Obedient to the Vision

 Acts 26:1-32

For those of you who are just joining us here today or on Zoom, I want to take a few minutes to recap what has happened in the recent past few weeks to Paul in our series in the book of Acts titled “With All Boldness: The Book Of Acts”. 

In Acts chapter 23 the Jews had plotted to kill Paul in Jerusalem but Roman Commander in Jerusalem Claudius Lysias became aware of the plot and sent Paul by night to Governor Felix in Caesarea with a letter describing the plot against Paul.  In Acts chapter 24 we read:

Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. – Acts 24:1

The name of the governor was Felix.  Felix put Paul’s accusers off saying “when Lysias the commander comes down I will decide your case.

Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Roman Governor Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison. – Acts 24:24-27

This brings us to chapter 25. Let us reread the entire chapter so we know the context of our passage today from chapter 26.

Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong.” – Acts 25:1-5

After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” – Acts 25:6-8

Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” – Acts 25:9-11

After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” – Acts 25:12

A few days later King Agrippa and (his sister) Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges. When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” Festus replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.” – Acts 25:13-22

The next day Agrippa and (his sister) Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking military officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.” – Acts 25:23-27

Note that King Herod Agrippa II was the grandson of Herod the Great. King Herod Agrippa II’s sisters’ names were Bernice and Drusilla.  This second sister Drusilla was Governor Felix’s wife.   So Herod Agrippa II, Bernice and Drusilla were all siblings and were the Great grandchildren of Herod the Great who ordered the slaughter of all the babies two years old and younger in the town of Bethlehem.  

As you know this was Herod the Great’s attempt to kill the baby Jesus in order to prevent Jesus from becoming king of the Jews.

With that background we will continue on in today’s message titled “Obedient to the Vision.”  We begin in Acts 26.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: - Acts 26:1

Note here, that motioning with his hand was Paul’s way of quieting the crowd.  He also used this method to quiet the crowd in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 21:40. Continuing: 

“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. – Acts 26:2-3

Note Paul’s reverence and humility here towards the king.  We can learn a lot from this when we pray to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Here we have Paul in the auditorium filled with the high ranking commanders of the Roman Legion and all the prominent men of Caesarea.  Luke doesn’t say but it is possible that Cornelius the Centurion whom Peter baptized in Caesarea along with his whole household could have been present since Cornelius lived in Caesarea. Now this was a great opportunity for the Gospel and Paul was certainly happy for it. This was a partial fulfillment of what the Lord had promised Ananias back in Acts 9:15 where He says, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.”

Paul goes on in his address to King Agrippa: 

“The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. – Acts 26:4-5

Paul does not assume here that the Jews will be willing to confirm his past history of being a Pharisee of the strictest sect of both his and their religion.  Paul’s reputation of persecuting the believers of the so called Way and torturing them to get them to blaspheme was the basis of this living according to the strictest sect of our religion claim.

And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. – Acts 26:6

Actually, it is because Paul was also proclaiming that God was extending this hope to the Gentiles whom the Jews hated.

This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? – Acts 26:7-8

Note how Paul pivots from his hope in what God has promised their forefathers to the 

doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.  Paul had used this technique before to divide the crowd and get them arguing amongst themselves.  Here he also has the Roman Governor Festus and the High ranking Roman commanders and the prominent people of Caesarea in addition to the Jews to preach to.  Then he quickly pivots back to the name of Jesus.

“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. – Acts 26:9-11

Note that here Paul confesses to the fact that he was unjustly imprisoning the saints in God’s church and casting his vote to put them to death and punishing them while trying to get them to blaspheme.  I have often overlooked this last sentence in verse 11.  Paul says that he even went to foreign cities (plural) to persecute them.  We have no record of which cities these were but Paul begins verse 12 with “On one of these journeys” as he pivots the address to his own conversion experience. Continuing on we read:

On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ – Acts 26:12-18

Here Jesus communicates the reality that when Paul was persecuting the saints of the church he was actually persecuting Jesus.  Jesus took it personal.  Remember that the church is the bride of Christ.  

In essence the two have become one through the power of the Holy Spirit.  You can’t persecute the one without persecuting the other.  This is good to know when you experience persecution.

Jesus was sending Paul on a mission to preach the Gospel that the unbelievers could hear it and receive forgiveness of their sins.  Do you know that you too are sent for this same purpose? You are sent to those around you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and turn them from the power of Satan to the power of God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified (made holy) by their faith in Jesus. This is our purpose on this earth. It is why we are still here. You can praise God just as well in heaven. But you cannot do this job anywhere else but here.  The commission of the Christian is not to make the message or his or her testimony serve him or her. No, the commission he or she is given is to deliver the message of the Gospel and serve the one who is sent it.  Paul Continues:

“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 happen3that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” – Act 26:19-23

Remember that Paul now has a distinguished audience. They are hearing this – and at last, after two years, Paul is finally getting to share the gospel. He does so in the context of his defense. All those people in the stands heard. Paul no doubt looked at them, and then looked at the king, as he said “and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike.”

At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” – Acts 26:24

Literally, “You are a raving lunatic!” Festus embarrasses himself here before all of the high ranking Roman officers and the prominent citizens of Caesarea. His outburst reveals more about his own flawed character than it does about Paul's.

“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.” – Acts 26:25-27

Notice how cordially Paul addresses the governor here as most excellent Festus. There is no doubt that King Agrippa knew all that Paul was talking about. He knows what his great grandfather did at the birth of Christ. He knows what his great uncle did at the time of John the Baptist. He knows what his father did to James and Peter. And he knows how his father died. And yet this is also a man steeped in excess and in sin.  He is king because of political favors to Rome, succeeding because he is a master of politics in a political world. Paul takes his speech to a very bold place, asking the king a very personal question and answering it presumptively for him. “Do you believe the prophets? I know you do!”

This was an embarrassing and awkward moment for Agrippa. Things like this are not supposed to happen at "controlled media events." Who does Agrippa blame for this? Not Paul, because it is not really his fault. It is the fault of Festus, for allowing Paul this venue.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” – Acts 26:28

Now it is unknown why Agrippa made the statement that he did.  Was this statement made jokingly or sarcastically or was Agrippa serious? We just don’t know. Perhaps it was even hard for Paul to know. But Paul's answer, regardless, was absolutely sincere. He prays that everyone listening would come to faith in Christ.

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.” The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. They left the room, and while talking with one another, they said, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.” Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” – Acts 26:29-32

Recall that Festus was hoping Agrippa would find some genuine crimes to accuse Paul of, so that he wouldn’t look bad when he sent Paul to Caesar. Festus didn’t get what he had hoped for. Agrippa says this man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment. As we have discussed, Agrippa does not seem particularly happy with Festus right now, and certainly it doesn’t appear that he is going to do him any political favors.  Remember Agrippa’s and Bernice’s brother-in-law Felix had recently been recalled to Rome for not keeping the peace in the territory and for upsetting the Jews.  Agrippa’s position as king also relies heavily on him not upsetting Rome or the Jews.  Paul is like a hot potato.  No one wants to be holding onto him especially if it could upset Rome.  The fact that all of these high ranking Roman Officers heard Paul’s reasonable defense and now know that he is a Roman citizen who the Jews want to put to death does not bode well with their opinion of Festus or King Agrippa.  It is no wonder that King Agrippa wanted to distance himself from Festus.  He may have made this statement for the soul purpose of the Roman officers hearing it and communicating it back to Rome.  That way he would be seen as having nothing to do with Paul the Roman Citizen’s imprisonment and punishment as could be verified by these Roman officers testimony of the conclusion of this pompous event.

We don’t know if Paul heard of this private conversation with Agrippa and the rest of the high ranking officers or if he found out about it later, but somehow it was made known to Luke who recorded it here. I think it is highly likely that, sooner or later, Paul heard that Agrippa said. “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

If you were Paul, how would that make you feel? Upset? Angry? Would you ask God, “What are You doing?” “Where are You?” “Why do You seem so weak?” “Why are You being thwarted by a political world?”

I don’t think Paul asked these things at all. Maybe he felt pangs of these questions from time to time, but he did not dwell on them or live under their weight. What did Paul say? “I pray that you all could be as I am, except for these chains.” Even though Paul was in chains, he was the freest man in that stadium. Paul, in the center of murder plots, political schemes, and corrupt leaders, was more at peace than anyone there.  Why? Because he was appointed by Jesus to be God’s mouthpiece to proclaim the Gospel and he knew it.

How do we live in a political world, when our bosses scheme against us, when we are accused falsely, when we end up with enemies, when people just don’t like us? How many of you have had some experience of this? 

I have and I still do. How are we to live in the middle of this stuff? We can live free and at peace in Christ.  We know that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.

You can change your thinking so that you too can live in the freedom and peace of Christ. How do you do this? By trusting Him more. Trust Him even with the political and sinful world around you. Trust Him with all that hinders you.  Also, remember why you are sent to this world.  You are appointed to be an ambassador to this world? It is not to excel in navigating the politics of modern life. It is not even to succeed in life.  It is to proclaim the good news of the Gospel so that people who hear it and see you living it may believe and as a result turn from darkness to light, from Satan to God.  

When and if they do turn to God, they like you will receive the forgiveness of their sins and a place among those who are made righteous by their faith in God.  We believers are sent into this world for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. This does includes prayer. It does includes demonstrating compassion for the poor. It does includes providing for the needs of others.  

Now all these things are good and beneficial but we must remember not to neglect the most important thing.  That is speaking the truth about God and His plan to bestow salvation on everyone who believes in Christ’s death on the cross as payment for their sins.

Also, remember who it is that sends you. Jesus sends you. He is with you. It is not wrong to pray for World Peace and it is not wrong to pray for help navigating through this political world, but do not expect Him to deliver you from the conflicts that arise each day.  Instead, expect Him to be there with you every step of the way.

What if you reject God’s plan of salvation?  Or what if you believe Jesus died on the cross but you think that based on your good works you are going to get into heaven with or without that? You may think it takes your good works in addition to Christ death on the cross to earn a place in heaven.  If you think that, essentially, you have rejected God’s only plan of salvation and replaced it with your own plan.  Well you are effectively calling God the creator of the Universe a liar.  For His word says in Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Eph. 2:8-10 

So there is indeed a place for good works that God has prepared for us to do but these good works are not part of nor are they a requirement of His plan for salvation.  If you think that they are you are you are saying that His son’s death on the cross was not enough for your salvation and the salvation of the world.  That Jesus’ death on the cross plus your added good works are needed for salvation to take place.  You are saying that man has to add his or her good works to God’s plan of salvation in order to be saved.  That is a false Gospel and it comes from Satan the father of lies.  Remember, God says in Isaiah 64:6: 

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. – Is. 64:6

When man tries to add good works as a requirement to the Gospel of salvation he presents a corrupted Gospel.  But after experiencing the free gift of true salvation through Him, we can and will do good works.  These good works are done not to add to or earn salvation but to glorify Him who died and set us free from the law of sin and death.  Why after and not before we are saved?  Well after we are saved we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us.  Only by the power of Holy Spirit can we do the good works that we were created to do to Glorify Jesus the Son.  That is why the apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20-21:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” – Gal. 2:20-21

What is the grace of God?  God’s grace is usually defined as underserved favor.  Grace cannot be earned; it something that is freely given.  We count on God’s grace and the bridge that He built in our relationship with Him.  From the Old Testament Exodus 33:19, we know that grace is part of God’s character.  He says to Moses:

“I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show compassion on whom I show compassion.” – Ex. 33:19 NASB