering the Forty Days of Purpose.
You will never have an easier time at practicing evangelism than at this particular time.
Evangelism is often a difficult thing for Christians. We feel awkward, embarrassed, unsure of ourselves. But with the up-coming program in our church, the Forty Days of Purpose, we are about to have an opportunity to share Christ in the easiest way possible.
A lot of our neighbors know about Christ, but they haven’t yet come to know him personally. They haven’t yet come to believe in the power of his Resurrection. They deny the Resurrection ever took place. They disbelieve.
We will never have an easier, simpler way of helping others to believe – all we have to do is invite friends and family to join us in one of the many small groups we will be offering. It’s not like inviting them to come to church or even to attend a Bible Study – it’s just a simple invitation to join a small group for a few weeks – a study to find the purpose of life. A study of a book that has been on the Best Seller’s list in the New York Times.
Have your friends and family accepted a lie about Christ, or have they accepted the truth about him?
Invite them! Let them be part of the Forty Days of Purpose here at Good Shepherd so they can personally encounter the risen Lord.
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Written by Maynard Pittendreigh
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