Final Testimony ('On Trial' pt 8.)

We're finishing our series here at Cross Connection called "On Trial," as Paul gives his final words before King Agrippa and the governor of Judea during the time of his life in the first century. In that passage, Paul is speaking about his faith in Jesus. He believed that Jesus rose from the dead, and Jesus's life has changed his life. We believe that Jesus has risen from the dead, and His life changes our lives as well.

So, check out your Bibles. Acts chapter 26, follow along with us and see how His life has transformed ours. Amen. Acts 26, we're going to start reading at verse 14. Acts 26:14 says, "When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' So I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."

Father, as we look now at Your word today, we ask that You would give us insight and wisdom. Jesus, You promised that You would send the Spirit of Truth who would guide us in all truth and teach us all things. So, we are asking this morning that You, by Your Holy Spirit, would do just that.

Lord, we believe that Your word is living and powerful, that it is sharper than any two-edged sword. We know that it is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that we would be thoroughly equipped for the good works that You prepared for us. Lord, help us to rightly divide Your word of truth today. Help us to see in this final word that Paul gives as he's on trial. Lord, help us to see applications for us, because those of us here in this room...

Today, there are those who believe in You and trust that You are Lord and Christ. There are times in our lives, maybe even this week, when we will face trials. People will come and inquire; they will ask us why it is that we believe the things we believe or why we live the way we live. We pray that from this text, You would give us insight on how to answer and what to say, because You have called us to be ambassadors and representatives of You in this world. So, Lord, give us wisdom and insight, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen." You can be seated.

How many of you here this morning have recognized in your life that God's way of doing things is often different from yours? Look at all the hands. I think we all recognize that. You have probably heard the saying before; it has been said many times that God works in mysterious ways. While I think that is true, I would rather say that God has a creative imagination. When you look at His creation, when you look around the world, you know that this is true—that He has a creative imagination.

You may have seen it several years ago when the Discovery Channel came out with a series called "Earth." If you watched any of those documentaries, there were some animals and creatures that they showed that made you go, "Wow, what is that?" You looked at them and thought, "Man, God has a creative imagination." Sometimes, in the way that God works, we see that creativity come out.

When Saul of Tarsus, who ultimately became Paul the Apostle, stood on trial here in Acts chapter 26, we remember that about 25 years before this event, he was actively pursuing Christians to persecute them, even to the point of putting some of them to death. He spoke about that earlier in this chapter. We saw last week that he pursued them outside the borders of his home country to cause them to blaspheme, to say that they did not believe that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead. He even presided over the trials of some and the deaths of others. One of them is mentioned in Acts chapter 7, a man by the name of Stephen, who turned out to be the first Christian martyr.

Saul of Tarsus was the first person put to death for their faith. He was a Pharisee of the Pharisees and a member of the religious ruling council of Judaism nearly a quarter-century before the events we are discussing. Saul was the one overseeing these matters, and it is noted in Acts 8:1 that a great persecution came against the church. It was Saul of Tarsus who was breathing threats and murder against the Christians.

Fast forward to a time when things changed dramatically. I have said it before, but it is so important to recognize that no one in the church would have ever imagined that God would choose Saul of Tarsus to become perhaps the most prolific minister and witness of Jesus Christ for the rest of his life. No one would have contemplated that this would be the way God would work in that circumstance.

In Acts chapter 9, Saul of Tarsus was on his way to the city of Damascus, the capital city of Syria, with letters from the chief priests in Jerusalem. His mission was to find people who believed in Jesus of Nazareth and to take them bound back to Jerusalem to be tried and possibly killed. While he was on his way, the Lord Jesus appeared to him in the middle of the day, in a bright shining light, brighter than the sun, which knocked him down. This is what Paul was referring to in the passage we just read, where he mentioned that they all fell to the ground and he heard a voice.

When Jesus spoke to him and revealed His plan, I am certain that Saul of Tarsus never imagined that Jesus would want to use him in that way. This was the same Jesus whom he was fighting against, whom he thought was dead and buried. He could not have contemplated that Jesus had risen from the dead and was in heaven. Yet, this Jesus now said, "I want you to be my minister. I want you to be a servant of mine and a witness of mine."

Saul of Tarsus probably could never have dreamed up that story. It is so outside the realm of our thinking that someone who is fighting against Jesus would become the very person declaring and proclaiming who He is and what He has done. Saul was to be the one bearing the name of Jesus before kings, before prominent leaders of the Gentiles, and before all kinds of people.

Of people, you're going to bear My name. I think that Saul of Tarsus could never have imagined that God would use him in that fashion. I'm sure that Saul probably thought it was pretty far out when Ananias, a Christian man, came to him a few days later, laid hands on him, and told him prophetically that he would bear the name of Jesus before kings. Saul probably thought that couldn't possibly happen, and yet, as we left off in the middle of Acts chapter 26 last week, we see that's exactly what is happening.

Paul's audience, as he is sharing these things in Acts chapter 26, is the king of that region of Judea, the Jewish King Herod Agrippa II. Next to him is his sister Bernice, and next to them is the governor of Judea in that area named Festus. Around them are all the prominent leaders, all the power brokers of Caesarea, the city that was the capital of Judea. All the prominent leaders are there to hear him, and now he is seeing these things come to pass that God told him would happen many years before.

Certainly, God has a creative imagination. He does things that are far out; He does things that are amazing. I would suggest that if God revealed to you right now exactly what His plan is for you in the future, you would think it was pretty far out. You would be amazed at what God has in store and what He wants to do in and through our lives. I'm sure that more than a few of you here today cannot imagine that God could use you.

You might look at someone who's a pastor, a missionary, or someone serving in a vocational ministry and think, "Yeah, God uses them, but I don't think God could ever use me." In fact, I meet a lot of people, a lot of Christians, who say, "I don't think God could use me in that way." Yet, God has a creative imagination. Not only does God have a creative imagination, but the Scriptures reveal that God has the creative power to bring to pass the things that He imagines.

There’s a saying that has circulated among motivational speaking groups in our nation for many years: "What the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve." How many of you have heard people say things like that? I'm here to tell you that's not true, because I can conceive of myself flying, and I've never been able to.

Achieving lofty goals can be challenging, and I would love to know how to accomplish them if you have figured it out. We can imagine some far-out things that, to this point, we are unable to achieve. However, that is not true for God. He is able to conceive and achieve things because He has the creative power to bring those things to pass.

In fact, Paul tells us in Romans 4:17 that God is the one who calls those things which do not exist as though they did. In that passage, the context speaks about a man who would become the father of the nation of Israel: Abraham. When Abraham was 75 years old, God called him, and his wife was ten years younger than him. Up to that point, they were childless and remained so until he was 100 and she was 90. God said, "You are going to be the father of many nations." Rightly so, this childless man questioned how that was possible, as his wife was well beyond the years of childbearing and barren. Yet, God is the one who calls those things that do not exist as though they did because He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think.

God has a creative imagination, and we cannot even begin to fathom the things He wants to do in and through us, His church. He has a greater vision for us than we do for ourselves. Some of you know this to be true; you have experienced it already. I want everyone in this room to come to the place where we not only recognize this but also live in the expectation and anticipation that God is going to do something great in and through our lives. Why? Because He is powerful. We serve the living God, Amen.

We need to be reminded of this sometimes. There are many Christians walking around with a very defeated mindset, as if the church is about to implode and fall apart. The reality is, as I shared a few weeks ago, the church will continue on into eternity. The gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. God has a great plan for us and wants us to engage and be a part of that. The testimony of the book of Acts is a testimony of a man who lived that life.

The Apostle Paul and others are significant figures in this passage, but he is the chief one who comes to the forefront. In Acts chapter 26, beginning at verse 14, he recounts the story of how these events started when he was Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of Christians—people who believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. This was the primary motivation for him fighting against them. He did not like this Jesus character, much like many in the religious establishment.

Why? Because Saul was a Pharisee, and Jesus was saying things like, "You Pharisees are whitewashed tombs; you're full of dead men's bones. You look great on the outside, but you're hypocrites." Saul did not appreciate being called a hypocrite, so he did not like Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, Saul was among those who said, "Yes, yes, he's gone." Then, three days later, His disciples proclaimed, "No, he's alive!" Saul responded with anger, saying, "No, I'm going to kill you." That was his plan; he wanted this idea gone because it convicted him and challenged him. He dedicated himself to fighting against it, even against the counsel of his teacher, his Rabbi, a man by the name of Gamaliel.

In Acts chapter 4, there was a council of rabbis that came together to figure out how to deal with the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed that He had raised from the dead. They wanted to fight against them; some even wanted to put these followers to death. Gamaliel, a very wise man, stood up and said, "Listen, if this thing is not of God, it will fail. But if it is of God, if you fight against it, you'll find yourself fighting against God." I guarantee you that Saul of Tarsus was there; he heard those words. Gamaliel was his Rabbi, his teacher.

Then, a short time later, Saul of Tarsus went all out to fight against those who believed in Jesus. Acts 26:14 is the testimony of what happened. He was on his way to fight against Christians when a great bright light, brighter than the sun, shone around him in the middle of the noon day, causing him and all those who were with him to fall to the ground. He said, "I heard a voice speaking to me." In another passage, he mentions that those who were with him saw the light but did not hear the voice. He heard a voice from Heaven speaking to him, addressing him by name: "Saul, Saul," in Hebrew.

Saul perked up. "Yeah, okay, you're speaking to me. This is kind of weird; I didn't anticipate this to happen today."

"Saul, Saul, why are you fighting against me? Why are you fighting against me? It is hard for you to kick against the goats."

Now, I know for most of us here in this room today, when we hear "kick against the goats," we might think, "I have no idea what that means." Let me contextualize it for us to understand. In that day, when a farmer would plow his fields, he would have a couple of oxen in front of him pulling a plow. Sometimes those oxen would decide, "I just don't want to do this anymore," because they are stubborn animals.

So, the farmer would have a long beam, about nine feet long, called a goad, with a sharp tip on the end of it. When the ox said, "No, I'm done," the farmer would respond, "No, you're not," and prod the ox along. The ox would quickly get the message that it needed to keep doing what it was supposed to be doing.

The picture here is that God is saying, "I'm trying to make you go in this direction, Saul, and you're kicking against me, saying, 'I don't want to do that.'" He says, "Isn't it hard for you to fight against me?" Let me clue you into a reality: it’s not a good idea to fight against God.

If you're here today and you're not a believer yet, and you find yourself fighting against God, this is a bad place to be. I suggest that maybe you read Genesis 32. There's a story about a guy named Jacob in that passage who walked with a limp for the rest of his life. That's a good story and a good place to start. It is not a good idea to fight against God.

"It is hard for you to kick against the goats."

In verse 15, I said, "Who are you, Lord?" That's a valid question. Obviously, you're bigger than me; you have a very bright light shining on me. I'm on the ground, and you're speaking from up in the sky, saying, "Why are you persecuting me?" So, who are you? I'd like to know. What is your name?

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

No matter how many times I read Paul's story, I always find myself wondering what it must have been like for Saul to hear those words: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." You see, although Saul believed in the resurrection—he was a Pharisee, and Pharisees believed that there would be a resurrection in the future—he viewed it as something...

That was very distant; it was way out in the future. Somewhere there would be this event called the Resurrection, but he was completely committed to the idea that this man, Jesus of Nazareth, did not rise from the dead. He had not experienced Resurrection. He was so committed to this that he was ardently trying to destroy the idea that he thought was a myth. He wanted to get rid of the concept that Jesus had risen from the dead. Although he believed that a resurrection would come, it was far away and distant. This guy couldn't possibly have risen from the dead.

So, Saul was lying on the ground with a group of people around him, hearing a voice from heaven. Now, this same Jesus, whom he was convinced did not rise from the dead, said to him, "I am Jesus, and you're fighting against me." I just wonder what went through his mind. The transformation that had to happen in that moment was incredible. The man he knew had been crucified, dead, and buried was now speaking to him: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

Point number one on your outline: When you meet the Risen Jesus, everything changes. Everything changes when you meet the Risen Jesus. There is no going back from that experience. There was no way in that moment that Saul of Tarsus could have gotten up off the ground, dusted himself off, and continued on his merry way into Damascus with letters from the chief priests to find those who believed in this Jesus of Nazareth and bring them back bound to Jerusalem to be tried.

There is no way that he could have continued on his current course. When you meet the Risen Jesus, everything changes. There is no way that life could go back to normal after that moment, after that instant when these things happened. He could not continue fighting; he could not continue pursuing or persecuting those who believed in this Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, those of you who have read through the Book of Acts before, those of you who have been with us as we've been studying through these things, you know that...

Paul's telling of the story in Acts chapter 26 differs slightly from what happened in the actual story in Acts chapter 9. We can't really fault the Apostle Paul for giving the abridged version here, but in Acts chapter 9, there's more information that I think is appropriate to insert at this point. When Saul of Tarsus was lying on the ground and Jesus said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting," Saul's response at that moment in Acts chapter 9 was, "Lord, Lord! Everything changes! What do you want me to do, Lord? What do you want me to do?"

This man, who was fighting against the notion that Jesus is Lord and against the idea that Jesus had risen from the dead, in that second when he meets the risen Jesus, now calls Him "Lord." Everything changed. He had been pursuing Christians based on his own passions and desires, but now he had encountered the Risen Lord.

I believe there are quite a few of you here in this room today who have experienced this to a certain extent. You know exactly what it is like, even though you did not have an encounter where you saw a bright light from Heaven or heard a voice. At some point in your walk, at some point in your existence here on Earth, you came in contact with the presence and the power of the Risen Lord Jesus, and everything changed in your life from that moment. It could not stay the same from that time on because you met Jesus.

Even though you still looked the same, your voice was still the same, and you basically were the same person, you went to work the next day or talked with a friend or a neighbor and said, "I met Jesus." They looked at you and went, "What? I don't know what you're talking about."

Has anyone experienced that? Lift up your hand if that's you. There are a number of you who have experienced that. You told them, "I met Jesus," and they kind of looked at you like you were weird. "Well, you look the same. You're still the same person. I don't see any major difference."

But you know you are different. You met Jesus. Why? Because 2 Corinthians tells us that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation, even though they still look the same. You can identify with this because the power and presence of Jesus affected you, and you may not be able to articulate it or explain it.

Someone says, "Wait, I don't quite understand what you mean. You met Jesus? Can you elaborate? Can you maybe tell me what you're on about here?" You respond, "I don't know exactly what to say, but I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life."

You may not be able to say anything more than that. When you encounter someone who's a skeptic, or someone who doesn't believe in those things and may even be mocking your faith in Jesus, that's a simple answer you can give to them. You say, "Listen, I don't know how to answer your skepticism. I don't know how to stop your mockery, but all I can say is this: I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life."

What can they say to that? Can they just say, "I don't agree with you"? Okay, but you can respond, "I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life." I suggest to you that if you have that person in your life today who is a mocker or skeptical of your faith in Jesus, that's a simple answer. You don't have to say anything else; just say, "I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life."

You know it will frustrate them to no end. Why? Because they can't say anything against that. This is exactly what Paul is saying here. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. A skeptic might say you're crazy, which they are likely to do in a moment. If you're here today and you're a skeptic, that's okay. It's okay to be skeptical.

Saul of Tarsus was skeptical when he heard people like Peter, James, and John saying, "Jesus rose from the dead, and we have seen Him." He said, "I don't think that's true." Even one of Jesus's closest associates, a disciple by the name of Thomas, was skeptical. Sadly for Thomas, he has had the addition to his name ever since this event in the Gospels; now he's called "Doubting Thomas." Why? Because ten of the disciples said, "Thomas, Jesus rose from the dead. We saw Him," and Thomas replied, "I don't believe it. I'm skeptical. If I don't see the Risen Jesus, I won't believe."

Then the Risen Jesus appears to him, and what does he say? "My Lord and my God, You're alive!" So, if you're a skeptic today, that's okay. It's okay to be in that place; it's okay to ask those kinds of questions. But if you are a Christian today and you find yourself in that place of having the light of skepticism shone upon you, all you have to say is, "Listen, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life." His life has completely changed my life. If you're a skeptic today, that's okay.

Please understand that Christians are rational people. I know there's a growing number of people in our nation today who think that Christians are irrational. However, more than 80% of Americans believe that there is life after this life, which means that more than 80% of Americans believe in a resurrection experience. The only difference between Christians and the rest of that 80% is that Christians believe that Jesus, who died on the cross 2,000 years ago, was laid in the tomb, and three days later, the tomb was empty because He rose from the dead. His life has completely changed our lives. That's the only difference; that's the only thing that separates us from those who believe in a resurrection among the 80% in America. We believe that He rose from the dead, and everything now changes because when you meet the risen Jesus, everything changes.

Paul continues in verse 16. This is the abridged version that Paul is giving because the events described in verses 16, 17, and 18 actually happened a few days after Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus. The Lord says to Saul, "Rise, stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to make you a minister, that is, a servant and a witness." The Greek word "martyros," from which we get our word "martyr," signifies this role. God is going to make Saul a servant and a witness of both the things he has seen and the things that will be revealed to him.

God continues, "I will deliver you from the Jewish people and also from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you." Saul is being sent as an apostle, one who is sent with a message. The purpose of this mission is outlined in verse 18: to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive the forgiveness of sins. You see, that is the problem facing all humanity: sin.

This same man, the Apostle Paul, wrote a letter to the church at Rome. In that letter, he explains that through one man—speaking of Adam, the first man that God created—sin entered the world, and through sin, death entered as well.

Spread to all humanity, the reason we die is because of sin. Every one of us, all 7.2 billion people on Earth today, faces the problem of sin. How do we deal with that? Well, Jesus came to die a death as a substitution in our place to address the problem of sin so that we can receive a pardon and forgiveness.

Here, Jesus says to Saul of Tarsus, "You're going to go and you're going to open the eyes of those who are in darkness, to turn them from the power of Satan to the power of God, so that they might receive a pardon for their sins that is only found in Jesus." Not only do they receive a pardon for their sin, but they also receive an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Him. When they put their trust in Jesus, as He says, they are pardoned for their sin and given an inheritance.

Notice Paul's application as he talks with Festus and Agrippa. In verse 19, he states, "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly calling." Jesus's resurrection changes everything. When Saul met the risen Jesus, He said, "I want you to be a servant of Mine, and I want you to be a witness of Me. You're going to go open the eyes of those who are in darkness, and you're going to turn them," which means to call them to repentance so that they can receive pardon and an inheritance.

Paul reflects on this and asks, "What was I going to do? Disobey? What was I going to do? Say no? I don't think I want to do that." He affirms, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly calling." From this, I think there's a good encouragement for us.

Point number two on your outline: When Jesus calls, just say yes. I believe we can be spared a lot of angst and frustration by simply applying this point. When Jesus calls, just say yes. We can avoid a lot of frustration by simply responding to His call.

Jesus said, "Yes, Lord, your servant listens. Yes, Lord, what do you want me to do?" These words go together. "Yes, Lord" and "No, Lord" do not go together because "Lord" means Master, Ruler, one who has authority. You can't say "No, Lord." It doesn't work. When you say "No," you're saying, "No, I am Lord."

We could be spared all kinds of frustration by simply saying "Yes, Lord" when He calls us. Now, every parent in the room, lift your hands up high. Every parent understands this idea of saving frustration by simply affirming and saying "Yes." I have four beautiful children: little ones Ethan, Addison, Evangelene, and Elliot. Elliot turns one today, and they are beautiful. They all inherited something from my wife and me—this dreadful thing called a strong will.

Any of you have some of those? Some people say, "I got one of those." I have four of those! I know that even the littlest one, Elliot, we have discovered has a strong will. For a while, he seemed so easygoing; everything was perfect because he couldn't really move all that much. But now that he can walk, we have a two-story house, and he wants to climb the stairs. We say, "No, Elliot," and redirect his attention. He just gets mad. You can tell there's that strong will.

Now, I'm here to tell you that a strong will is not necessarily a terrible thing. What makes a strong will difficult is when it's a strong contrary will. I'm here to tell you that every single one of us has a contrary will, and we have kids that are like that too. When you say "Up," they say "Down." When you say "Yes," they say "No." There’s a battle of the wills that takes place with that strong will.

Imagine our patience as a pitcher of water; there's a limited amount. The more it pours out, the lower it gets. Oh goodness, we're out of patience! Has anyone experienced that? Then all of a sudden, you feel it—everything comes out. "I'm bigger than you, and I'm going to force my will!" You experience that.

Sort of thing. Nod your head if you know what I'm talking about. I'm not the only person that experiences this. Okay, please, all right, good.

There's this battle of wills, and we have a limited, finite amount of patience. We find ourselves exacerbated, reaching the point where we just can't take it anymore. Listen, God has infinite patience. If you're going to try to go contrary to Him, you can try all you want, and you know what He'll do? He'll just say, "I can wait. I'm waiting. I'll wait ten years."

I've met some people here at this church who say things like this to me. They're in their 50s and say, "I want to serve the Lord." I remember when I was in my 20s, I felt God pulling me, calling me to serve Him in this way. Maybe it wasn't even vocational ministry; it was just that God was stirring my heart to serve in children's ministry or to do this or that. I said no while He was saying yes. I wanted to fight against it, and He just said, "Okay, I'll wait." Now, they're in their 50s or 60s, saying, "Gosh, I wish I would have heeded that call." There would have been so much less frustration and stress. When Jesus calls, just say yes. Just say yes.

Now, what did that obedience look like? Look at verse 20 of Acts chapter 26. He called me to do this, and I was not disobedient to the heavenly calling. I declared first to those who were in Damascus. Where was Paul? He was in Damascus. So immediately, I declared—I proclaimed. What did he proclaim? Repentance. Turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that you might receive the forgiveness of sins and an inheritance. He says, "I first proclaimed it in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles."

What did I proclaim? That they should repent. That word "repent" means to turn. It begins with a mental change, a change of thought that now moves in a new direction. So I called them to repent, but not only did I call them to change.

Their minds must repent and turn to God. Notice that at the end of verse 20, it mentions works befitting repentance.

Point number three on your outline: our obedience to Jesus must be tangible. It was tangible in Paul's life, and it must be tangible in the lives of those who respond to the call. Paul states, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly calling." He obeyed, and he didn't only obey mentally or verbally; he obeyed with his life. He didn't just say, "Okay, Lord, I'll do that," and then delay obedience. There are many people who call themselves Christians and say, "Yes, Lord, I want to follow you. I want to do that," but then they delay obedience and experience frustration and anxiety.

If we simply say yes to Jesus—not just with our mouths but also with our lives—we would experience blessing and joy. Paul continues, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly calling, but I did exactly what the Lord told me to do." He began to proclaim the gospel to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, then in Judea, and then to the Gentiles. Wherever he could go, he began to proclaim.

What he called them to do was to turn to God and to do things that reveal they have turned to God. They needed to turn away from their idols, their rebellion, and their immorality. They had to turn away from whatever it was they were doing and now turn to God with their lives, not just with their mouths.

Our obedience to Jesus must be tangible. The Apostle James wrote the very first book of the New Testament, the first letter. James says something many of you have heard before: "Faith without works is dead." Now, we are not saved by our works, but we are saved for good works. If you believe in Jesus, then faith works. The overflow of faith is a transformation of that person's life, leading them to do the things that are befitting of repentance, revealing that they have changed. That person has turned, and they are different.

Who they were, because when you meet the Risen Jesus, everything changes. Paul's obedience to Jesus was tangible, and our repentance needs to be tangible as well. It cannot be merely mental or verbal.

There's a story that Jesus tells in the Gospels about a man who was a landowner. He had two sons, and he says to one of his sons in the morning, "I want you to go out into the field and work." His first son says, "Yes, I'll do that," but then he doesn't do it. Then he says to his second son, "Son, I want you to go work out in the field," and he says, "No." Most of us can relate to that; we say, "Yeah, I know that one. That's me." He says no, but then later he repented, Jesus says, and he went and did it. Jesus asked the question, "Who did the will of the Father?"

You see, there are many people who go to churches like this one and say "Yes" to Jesus, but then we walk out the doors and our lives say "No." We need to make sure that we are saying "Yes" to Jesus and that our obedience is tangible. It should be clear that we're walking out the things that we're saying "Yes" to.

Pastor Josh once shared a quote; I believe he told me that it was from A.W. Tozer. A.W. Tozer said, "Christians don't tell lies; they just sing them in church." That's a scary thing, and for some of us, that can be true. We proclaim our obedience in the songs that we sing, and then we walk unchanged.

So Paul says, "I was not disobedient, but I declared, I proclaimed." In verse 21, he states, "For these reasons, the Jews seized me in the temple, pardon me, and they tried to kill me." Our obedience to Jesus is not always welcomed by people in the world. Doing what Jesus calls us to do is not always welcomed by those who are in the world. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those things that the prophets and Moses said would come.

He says he's speaking to a Jewish man, to King Agrippa. He states, "Listen, I'm only speaking the same things that Moses and the prophets spoke." What things? That the Christ should suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and also to the Gentiles. However, they don't like this message.

Paul emphasizes that he is only proclaiming what Moses and the prophets proclaimed: that the Christ should suffer. Where did the prophets say that Jesus the Christ would suffer? Isaiah 53 speaks about the suffering servant, and Psalm 22 speaks about the crucified Christ. Where do the Scriptures speak about Him rising from the dead? David, in Psalm 16, verses 9-11, speaks about the resurrection of Jesus a thousand years before it happened. Paul reiterates that he is only proclaiming the same things that Moses and the prophets proclaimed.

The Old Testament proclaims that God's message was not only for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—not only for the nation of Israel—but for all people. Yet, the Jewish people in Paul's day didn't like that. We need to recognize that people, by sinful nature, are often racist; we tend to prefer our own people. There needs to be a transformation of our nature to overcome this tendency.

As he was saying these things, this is phenomenal. In verse 24, as Paul was making his defense, the Roman governor sitting next to King Agrippa said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are beside yourself; much learning has made you mad." He literally said, "Paul, you're insane; you're a maniac." The Greek word is "maniafesus." In the middle of this, Paul was in mid-sentence when he was interrupted. The governor exclaimed, "You believe in a guy who died on a cross? I've seen crucifixions; I'm a Roman." He probably condemned people to die by crucifixion, and people don't survive that. He says, "You're insane; this guy raised from the dead? You're out of your mind! Much learning has made you crazy."

Number four on our outline: don't be offended by a skeptic.

Response again. Maybe you're a skeptic here in this room today, like Festus. You might say, "Man, you Christians are out of your minds! You're insane! You actually believe that there was a guy 2,000 years ago who died on a cross and rose from the dead? You really believe that?" Yes, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life.

You really believe that? You see, I don't know if you've noticed, but resurrections don't happen all that much. It's kind of a miracle. We live in a society today that believes in rational thought, and they say miracles don't happen. That's the general perception of the world today: miracles don't happen. So when you say, "I believe in a miraculous event that Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life," they respond that it doesn't happen, so that's not reality. They say, "You're crazy."

We cannot be offended by a skeptical response; that's what normally happens when people hear about a miraculous event that occurred 2,000 years ago. They say, "Well, that just doesn't happen." We can't be offended by that skeptical response. Admittedly, the Gospel, as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:23, says that the message is a stumbling block to some and complete foolishness to others. The message of Jesus dying on the cross and raising from the dead is foolishness to many people that you will interact with in your workplace, in your family, or in your neighborhood. Wherever you are, there are people who will be skeptical about these sorts of things.

Yet, Paul, back in verse 8 of Acts chapter 26, asks, "Why should it be thought incredible that God raises the dead?" We believe that God created all things, seen and unseen, so why should it be incredible that He raises the dead? Paul's response in verse 25 is, "But he said, 'I am not mad, most noble Festus, but I speak the words of truth and reason.'"

First and foremost, when met with a skeptical response, we need to maintain respect. When faced with skepticism, Paul doesn't look at him and say, "You're foolish! I don't like you!" He doesn't get angry; he simply responds with respect.

I know it sounds far-fetched, but I met the Risen Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead, and His life has completely changed my life. I know that it sounds far out. I'm not crazy; I'm not mad. I speak the words of truth and reason. For this Gentile man, for this Roman citizen, the concept of truth and reason was a big deal for the Greco-Roman mindset, just as it is in our nation today. We live in a world that has a very first-century Roman mindset. We esteem the ideas of truth and reason, and Paul says, "I'm not crazy; what I'm speaking actually is reasonable and accords with reality. It accords with truth."

Notice what he says in the next verse, verse 26: "For the king Agrippa, before whom I 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." What is Paul saying? He is saying, "Listen, Agrippa, you're king in this region. You know that your father was the guy who presided over the trial of Jesus. You were alive and lived in Jerusalem at the time when this Jesus was crucified. You know that the tomb was empty; you know the evidence. The resurrection was not done in a corner; it was not some secret thing."

In fact, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Paul says Jesus died on the cross for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and laid in a tomb, and three days later, He rose from the dead according to the Scriptures. But it doesn't stop there. He goes on to say that He was seen first by some of Jesus's women followers, then He was seen by Peter, James, John, and the rest of the disciples. He was seen by more than 500 people at one time, and then Paul says, "I even saw Him."

So, Jesus rose from the dead, and there were eyewitnesses. These things were not done in a corner. Paul continues, "Agrippa, listen, you can look into these things. You were alive and in Jerusalem when this happened. I'm speaking the words of truth and reason. Pontius Pilate, who used to occupy your chair as the governor of Judea, is the guy who presided over this. You can look into the records that were kept in Caesarea and see that at Passover 30 years ago, he condemned a man to die who rose from the dead. I speak the words of truth."

The reason I'm not insane is that He rose from the dead, and we have seen Him. While the resurrection demands a response, Paul turns his attention to King Agrippa. In verse 27, he asks, "Do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."

Notice this in verse 28: then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." Why? Because King Agrippa knew the evidence, and the evidence demands a response. In verse 29, Paul replies, "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."

What does Paul say? He wants Agrippa to understand something important: he does not want him to almost become a Christian. He desires for Agrippa and everyone present to become Christians.

This leads to the last point on your outline: make your intentions clear. If you're not a Christian today and you're here in this room, my desire is to make you a Christian. I'm not going to pull any punches here. If you're not a Christian and you're here today, I want you to become a Christian.

If you are a Christian here today and you're sharing with someone, telling them that you believe in Jesus, that He rose from the dead and His life has completely changed yours, they might be skeptical. However, you need to share with them in such a way that your intentions are clear—that you want them to believe as you believe.

We are not sharing with people just so they have a better understanding of who we are and what we believe. We are sharing with people so that they too will believe. Yes, we want to convert people, and we live in a culture today that doesn't like that, but that is what we have been called to do: to go and make disciples of all nations. Therefore, we need to make our intentions clear.

When he had said these things, verse 30 tells us that the king stood up, which meant that the proceeding was over, as well as the governor, Bernice, and all those who sat with them. When they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, "This man has done nothing deserving of death or chains."