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I’m going to invite you to Acts chapter 26 as we’re going to be together today. Acts chapter 26. I appreciate the grace and the longer introduction to you. But in Acts chapter 26, we’re at that position in the book of Acts where the apostle Paul finds himself imprisoned, which is really the last act in the book of Acts for the last few chapters of the book of Acts. This this book ends with the Apostle Paul being imprisoned, right? Right now he’s in is in the the land of Israel. He’s, he’s, he’s at this particular point, going to a far coastal city in an area known as Caesarea, right on the right, on the coast. And he’s getting ready to be transported all the way to Rome, to be held on trial before Caesar. Now, we know historically that this is not the end of the Apostle Paul’s life. In fact, after the book of Acts ends, we know the Apostle Paul continues to write letters. If you want to read one particular letter that Paul writes at the very end of his life, it’s the book of Second Timothy. So, Paul, the history tells us he’s released from from prison in Rome. And he continues on, on missionary journeys. It’s not recorded for us in Scripture, but he continues on, on, on missionary journeys. In fact, if you were to read the end of the the book of Romans, the last chapter of the book of Romans, Paul writes that letter as he’s on his way back to Jerusalem, where he’s going to be imprisoned.
And in that letter he writes about his desire to visit Rome. And after he visits Rome, he wants to go on to Spain. And so there’s some some traditions that teach us that the Apostle Paul traveled as far west as Spain on his missionary journeys before he went on his. Into his final imprisonment in Rome, where he was martyred for his faith. And before his martyrdom he writes the book of Second Timothy. But here at this, this imprisonment of. Of Paul, as he finds himself in Caesarea, he continues to be a faithful follower of the Lord. And this is what we’re going to talk about today is what does it look like to to be a true disciple of Jesus and really, in any season of life, but especially in seasons of adversity. Paul models this in a in a beautiful way. And as you think about maybe yourself, if you identify yourself as a follower of Christ today, what does it look like for you to, to, to be a true disciple of the Lord in all seasons of life? You know, here’s Paul modeling it for us in, in definitely one of the more difficult times that he’s going to go through. But Paul’s life really teaches us how to prepare for that. And the fact that Paul was just faithful to the Lord in every season of life, so that no matter what came his way, he was always going to honor Jesus because this is where he found his identity.
And so here we are in an extreme circumstance in which Paul finds himself. And sometimes I feel like if, if we live under a facade of, of we lack reality sometimes as people, we might think, you know, I claim to be a follower of Jesus. And Jesus. When those difficult moments arise, you know, then I’ll really demonstrate myself as a true follower of Christ. But reality is, if you want to be faithful to Jesus in adversity, you got to be faithful to Jesus. Now, even in the small things and, and in those small things and in those great things. Here’s the Apostle Paul modeling what it looks like for us to be a true followers or true disciples of Jesus. The first three verses of this chapter is this introductory performance of Paul before leadership. He’s brought before Festus and King Agrippa in this chapter to defend himself. Paul’s been put on trial multiple times to to to defend himself before Roman leaders. And here he finds himself in one of the greatest leaders of his area, King Agrippa. King Agrippa is the last king. That’s a part of the Herodian dynasty. Now, when you hear that somebody think like, why should I care about the Herodian dynasty? This, these, these were the rulers during the time of Jesus’s life.
So the Herodians ruled this general area of Israel for several decades, and King Agrippa is the last of the Herodian leaders. And so Paul is brought before King Agrippa to defend himself. And the first three verses are just going through the the customary introduction of Paul before leaders of what is expected of someone. When you’re brought before a dignitary. Some cultures have have different ways of doing this. In some cultures, if you visit other parts of the world, they’ll take. They’ll go through extreme measures to really honor dignitaries that they’re brought before. And then there’s other cultures that just do that quickly. I find here in America, we’re a little bit quicker at it than than other cultures have these nice little platitudes and things they’d like to do back and forth. It’s interesting when you go to some cultures that really take a lot on the front end to do introductions. As you watch people do that, sometimes you realize that they’re not really into those introductions. They just kind of do it because, well, that’s customary for their culture and they just say the things they’re supposed to say so they can get to what they really want to talk about. But the first three verses, this is what Paul’s doing. And and then in verse four, he starts to lay out as he’s, he’s put on trial the kind of person that he is. And he describes himself here really as the Jew of Jews.
It says, the manner of life from my youth spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem is known by all the Jews they have known for a long time. If they are willing to testify that according to the strictest party of the religion, I have lived as a Pharisee. So Paul is saying before Agrippa, who’s familiar with the Jewish faith, he’s saying to him I am a Jew of Jews, right? He grew up in the strictest level of Judaism, being identified as a Pharisee. So Paul was raised up this way, likely memorized large chunks of the Old Testament, if not all of it. So Paul knew this, this faith better than anyone. And then and then Paul, in recognizing that, distills for us the whole point of why he’s been put on trial, If you remember when the Apostle Paul was originally captured in Jerusalem, he was he was in the temple worshiping, and a riot broke up around him. And because the Jewish people wanted to kill him. And the Romans see this, and they they run into the midst of this mob. They rescue Paul, and they put him on trial trying to figure out why the Jewish people are so upset with this man, because they think he must have done something wrong. But they’re surprised to find out that it’s an argument over their religious beliefs. They couldn’t fathom why a dispute over the religious belief would would lead them to want to kill someone.
But nonetheless, Paul was put on trial. And when the Jewish people raised issue against the Apostle Paul, they brought up three. Three reasons why the apostle Paul should be executed. Number one is that they said he was a. He was stirring a riot in Roman life and against the Roman leaders. This is this is a no, no, this is not something they want to see is an uprising. And so Rome would act very strong armed against anyone that would want to stir up a riot. So they say the apostle Paul had come into Jerusalem to stir up a riot. And number two, they said he defiled the temple, which according to Jewish customs, that was deserving of stoning. So they brought this charge against the apostle Paul. And then they bring up the third charge, which is what Paul defends himself in verse six. And if you remember, as we read this in just a moment, when Paul responds to these reasons, these charges against him, he says very clearly, look, I couldn’t have stirred a riot. I’d only been in Jerusalem for a couple of days. That’s not enough time to stir up a crowd. And then he says, and I was in the temple just following the laws. There was there was no there was no me desecrating this temple. But then he says, the third charge they have against me, I stand for this. And in verse six, this is the way he describes it.
And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise God made by God to our fathers, to which our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews. Oh King, why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? So Paul is saying, if you really want to know what this trial is about, it’s it’s over the resurrection of Jesus. This is why they’re so angry. And this is why I am here defending myself. It’s about the resurrection of Christ. And I can’t help but imagine all the things that would be wrestling within the soul of the Apostle Paul in this moment, right? One would be just to stand for the defense of himself, self preservation out of all things. But but then to think that his own people have this disdain for him to the point that they’re they’re willing to kill him even even as he sat in prison for over two years now, they still have this visceral response to to the apostle Paul. And then now to stand before the dignitaries and rulers of his area, of his area. How intimidating this could even be. And so Paul is saying, for my own sake and for the sake of those around me, I just want to recognize that it’s really all about this one thing all of our lives, or at least the eternal destiny of our soul.
It really comes down to this, this one thing. And in this one thing, if you you find your life resting here in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and what he accomplished for you, it redefines everything and who you are and the purpose of your life to know God, the one who created you, for him to be forgiven by him, to find relationship with him, and a future and a hope. This one thing not only matters for you, but it matters for everybody. And Paul is saying this, this moment in history, this is really what it’s about. So what is it? What does it look like for me to be a true disciple? As Paul models it for us here, let me give you point number one in your notes. And it’s this. All of these, by the way, start with the same letter. So it’s even alliterated this morning. That’s how that’s how great this is. But number one is this we’re confronted by Christ that we’re confronted by Christ. And you know, any of us that claim to be followers of Jesus, this becomes necessary not only not only at one moment in your life, but really every moment of your life that you have the recognition that you’re not in charge. And he is, and you’re willing to let the Lord confront you and where you are.
And Paul lays it out, that moment in his life where the Lord did this. He said, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests. But when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them, and I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme and enraging fury against them. I persecuted them even to foreign cities. And Paul saying, like, I want you to know Jewish people that have have this vitriol, hatred towards me, this response of wanting to kill me. It wasn’t long ago that I was just like you, and I was just like you, to the point that I was really convinced that what I was doing was the right thing to do. I had all of my emotions stirred up into this and. And even though I believed it sincerely, Paul’s going to teach us. He was sincerely wrong. But Paul is coming to this place where he’s he’s acknowledging before the people that look, one, I can relate to you, but I also want you to recognize the importance in all of our lives that we can be utterly convinced of something. But without true humility, we can be convinced towards a path that is absolutely wrong. And Paul is stirred in this way, even emotionally.
And I think this is critical for us to consider, especially in the 21st century, as well as particularly to Utah. And the reason I say that is in our culture today, what we’re often taught is the thing that should determine what’s right or wrong is you. And the problem with that is that you didn’t create truth and your feelings can mislead you. And so for us, it becomes critical for us to discover a truth that that transcends who we are and the opportunity that we have as, as people to, to, to know it. But the Apostle Paul sees himself as, as really the most important in what he thinks and what he what he feels. And he’s utterly convinced, sincerely convinced, but sincerely wrong. And so what the Apostle Paul is wanting us to recognize, and I think this is beneficial for all of us to understand that when it comes to our pursuit in the Lord, it is critical one to always begin with a place of humility. Lord, if I’m wrong, show me. And God, it’s only by your grace I am where I am. And, and in that humility, to be willing to go wherever the truth takes you. The Bible says it’s the truth that sets you free. And you could imagine for the Apostle Paul to pursue this truth, what it would cost him, because he was raised in a particular way, his whole life oriented around this, the Pharisee of the Pharisees.
Yet his own people rejected this Messiah and to pursue what was true. It was to let go of what was a what was a part of his life, what really defined him, where he found his identity in order to step into a new identity that Jesus was going to give him. But Paul was he saying to us in this passage that he was utterly convinced. But then something changes. It says in verse 12, in this connection, I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests at midday. O King Agrippa, he’s speaking to. I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun that shone around me, and those who journeyed with me. And when he had all fallen, we had all fallen to the ground. I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It’s hard for you to kick against the goads. And I said, who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It’s interesting, you know, I’ve pointed this out to us multiple times, but I think it’s always critical just to recognize how Jesus is perceiving the persecution against his people. Jesus describes this church as his body, as his bride. And what Jesus is saying against Paul here, by coming against his church, you’re ultimately coming against him, which speaks to the the care that Jesus has for each one of his people.
When you struggle, Jesus struggles with you. Jesus cares about what you’re going through and when, when when Paul is sharing this with us. I think this is also important to think about how Paul shares his testimony in the book of Acts. You know, Luke records for us three times. The apostle Paul shares his testimony. One is in Luke chapter nine. The other is in Luke. Excuse me, Acts chapter nine, Acts chapter 22. And here in Acts chapter 26 and all three occasions, Paul’s brought before a group of people and he’s sharing his testimony with us. You know, it’s important for us to see as as Paul is sharing about the significance of Jesus. He does this in one sense, in an intellectual way, the truthfulness of who Christ is and what Jesus did, and dying on the cross for you and for me. Right. So there’s this intellectual understanding of, of who the Lord is and what he’s accomplished for us. But Paul also uses this in an opportunity to make it personal. He’s saying, not only do we know that this is a historical fact of what took place with Jesus and his death, burial, and resurrection, but it’s also critical for the life of the believer to understand that this was done in a way that’s intended to be personal for you and for me, because what Jesus did was for you and for me.
So he’s saying to us by sharing his testimony that there is a need in our life not to only acknowledge this with our mind, but to receive it in our heart. Lord thank you. Thank you. When you didn’t have to. You chose to humble yourself as a servant, giving your life for one who didn’t deserve it, so that I could be forgiven, so that I could be freed. And so Paul, the Apostle Paul’s testimony is really testifying to us the importance of having this moment in our life where not only we recognize the significance of who Jesus is intellectually, But we also came to this place where we surrendered our hearts fully to say, and I receive Jesus, forgive me, God, thank you for your life. Now give me new life in you, this moment that says to us, out of everything that could define who we are. Christ alone shapes who I am. And the Apostle Paul, when he’s describing this, he uses this phrase, the kicking against the goads. And I know it’s common vernacular we use today, right? But if you think about what kicking against the goads is, this is particularly used for those that worked with farm animals and, and more likely larger farm animals. Sometimes those animals might get stubborn. And what the their purpose is to do. And so the, the farmer or the person that would work with those animals would use a goad to help encourage the animal towards a better decision.
And this is what God is saying he does in our lives, that by his grace he gives you opportunity again and again to turn to him. God’s giving you not what you deserve, but rather something better. Because if God gave us what we deserve, we would have his justice and his wrath, but rather God’s giving us opportunity to find freedom and grace in him. And he’s referring to this for the Apostle Paul. This idea of goading Paul, saying, Paul, I’ve been in your life and I’ve been pointing you to me, and you’ve been so stubborn and over and over you wanted to choose a different direction. But I’ve constantly been this persistent presence in your life to help you understand the significance of who I am. Maybe in a personal way, we could say it like this this morning. Where in your life is God goading you, but rather you continue to ignore him? Where in your life might the Lord be pressing against you, but yet you fight against him. You know the Apostle Paul. If we had lived in the first century and we had walked life with him, we might look at him and say, what could possibly be wrong with the Apostle Paul? I mean, he’s the most religious person. If anybody’s going to earn their way to heaven, it’s the apostle Paul. Of course, the apostle Paul is. Got it figured out. Of course, you know, he may not believe like me, but of course God’s got to love him because, well, he tries really hard at his religion.
So Paul’s got to be got to be clear by God. Of course he’s a good guy. I mean, he does good things being a religious person. You know, it’s interesting. The apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans. And in Romans chapter one, verse eight, what he what he writes to us in the beginning of Romans is that he says to us that all of us suppress the truth of God. Meaning he’s saying, God is constantly goading all of our lives with the reality of who he is, but we’re always pushing it down, elevating ourselves instead of him. Sometimes we compare it to something like this. If you’ve ever gone swimming and you had an opportunity to have a beach ball around you, inevitably at some point you’ve just decided, I’m just going to float on this for a minute, and then you put that beach ball underneath you and then you discover it’s not it’s not easy to float on round objects. And eventually, if you’re like me, you’ve had one of those moments where that ball has rolled out from under you. And sometimes rather than go out the side or the back, that ball rolls out in the front. And you know, you start to feel it. So you do the inevitable. You start to look down as that ball is rolling out, and that ball just shoots right up and it pops you in the face, right? And it’s so irritating.
But you do it again and it happens again. And it’s what’s that’s what he’s saying with the truth of who God is. Like the Bible tells us, the heavens declare the glory of God. But we as people have this tendency to want to suppress that truth, to elevate ourselves rather than the Lord. And even the Apostle Paul, the most religious man. He says, man, that’s what his life was. In fact, in Romans chapter seven, he gets a little candid as to how how this war happened within him and suppressing the struggle that he had. He said, for I delight in the law of God. A religious man in my inner being. But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind, and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Paul is saying, no matter how hard I tried, if I’m just being honest as a religious person, no matter how hard I tried, I never knew if it was enough. And no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much my mind even memorized the law, no matter how much I would say I was going to live for this and be a righteous person, I would walk away and still be a hypocrite.
And this wrestling within him he could not control. He put it all upon himself to try to perform, and he always found himself inadequate to live up to the standard and that kind of life. You know what it produces in us as people. It produces insecurity. It produces fear, it produces pride, it produces anger. It produces frustration or guilt or shame. All of these things that just stress us out and wear us out and, and fluster the soul when we don’t see the significance of who Christ is. So let me just ask one more time. Where is the Lord goading you? Rather than live life on your own strength, where? Where are you not surrendered to the confrontation of Christ in your own life? To to embrace him, to see that Jesus is enough. Because rather than guilt, you can have forgiveness rather than shame. Jesus bears your shame on the cross rather than fear. There’s hope in what he’s accomplished for you. It’s not about what you put on your shoulders, but what he bore on his shoulders for you and for me. This confrontation that Christ brings into our life is critical for the wellspring of the life to well up in with within us because of what Jesus has accomplished for us. Until we see the significance of what Christ has done and we’re willing to surrender to that, we will never live for the purpose which God has created us.
Being confronted by Christ. But not. Not only that being changed by Christ. Being changed by Christ. Guys, do you know? And Jesus’s resurrection. John chapter 20. I believe it’s in. If I remember, I think it’s in verse 15 and 16 and again in verse 21 or 22, in the Gospel of John. If you were to read chapter 20 right after Jesus’s resurrection, do you know the first thing he says is to his disciples. And three appearances. The first word out of his mouth. Peace. Peace. Out of all the struggle we could have, out of all the warring we could have had with God, out of all the building up of hoping I’m enough, and insecurity and fear and anger and of all those things. Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection accomplishes it all for us. It’s the first thing he says to the soul peace. You can imagine how how incredible that would have been for the disciples, having seen Jesus crucified, having watched his body, being buried in the tomb, thinking all that they lived for was gone, and then seeing Jesus in front of them. And the first thing he says is peace. Can I tell you more than anything what God wants for your soul this morning is peace. And the only way that happens is that confrontation of Christ in our life and surrendered in allowing the Lord just to transform me.
God changed me not. Not me on my throne, but you, Lord. I live for your glory. And so the apostle Paul was transformed. In verse 16 it says, but rise and stand up on your feet. God says to Paul, he says, for I have appeared to you for this purpose to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have have seen me to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people, and from the Gentiles, to. To whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light from. From the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place for those who have are sanctified by faith in me. When we talk about service and witness in a moment, but I want you to see the position that you have in Jesus becomes critical, right? Because not only is Paul is experiencing what Christ is offering, but he, he gives us the opportunity then to help others discover it as well. At the end, in verse, verse 18, at the end he says, you receive forgiveness and a place for those who are sanctified. He’s talking about your position in the Lord, that not only is your past forgiven, but your future is secure. Not not only is is the brokenness of of what you’ve done against God taken away, but you’re given a place with him now.
You have a relationship with Jesus now, both now and for eternity. So there’s a there’s a sense of past, present, and future all secure in what Christ has done. And he categorizes this as being rescued from the power of Satan into the power of God. And if you’re being honest with Scripture, the Bible really represents to us there’s only two kingdoms you can be a part of, no matter how religious you might think someone is, no matter how good you might think someone is, you belong to one of two kingdoms. It’s the kingdom of Satan or the kingdom of God, and that is it. And I know that it’s not popular to say, if you don’t belong to Jesus and you belong to the kingdom of Satan. But, but but I want you to know the way that Satan works is not to say to you, look, I’m here to destroy your soul. If Satan showed up and said that none of us would sign up for that. But the way Satan works is subtle, and he even is okay with a form of the truth. Meaning Satan loves to take half truths because if he can get you to to, to listen to a half truth, it really becomes a full lie and destroying the soul. I mean, if you go back to the Garden of Eden, that’s what you see with Adam and Eve.
Satan just questions what God said, just to pervert the truth enough to bring the destruction of Adam and Eve. And that’s the way he works in our life. And let me just tell you what speaks to that more than any other. It’s Jesus’s willingness to die for you and for me. I mean, the extent for which Christ was willing to go should scream to us as people how significant of what Christ has accomplished for us. And we don’t want to undermine that by just giving it nice platitudes and saying things like, well, as long as you just believe and you’re a good person. That’s all that matters. Just be a good person. Doesn’t really matter what you belong to. Just believe in something and be good. Like if that was the answer, Jesus wouldn’t have gone to the extreme that he went through for you and for me. The power of life is found in Christ alone. Now, that doesn’t mean I run up to people and say, you’re following Satan, right? Like no one’s going to listen to that. Or at least most people won’t listen to that. I think there are some people today claim to be Satan followers be like, yes, yes I do. But but for us, real freedom is only found in the forgiveness that Christ can offer. And Paul says it like this. Because of that, I’ve become his servant and witness.
Guys, think about that. What would it take for you to truly identify yourself as a servant of someone? I mean, what would happen have to happen in your life before you would wear a title like that towards someone else? I got to think even reading the Apostle Paul’s writings. Like if you read, for example, the book of Colossians, Paul starts off that letter saying that he is an apostle, and the reason he identifies himself in that position is because he never visited the church of Colossae. And so he’s writing to the church to let them know who he truly is. But then when he writes to churches that he visited, like, for example, the book of Philippians, Paul always starts off this way a servant of the Lord. He wants to lead with the identity of a servant, meaning his life is given over to someone else. And in so doing, he’s here to bless people that they may discover who they’re intended to be in the Lord. What would it take for someone to do that? And I have a friend back East who he had some trouble with his kidneys to the point where if he didn’t find a donor for his kidney soon, he was he was going to pass away. And about the midnight hour, there’s someone in his church that went and got themselves tested and found out they were a perfect match, and they ended up donating one of their kidneys to this individual so that he could have his life spared.
And I’ve seen that that friendship develop over the years and even on social media, they blast it. But it’s interesting the way that that friendship has developed, like seeing this guy, he knows he’s indebted to this individual for, for giving a kidney to spare his own life. And the way he speaks about this person, you would think that he was the servant to this individual. Guys, it’s the same for Jesus. When you realize the extent of what Jesus has done for you. When your soul was in a place of despair and there was no hope, he gave his life what he didn’t have to. While you were in the midst of sin before a holy God, God chose to rescue you only by his grace. When you understand the extent that Jesus was willing to go for you and for me. What else could we do but surrender our lives? The only response that makes sense as to see ourselves as a servant and a witness to the glory of this God who has given us forgiveness and freedom in him. We’re confronted by him. We’re changed by Christ. And I need to give you this last quickly. As we’re called by Christ, we’re called by Christ and the Apostle Paul, as he shares this, he stands before Agrippa. And I’m going to skip down to verse 21. He says, for this reason the Jews seize me in the temple and tried to kill me.
And to this day I have had the help that comes from God. So as so I stand here testifying both to the small and great. So if we’re wondering, how am I going to be faithful to the Lord even in challenging times, he’s saying, just God meets you there and sustains you there. Trust him to do that. And he says, saying nothing but what comes or but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass, that the Christ must suffer, and that by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles. What Paul is saying is, I’m only sharing with you what the Bible has said from the beginning of what the Messiah would ultimately do. And I just share at the end of verse 22 and verse 23, those passages of the Bible again and again that reminded us of the greatness of who Christ is and what he would accomplish for you and for me. And so Paul is saying, look, what I’m saying is rooted from old. This is not anything new. This should not surprise us. This is everything Christ said he would do. And now he’s fulfilled it in our in our lives. And then he goes on verse 24, and as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are out of your mind.
Your great learning is driving you out of your mind. But Paul said, I’m not out of my mind, most excellent, Festus, but I am speaking truth, true and rational words. He’s saying this is sober. Christianity is built on truth. It’s a truth claim. It’s rooted historically in what Jesus has done. So Paul is saying, that’s all I’m standing for, for the King. Agrippa knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly, for I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. It’s most likely that when Jesus was crucified, King Agrippa was about eight years old and he lived in this area of the world. And so Agrippa would have known about the death of Jesus. This was not something done mysteriously. This the the world knew about this, especially in this particular area. And so what happened with Jesus was, was something that people were aware of. And, and Paul’s appealing to that group that, you know, this is what happened to Christ. And then verse 27, King Agrippa, he said, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe Agrippa was one very familiar with Jewish scriptures, and it would have claimed to have known of the Jewish faith. And so Paul is putting his finger on this particular moment. But then he says in verse 28, Agrippa said to Paul, in a short time, would you persuade me to be a Christian? And Paul said, whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am, except for these chains.
I mean, this is amazing what Paul’s doing. When Paul. They knew that Paul was innocent. And when Paul had an opportunity to make a defense for himself to try to save his own hide, rather than do that, he continued to live the life of a servant. His mind was on the well-being of others. And so Agrippa recognized Paul. You’re trying to convert me. And Paul’s saying, not just you, but everybody listening. My heart is for their heart because God’s heart is for their heart. So Paul, even at the expense of his own life, is willing to lay himself down for another. Why? Why would you do that, Paul? Because his life had been radically transformed in Jesus, and he knew no matter what, he was always secure in the hands of God, whether in this world or the world to come. He goes. When I think about the book of Acts, the reason that we’re going through this together as a church is to recognize the beauty of the opportunity we have here in our day to honor the Lord. I mean, it’s the same God, the same God who confronts us, who who changes us and calls us for his glory in this world.
And as you think about it, throughout church history, we’re a part of a faith of people who who have done this one by example. I’ll just share with you as a man by the name of Felix Manz, I, I refer to him as low key hitchhiker. I think the reason for that is anytime they do these paintings, you know, someone had to stand for a while and he had to think about his look. He’s like, I’ll do this, you know, low key hitchhiker. But Felix Manz was was a Christian in Sweden during a time when it was unpopular to be a Christian. And Felix Manz continued to preach the gospel to the point that local authorities kept telling him to stop. But people kept coming to know the Lord and he kept baptizing them over and over. This happened. He was arrested, thrown in jail, but he wouldn’t stop. And at 29 years old, finally the authorities came to him and said, since you love seeing people come to Christ and being baptized so much, we’re going to give you your last baptism. And so they sentenced him to death. They tied him to a pole and they threw him in the river and he became a martyr. Felix Manz, the apostle Paul, all people willing to give their lives for the sake of Christ. Why? Because the greatness of who God is. And we see the extent that Jesus was willing to go for us. There is no greater title in our lives than servant of him.