Jesus in His Church..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. So Acts chapter 25, we'll be reading from verse 23, and then we'll go on to chapter 26 and read to the end of the chapter. So 25 from 23 and then through to 2026.

So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. And at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in and Festus said, King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him.

Therefore, I have brought him before you all, especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after we have examined him, I may have something to write. But it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner not to indicate the charges against him." So Agrippa said to Paul, you have permission to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense. I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I'm going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are familiar with all the customs and the controversies of the Jews.

Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation 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 our religion, I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope, I am accused by Jews, O King.

Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? 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 the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme.

And in raging fury against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. In this connection, I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O King, I saw on my way a light from heaven brighter than the sun that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when 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 is hard for you to kick against the goats.

And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen. You have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you. to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."

Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and throughout all the regions of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with repentance. For this reason, the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day, I have had the help that comes from God. And so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing 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. And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you're 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'm speaking true and rational words. For the king 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 been done This has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?

I know you do believe. I know you believe. And 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. And the king rose and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them.

And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, this man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. And Agrippa said to Festus, this man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. Amen. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord remains forever. Brothers and sisters, let's just come to our Lord in prayer before we begin.

Father, we commit this evening to you. We ask, Lord, that you would be among us by your Holy Spirit. Be among those who are sitting in the seats even now, Lord, I pray, that you would give their hearts faith to trust that you will feed them and edify their soul with your word. Lord, I pray that any attention or anything that's occupying the mind at this moment, Lord, I pray that these things will be set aside. We ask, Lord, that you would be the one who is speaking through your servant.

Give me, Lord, clarity of mind. Give me clarity of speech. Lord, I pray that you give me clarity in all these things. Help me, Lord, to only reveal, only to speak that which is written. And we ask in all things that you would be glorified, that you would be exalted, that you would be honored in our presence here this evening.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. The beauty of working through a book, chapter by chapter, is in fact that the context is always fresh in our minds because we're systematically going through the Book of Acts and we have been from Chapter 1. Last week, we went through it together, we considered the contents of Chapter 25. And in that chapter, we were introduced to Festus, the new governor, and what he does in his new order of service.

And we know that in that chapter, we're told that Festus goes down to Jerusalem from Caesarea. That's like the capital where the governors are from Rome, Caesarea. And he traveled down to Jerusalem. And while he was there, he had an encounter with the Jews, you may remember. Jews who were still bent on killing Paul.

Now Paul was in prison and he's been in prison for two years unjustly. Mephistos now knows about Paul whether he met him before or not we don't know because there's only three days in before he makes the travel to Jerusalem but now he knows about Paul because the Jews have apprehended him and said look about this Paul would you be able to send him our way so he can be so he can be tried. Now, of course, Festus doesn't agree to that. He says, Paul is kept in Caesarea, so you guys, you come, some of your key men, come and lay down the charges against this Paul in Caesarea, and I'll be there to hear them out. And so they do, and he organises that, and they agree to come to Caesarea.

That's what ends up happening. And they do. They stand before Saul and before Paul, my apologies, and before the new governor, Festus, and they lay their charges against Paul. And we're told in that chapter that they are indeed very serious charges. But we're also told this, they had no proof of the charges they're laying down against him.

That they were unfounded with any evidence. And Festus could see this. Paul claimed, at the same time, that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. He said, I'm innocent in regards to the law of the Jews. I'm innocent in regards to the temple, because that's what the accusations were coming against him from.

And he also says, I'm innocent in regards to Rome, in regards to Caesar, the law of the land. My conscience does not convict me. Paul's been patient. He's been patient for two years, he's been imprisoned two years now, and finally he makes his appeal to Caesar. That comes on the back of Festus seemingly weakening and asking Paul, would you go to Jerusalem to be tried there by the Jews?

I don't think Paul liked what he heard. So he makes his appeal to Caesar and Festus agrees with that appeal. So Paul will now need to go to Rome. The problem that Festus has is that although he's agreed to send Paul to Rome, He has nothing to write about, Paul. What's he going to tell his majesty of the reason why he's sending this man?

Paul hadn't broken any laws of the land. And the Roman governors, they weren't supposed to adjudicate between religious affairs. So what's Festus to say? Some time had passed. Agrippa comes up.

He turns up at Caesarea, and Festus is all happy about this. Why? Because he knows that Agrippa is well-versed in Judaism. And if there's anyone who's going to be able to assist him to write something to His Majesty when he sends Paul, it will be this Agrippa, this king, so to speak. you'll be able to help him.

So when he presents it to Agrippa and tells him about this prisoner that Felix, his predecessor, has put into prison and has now been in prison for two years, Agrippa is intrigued and says, I want to meet with this man. And then Vesta says, great, tomorrow's the day you'll meet with Paul. And this brings us to the contents of verse 23 of chapter 5 moving forward. We're told on the very next day there seemed to be a planned celebration, you might say a gala of sorts. We don't know exactly what the occasion was, possibly a celebration in honour of Festus and his new appointment as governor, but we can't be sure.

Irrespective of the reason why all these dignitaries and important people of the city had gathered only a day after Festus had spoken to Agrippa, irrespective of that, We know that both King Agrippa and Bernice were included in the bunch. Now, just to make it clear, to save any possible confusion, this is not the same Agrippa that killed James, the apostle James, and imprisoned Peter back in chapter 12. That's Agrippa I, the father of Agrippa, who is spoken of in our passage. This Agrippa is young, he's barely 30 years of age at this point. Same name, but a different person.

The second thing I want to make sure that we just get right as well is Bernice, the woman that comes and accompanies Agrippa to this festus to hear Paul out, is not Agrippa's wife. No, she's not. She's his sister. And there are rumours in the history books, and they seem to be credible, that suggest that the relationship between the two wasn't very pure. Also, I want to note that Drusilla was both their sister.

You may remember that name from back in chapter 24 when Felix comes to sit with Paul and hear his defense, or Paul make his defense. We're told that Felix comes with his wife, Drusilla. And Drusilla is actually the sister of Bernice and Agrippa II. It's a small world, isn't it? But this was common, this was common in a diplomatic strategy in the ancient world.

Marrying daughters and sisters of men in high position was a way of achieving loyalty with those who are in those positions. We're family now, how can we have anything but peace among one another? It was very diplomatic, very smart. Anyway, Gripper and Bernice are invited to this party, so to speak, and Luke tells us that they turn up with great pomp. Probably meaning they dressed the part.

They came and they looked like royalty. I guess the apple never falls too far from the tree. You remember their father, or his father, Agrippa I, back in chapter 10, before he was struck by God, because he was claiming to have the same honour as God. He too was dressed like royalty and he liked it. Anyway, Festus was delighted that they showed up.

Because from all the dignitaries, as I said before, Agrippa, Agrippa, King Agrippa is the one who was most able to help him with his dilemma. Festus, because he inherited from Felix, his predecessor, the evil man Felix, who was the governor for two years prior to Festus, he's inherited Paul. And from what he could see and what he's examined, Paul is innocent. There's nothing of these charges that actually stick against Paul. And there's no reason why Festus would actually keep him arrested.

In fact, the only reason that Festus keeps Paul arrested is because he knows about the burning desire and hatred of the Jews against this Paul, and it's for the sake of peace and nothing else. He was trying to earn favour with the Jews, because releasing this Paul could cause quite a bit of havoc. But that was the confusing part of the governor. Because he wasn't really aware of all the Jewish beliefs as Felix was before him. We're told Felix was adept in the Jewish religion.

But Festus doesn't seem to be. Because on the one hand, the Jews are demanding Paul to be executed, verse 24. But on the other hand, Festus has himself examined Paul, and according to law, he's found nothing deserving of death. It's a strange situation. So this governor's at loss to know what he's going to write to the emperor.

He's going to send Paul to Rome. We said that before and he's agreed to that. But what's he going to tell the emperor? Why has he sent Paul? A gripper might be able to help with that.

At least a gripper may be able to paint the picture of why the Jews are so offended at Paul and why it is that they're bent on killing Paul. Why is that? We can start there at least. But at the same time, Festus, this governor, would maybe, he's hoping he'd receive justification for why it was necessary to send Paul to the highest authority in the land rather than resolving the matter locally. Now without that justification, Festus knows that he will suffer great humiliation.

And he'll be deemed as incompetent by his superiors. And that's certainly not something he will want, especially so early in his reign. So that takes us to the context, at least, to chapter 26. And I want you to see that although Paul is on trial, the main reason he'll be called in before these dignitaries is to give a defense about the charges that are placed before him. I want you to see that his main thing, the main thing on Paul's mind after reading this passage, is not really to exonerate himself.

I hope we'll all get to see that once we're done. Sure, he'll give a defense. He'll do that. And humanly speaking, he'll present it before a bunch of very important men who, to some degree, at least have the power to determine Paul's fate. And they do.

Sure, he'll appeal to Caesar, and that appeal will be accepted, but it's not too much of a stretch to envisage a situation where Festus may even change his mind. Take to King Gripper, for instance. He has power. He's been in power for about 10 years now and his royalty and his bloodline, that royalty goes back all the way back to his great-grandfather Herod the Great. So this king has some pull among the Jews and at this time in history at least he actually had the respect of the Jews as well, at least for now.

Now that'll change in about six years time. Something will happen, that will change. But for now, King Agrippa has the respect of the Jews. And so if King Agrippa sides with the Jews and places pressure on Festus, who knew how important it is to appease the Jews, to keep the peace in Jerusalem, then who knows what the outcome may have been. Overturning his acceptance to send Paul to Rome is easily something that he would be capable of doing, especially now that he's in two minds in regards to the logistics of the whole matter.

Beloved, we in the 21st century can be so one-sided. We've read the text, and we know the outcomes, and it's hard, if not impossible, for us to truly feel the weight of what Paul is actually going through right now. But it's good for us to try at least, and try to experience in our minds and our hearts what the Apostle is actually going through. See, nothing was certain for Paul. Rome wasn't certain.

Life wasn't certain, humanly speaking. Apart from the promise of the Lord, nothing was certain for this man. This could be a very bad situation. It could turn quite easily and become a very bad outcome for the Apostle Paul. We have to remember this and keep that in the back of our minds.

You may say, Paul was a Roman citizen. He had rights. That couldn't happen. He's protected. Okay, then I ask, was his imprisonment for the last two years just?

Was that justice? Has no other Roman citizen ever been treated unjustly? Beloved, knowing the corruptness of man's heart, apart from Christ, it would be naive of us to claim that Paul actually received salvation from his citizenship. The legal demands of the law have never been an obstacle for evil tyrants who desperately want their way. Never.

The Jewish religious leaders were about as devout as one could be to the law of Moses, were they not? They dotted their I's and they crossed their T's in relation to the law, as far as at least the physical part of the law. But they were all too happy to murder Paul, despite the law saying, thou shalt not murder. It's pretty clear. It's straightforward.

Did that stop them from accomplishing or trying to accomplish what they wanted to do to Paul? Did it stop them from actually murdering our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? And don't get me wrong, Festus seems to be a good guy, better than Felix. But he's a man. And at best, men are fragile.

They all have their price. Paul didn't know whether Festus would break under the immense pressure applied to him by the Jews and possibly by Agrippa. And now we have a situation where Agrippa is added to the equation. Paul doesn't know Agrippa's heart, does he? And by the way, the way Agrippa and Bernice entered into that place, as Luke tells us, with so much pomp, at least he can get some insight about this man.

And pride would be the first thing that comes to my mind. But Paul has no way of knowing the king's heart and how that heart will manifest in this situation. As far as Paul was concerned, everything was uncertain apart from knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ has his back. and that God in Christ can be trusted. All Paul had was faith in Christ.

That's it. His only rock was the Lord. And beloved, as we'll see, for Paul, that was enough. And I hope it's enough for us. Whether he's been given specifics, like in this case, where he was given specifics, the Lord said, I will send you to Rome.

And he knew he would. Or whether he's blind about what is to come. Either way, Paul needed only to trust in the Lord. And in that trust, beloved, there's freedom. Freedom.

He's free to go about doing what he was called to do, leaving all the details in Jesus's capable hands. That's freedom. So what does Paul do with this freedom? Well, we've read the text, and I hope once we're done, we'll be able to agree. He uses that freedom in the hope of seeing all the men before him from all walks of life come to a saving knowledge of truth in the resurrected Savior Jesus Christ.

His burden was to see these men who stand before him forgiven of their sins. His burden was to see them place their trust in this Jesus just as he has. This was Paul's burden. He didn't grovel and beg to be released. That department, as far as Him being released, is in the Lord's hands.

Sure, He'll use wisdom in the situation, but the rest is left to God. And that frees Paul to do what he's best at doing. It's what he's been called to do. Boldly to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Boldly to proclaim the good news And do you think his listeners noticed?

Yes, they did. Going by the first words out of the mouth of the gripper after hearing all that Paul had to say. Well, his words are telling. Yeah, they noticed. They noticed, they could see what Paul's objective was.

They could see what his priority was in that place. Agrippa doesn't say, Paul, his first words are not, Paul, thanks for giving us your side, your defence, but there's always two sides to every story. We'll get back to you when we hear the other side. He didn't say that. No, he didn't say that.

Agrippa was a smart guy, we know that. He heard Paul out and he figured out what Paul's burden was. And he figured out why Paul says what he says in front of all these important men. He figured out it's not self-preservation. What Paul said was not primarily to persuade these men of his innocence.

Oh no, Paul had something of greater value, something of eternal value in mind. And Agrippa picks up on it with his first words in verse 28, where he says, And Agrippa said to Paul, In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian? It's almost like we can hear him say Paul. Paul, look at the situation before you, mate. You're meant to be making a defence for yourself.

You're meant to be thinking about getting yourself off the hook, Paul. What are you doing? And here you are trying to convince me and all these people to become Christians like you? And then we see the Apostle's heart laid bare and fully on display when he says, 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 the chains." You see, Paul's explicit trust in Christ, his complete surrender to Him with the outcomes of his life and his imprisonment has freed him.

Not to attempt to persuade these men of his innocence, as I said earlier, but rather to persuade them to trust in Jesus Christ for the salvation of their own souls. This was what the Apostle was always shooting for. That they would know Christ and they would be saved. And for Agrippa in particular, Paul wanted him to see that Judaism and all that he had come to believe and the Jews had come to believe according to Scripture is not being cast out by Paul's Christ, but rather being fulfilled in him. Jesus is the fulfillment of all that the Law and the Prophets spoke to.

And if he comes to see this truth, then and only then will it be made known that all of the accusations against Paul are baseless. The true problem is that they have not, that is the Jews, have not come to recognize Jesus as the final part of all that they have come to believe. The final part of what they believe in Scripture. And Paul speaks from experience. Because he too was in their shoes at one stage.

Paul was there. Paul knows. Until Christ opened his eyes. So let's look at the details of what he said. In verse 2 and 3, Paul acknowledges his audience, and especially Agrippa, because he has a working understanding of the customs and the controversies of the Jews, that is, the debates of the Jews, the disputes among the Jews.

And then he asks for patience, basically, give me the courtesy to hear me out, please, hear me out to the end, just hear what I have to say. It is of utmost importance. Then from verse 4, the Apostle informs him of his background. That is, he himself was a strict Jew, from the sect of the Pharisees. Now that's no secret.

All his accusers had come to know that. Paul even says it in his defense. This is the third time for us, the reader, in the book of Acts, that we've come to hear about the record of Paul's conversion. If you remember, the first time was when it happened, back in chapter 9. The second time was in chapter 22, and the third is in chapter 26.

And if you remember in chapter 22, Paul gives an account of his conversion on the steps of the barracks. That was most likely the fortress of Antonia there in Jerusalem, where he stands on the steps And he declares to quite a hostile bunch of Jews who had earlier beat him up and tried to kill him, if the tribune hadn't stepped in in time. So in spite of Paul's conversion now being possibly over 20 years earlier, if the Jews who had been his contemporaries weren't around, the current Jews had already heard his testimony. They knew who he was. They knew his origin.

They knew where he came from. And if they didn't know, then they could have at least gone to some witnesses who knew of Paul. And I think of his rabbi, Gamaliel. He mentions him back in 22 as well. So being a Pharisee himself, Paul had a thorough understanding of religion, and the Jews knew it.

Because here in the first century by far the Pharisees were the highest respected amongst all the religious sects for their understanding in Torah, for their understanding in true religion. So Paul wasn't an uneducated street rat making trouble. That's what he's saying. I'm not riffraff. He was an authority in religion and well respected among the Jews.

He knows what he's saying because he was once there. And in no way is the Apostle denying or diminishing what the Jews held to be sacred scripture. In fact, he affirms the same truths. He affirms the same heritage. He affirms the same promises.

All these are written in scripture. And he affirms the same hope as written in scripture. So it makes no sense why the Jews are so angry at him. Apart from this. They still await that promised hope.

But the Apostle Paul's message is he has come. He has come in the person and in the work of the resurrected Saviour Jesus Christ. And that infuriates his kinsmen. I love how he says it in verses 6 through 8. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise 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. O King, why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? You see, I said last week, and I'm happy to say it again and again and again. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very heart and soul of our faith. Without the resurrection of Christ, there is no hope for salvation.

There is no salvation itself, apart from the resurrection. The ultimate hope for Abraham, his posterity, the 12 tribes of Israel, was the Messiah to come, who Paul is saying has now come. The one who was foretold to suffer and to die and then to be resurrected unto life. He is the hope of Israel. Indeed, he is the hope of the world.

But the question Paul poses is a very good one, isn't it? He says, why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? Verse 8. Think about it. He's just affirmed his beliefs in the Fathers, the same Fathers that the Jews believe in, the Fathers of old, and the promises made to the Fathers.

And a large part, many that is, of those promises were partially fulfilled and written to be fulfilled in Scripture. Think of the offspring, the multiple offspring as the stars of the sky, the sound of the sea, or think as well as the land promise. They've been able to read through Scripture of promises given, promises fulfilled. Of course, not all promises fulfilled, but they have seen some fulfillments. There is not a red-blooded Jew among them who does not believe that.

None of these Jews deny Yahweh's faithfulness as written in sacred writ. And the ingeniousness of Paul's words really come out when you consider how some of these promises were actually fulfilled. Let's name a few. For starters, the physical offspring that began it all was a child born to a 100-year-old man in Abraham, and from the womb of a 90-year-old Sarah, a womb that was barren. That's a miracle.

Then time went on, and against all odds, internal feuds among the families. Famines. Yet the Lord supernaturally preserved Israel as a people. Think alone about the supernatural events that took place when the Lord rescued his people from bondage in Egypt. I'm not going to name the ten plagues, but you know them.

They were supernatural, mind-boggling. You cannot explain those things by just the rational world and the material world. These are things that God had done. powerful things. His mighty hand.

You see that evident in that instance. And that's not even going on to speak about the conquest, for example. Or even before the conquest. Think about the supernatural events that took place after they were rescued from Egypt. The parting of the Red Sea.

Bread from heaven. Water from a rock. Clothing that didn't wear out. And the list goes on. The point is, if you're going to affirm the truthfulness of what is written in Scripture, then you have to embrace the supernatural.

You have to. You can't get around it. And all these Jews did. And Paul's saying, of course they did. They believed in Scripture.

Then why is that so hard to believe? That the same God who performed all those miracles that you all believe in, would also raise His Son, Jesus, from the dead. What's so hard to believe in that? Yes, the Jewish religion is rational, but it's also predicated upon the supernatural mighty hand of God, and none of them would ever deny that. So why wouldn't God also show His mighty, miraculous power in the event that all human history find its focal point?

Why wouldn't you expect God to do something so huge at the very pinnacle and zenith of His plan of redemption? As He's done over and over again, even the beginning of time and space was a great miracle, wasn't it? Not a single Jew would deny that. So why wouldn't God do something huge, like resurrecting His Son, who three days earlier was unjustly hung on the cross? It's not as though the Jews don't believe in miracles.

They clearly do. It's this miracle that they choose not to believe. Because there's more to it than that, isn't there? It's not a case of simply giving accent or assent to your mind about some facts. It's a matter of God-given faith.

A faith that apprehends that Jesus is indeed the fulfillment of all that Scripture speaks to. That your only hope is in Him. Because without faith, all you have is cold religion. And that's what His accusers have, cold religion. And if you have only cold religion, all your endeavours, all your zeal for that religion is to protect that religion.

And you have no option apart from opposing everything and everyone who stands against it. That means Christ and all that he teaches becomes abhorrent in the eyes of those who are only concerned with religion. This is why Paul is being charged. This is why they have him on trial. But Paul understands.

Because as I said earlier, Paul used to be one, before he encountered the resurrected Saviour. So from there, the Apostle recounts his testimony from verses 9-11. He highlights the utmost zeal for Judaism that he had in opposing anything that deemed to be standing against it, namely, in this case, Jesus Christ and the people of the way. In this text, we get some very disturbing insights, to be frank, about the pre-converted apostle Paul, and we get to see the darkness of the human heart before Christ invades it with his grace and his love. You see, Paul was a very violent man, very violent, despite what many people believe.

He was ruthless in his endeavours to hurt, to imprison, and even kill Christians. Now you won't hear this often, but Saul of Tarsus was almost crazy. The word translated in verse 11, which is translated raging fury in your Bibles in ESV, to describe Paul's behavior against Christians, well to say it's a strong word is an understatement. In fact the word is only used once in the New Testament, and in the original it connotes, hear this, one with uncontrolled actions, or the uncontrolled actions of a maniac, literally a person locked in a frenzy of rage. Think about that for a moment.

Some say that Paul only meant well. Beloved, I say the unconverted saw was an instrument in Satan's hands. How else can we understand what is told to us in verse 11? Did you read it? Did it shock you that Paul even tried to get the Christians to?

That should shock us. For what we know of the apostle in his post-grace salvation, he's not the same man as pre-Christ. Trying to get the Christians to blaspheme. Blaspheme who? God.

The God that he claims to serve and love. He was trying to get the Christians to blaspheme God. So that he can get his way. So that he can hurt them, imprison them, and even cast his vote against them in their death. That's the depth of the evil in the heart of an unconverted man or woman, beloved.

We may not see this depth of evil manifest in all unredeemed alike, but nonetheless, the natural man or woman is an enemy of God. And for Saul, that weakness was all done in the name of religion. I'm doing it because I'm pious. I'm doing it because Yahweh approves. That's what he convinced himself of.

And in time, he'll recognize when the grace of God in Christ opens his eyes and floods its light upon his heart and his soul, he'll come to recognize it's not the Christians who are blasphemers, but he is the blasphemer. That's the deception of the enemy, beloved. He's the father of lies. But the truth is only revealed with an encounter with the resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ. Beloved, that is the only hope for humanity.

The Apostle is not proud of what he did as a Pharisee. We know that. But he's also not in secret. He's not secretive about what he did and the atrocities that he committed. We see some of it here because the Lord had humbled him to be able to reveal some of this for those who come and read Scripture.

But he's also revealed some in portions in his letters. I think of 1 Timothy, chapter 1, from verse 13. You can open there if you like and follow through. So 1 Timothy, chapter 1, from verse 13. The Apostle Paul speaking.

1 Timothy 1 verse 13. Though formerly I was a blasphemer, here we go, he's confessing, a persecutor, an insolent opponent. Insolent, he means violent. But I receive mercy because I have acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am what?

foremost, or of whom I am chief. Of whom I am foremost. The effects of those words, beloved, of whom I am foremost, cannot be underestimated in the life of the Apostle Paul, and the creation of God's love and grace in his creation of love towards God and towards others in his salvation. Remember what Jesus said to the woman, the woman of the city, the sinful woman of the city in Luke chapter 7. You remember she got the alabaster flask and broke the ointment, cleaned Jesus' feet and began to weep and her tears running down Jesus' feet.

And she used her hair to wash the feet of Christ. You remember what Jesus said to the Pharisee who had invited him for lunch? He said, if you've been forgiven for much, you love much. But if you think you've been forgiven of little, you will love little. Paul says, I am the chief of sinners.

Of all the sinners, I am the foremost. Does that mean literally he is? At least he thinks so. And beloved, what do we think about our own sin? Do we think we're not that bad?

Because if that's what you think, then your love for Christ is small. you can see the offensiveness and the abhorrentness and the abomination that you see before a pure and holy God then your love is great because you appreciate from what you've been forgiven and from where you've come from to where he's brought you into his grace and to his holy presence. But Paul also says that if God's mercy was enough and was deep enough and wide enough to embrace even the worst of all sinners then all these men that are sitting in front of me His grace is enough. And so Paul, from verse 12 through 18, begins to describe his saving encounter with Christ, the day he received that undeserving merit, mercy. We know this story, we all do, we've read the account so many times, on the road to Damascus, even just say those words, on the road to Damascus, and the first thing that comes to our mind is the conversion of the apostle, Paul.

He was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, that was his agenda. And then Paul has an encounter with the resurrected Saviour. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It's hard for you to kick against the goads. Now, a goad is a pointy stick that a farmer or a handler would use against the animal to make the animal do what you want him to do, to turn the direction you want him.

If it is an obstinate animal to use that stick, the animal can't win. That stick's going to do its job. 15, and I said, this Paul, who are you, Lord? And the Lord said to me, I am Jesus, who you are persecuting. Now we've all heard those words probably multiple, multiple times.

But beloved, I can never get over what Jesus says. It never gets old in my ears or in my heart. No matter how many times I read this, I hope it's the same to you. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Those words make my heart melt.

Not, not. He doesn't say, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting my church? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting my people? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting my disciples? All of which are true.

But that's not what Jesus says. And he has a point. There's an economy. His economy of words are there for a reason. They're divine.

They're inspired. The Lord says, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? That's how closely our Lord Jesus Christ identifies with His people. That if you've been called by His name, and if someone, whatever someone does to those who are called by His name, they are doing that to Him personally. So Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Brothers and sisters, this is profound. We have to meditate upon these truths. Bible students, we know and acknowledge the union that we have in Christ. We've heard those terms many times. We see so clearly that this doctrine is spelled out in Scripture, throughout Scripture, especially in the book of Ephesians and Colossians.

You can't go very far before the Apostle Paul says, in Christ, in Christ, in Christ, reminding you that your union is in Jesus Christ. Your salvation and all the spiritual blessings of the heavenly are because you are found in Jesus Christ. We know the union is spoken of throughout throughout Scripture. We know the examples that we're given between a husband and a wife, and the one fleshness, the relationship that is exampled in Scripture to point to, or as a picture of, Christ and His bride, and that beautiful union that we have. Not in the flesh, but as according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 6, he says it's a union that Christians are one with Christ in spirit.

It's a real union, where we know the doctrines. We know the text, we speak the language, but have we slowed down enough to contemplate the glory of this reality? By grace, through faith in Jesus, we have been united in him. We've been united in his spirit and he in us. That now he is identified as one with his bride.

Because He's truly united with her. Jesus is the Son of God. He's divine. And wicked sinners like us are united in Him. If that doesn't amaze us, nothing will.

From the time you've been saved, Christian, You're no longer identified as an individual. You will forever be known as one who is in Christ. You're dead to self. Dead to that individual that once existed and now alive in Jesus Christ in union with him. Let that reality sink into your soul.

Let it drive your life for Christ. that the life of Jesus Christ flows in you, beloved, from the very first moment you came to a saving knowledge of Him. Let that weighty and glorious reality determine every single thought in your mind, every word that you utter, every action, and every even every intent of your life. I have been crucified with Christ, the Apostle Paul says. It's no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I am his and he is mine. I'm one in Christ. On the road to Damascus, We also see something else. We also see that the Apostle Paul is commissioned to be an instrument in the hands of this Jesus to both Jews and Gentiles.

And that's exactly what he's doing now. Because he stands before King Agrippa. He stands before Festus. He stands before all these important men of the city and these dignitaries. And what is he doing?

He's being obedient to his calling. He's been obedient to the commission that Jesus gave him so many years ago on the road to Damascus. He is proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ, the gospel to these people. And he's being faithful. He has the freedom to do so because he's trusting his fate in the hands of this Savior.

Freedom. Freedom. Freedom to do what He's called to do. The truth about being a new creature in Christ. A new creature in Christ.

My apologies. And as such, the freedom. The freedom to do as He has called you to do. Goes on and says, as new creatures in Christ, we ought to also produce deeds according to repentance. Very similar to the Gospel or the message of John the Baptist, isn't it?

Isn't that what he rebuked the Pharisees, calling them on themselves as holy and pious? He says, why don't you produce fruit in keeping with repentance, you vipers? Basically, if you believe, If you believe, act like it. That's keeping fruit and keeping with repentance. And it's what the Apostle is saying, it's what the prophets have said of old.

And then the Apostle Paul says some very important words in verse 22. Because he's not claiming what the Jews think he's claiming. He's not claiming a new religion. He's not saying that the Jews have got it all wrong. Scrap everything you've learned in Torah school.

Scrap what you believe in the Scriptures. Put that away. Just listen to what I have to say. That would make him a heretic. Paul's not saying that at all.

His whole defense from the very beginning has not been, I'm creating something new, a new religion. or teaching something completely new and disconnected from Scripture, something that's contrary to the law of Moses and contrary to the prophets, that's not what he's saying. Paul's saying, don't cast me out as someone who says these things. That's not what I'm doing. I'm not starting a new religion.

I'm not advocating a new way of coming and coming before God and making terms of peace with God. No. The reason God has helped me, and he says that, that God has helped me thus far, that is, he's strengthened me and he's brought success to my ministry. The reason why God is behind everything I do, Paul is saying, is precisely because everything I've taught, is according to scripture. Everything I've taught is according to Moses and the prophets.

It's all there. Test what I'm saying by Scripture, beloved. Anything you hear from the pulpit or anywhere else on matters of life or godless or religion or faith, test it with what is written in God's Word. Paul is saying that. I have not created anything on my own.

It's all there. It's all being foretold in Scripture. Test it if you will. That's why God is with me. That's why God has strengthened me.

That's why God has brought success. It's all there. It's the same scripture you and your fathers all acknowledged. It's the same God and it's the same word. Search and you'll see that this Jesus that I proclaim, who met me and met with me on the road to Damascus, is the heart and the very soul of everything that is This resurrected Savior is the fulfillment of all that the prophets wrote so extensively about.

That's what the Apostle Paul is saying. What you're hearing from my mouth is not heresy. It's the fulfillment of what you've always come to believe, except now you don't trust in the One who is fulfillment. Verse 22, to this day I have had help that comes from God. And so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass.

23, that 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. The prophets and Moses wrote about the salvation of God to come, a salvation that would be found in this Messiah. Think about it, beloved. We've been studying through the books of Moses. That is the first five books of the Bible.

We've just finished the book of Leviticus. Now we're making our way through the book of Numbers. But you remember what we've studied already. Can you say anything other than everything? Everything is pointing to Jesus Christ, that He is the center and goal of Scripture.

Can we say otherwise? We've tried to bring that reality to the text as we consider the text together with the limited words that the Lord has given us. We try to show that indeed the scripture points to Jesus Christ. What is so clear already from what we've seen? Think of the book of Leviticus, for example.

What's so clear? The holiness of God, yes. I would say that would be the big title, the holiness of God. But because of that holiness and because of the corruptiveness of sin, death is required. Holy God, abominable, detestable sin demands death.

The wages of sin is death. The soul that sins shall die. So what we've seen in the book of Leviticus thus far at least is the necessity of death for the atonement of sins. Have we seen that? The sacrificial system paints a bloody vivid picture of that exact truth.

The lamb must shed its blood and die, right? As an atoning substitute for the offerer or the worshipper. The substitute must die and it's no different of the Messiah. But what the Apostle Paul is saying, and that was just an example to show that all the Scripture is pointing to Christ, and it's clear that death must occur. But what Paul is saying is he's giving two specific things that the Messiah must accomplish.

Two specific things. And the first he says in this text, he says, the first is he will have to suffer. And the second is that he'll have to be the first among the resurrection. Suffer, the necessity for him to suffer, and also that he would be the first among the resurrection. Now, to be first among the resurrection would necessitate a death taking place.

You can't resurrect that which is alive. Death needs to take place in order for resurrection to occur. And Paul is saying, You should have known this. You have scripture. You should have known this.

And beloved, it is for those who have eyes to see, but it's so obvious and everywhere. It's all over scripture, this reality. The need that the Messiah would need to suffer, that he would need to die and that he would need to be resurrected. I think about one passage in particular, even just to name one, that brings out all those incredible facets. Isaiah 52 and 53.

I'm not going to go there this evening, but it's a passage that's labelled the suffering servant. It's so appropriately called by many scholars, the fifth gospel, because it speaks so clearly and points so vividly to Jesus Christ as the suffering servant who needed to die for his people and then rise from the dead as the first among the resurrected. But here's the thing. The Jews don't accept it. They're expecting a messiah, yes, because the scripture says as much.

But the messiah they're expecting is a warrior king, to engage in warfare and free the Jews from what they deem to be Roman oppression. What they thought that the messiah would do would be to take back the land that rightfully belongs to Israel. That's the messiah that they are looking for. That's the messiah they're waiting for, but they had no place for a suffering servant. They had no place for a Messiah that would take the place of sinners just like the thousands upon thousands of sacrifices they witnessed in the temple space in that old covenant.

They had no place for a crucified Messiah because they didn't want a substitute. They wanted a hero. A hero like Moses, a hero like the battle-ready Joshua. They don't want a lamb led to the slaughter and one who doesn't even open up his mouth. That's not a Messiah they're interested in.

But Paul says, everything I have spoken about this Jesus, everything that has enraged these Jews to incite their hearts to desire to kill me, none of it is made up. None of it is fabricated by me. None of it. It's all foretold and written in Scripture. Go see.

Go see for yourself. But they're too blind to see. And then you have this interesting response by Hephaestus. In verse 24. Paul, you're out of your mind, he says.

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'm speaking true and rational words. I'm not a madman, Paul is saying. This is not a made up fantasy, but a rational truth, a truth that is revealed in scripture, a truth that you can see for yourselves in the word of God. And then it's interesting, because then he turns to Agrippa, and he says to Agrippa in verse 26, "'For the king knows about these things.'"

So we're putting him on the spot. "'And to him I speak boldly,' says Paul. "'For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice.'" Remember, Agrippa is well-versed in the ways of Judaism, well-versed in Scripture. And then he goes on to say, "'For this has not been done in the corner.'"

In other words, King Agrippa, you can testify to what I'm saying. You've read the Scripture. You should know better. None of this has been done in secret. None of it has been done under the table.

It's all been exposed for everyone to see. Everyone can see these things. The Scripture is readily available. And you can test the prophecies, test what I'm saying. And Christ's life, the very Jesus, His life, and His death, and the things that I've proclaimed, and the gospel.

You can testify for these things. Jesus didn't come in secret. His ministry was public. There are many, many who can testify and witness to it. His teachings were public.

Many, many can testify to it. He didn't do it in a corner. It's not some secret knowledge like the Gnostics. It's none of that. It's all exposed.

It's all public. Even his crucifixion was a public ordeal. Thousands would have seen him crucified on the mount. That wasn't in secret either. The body was taken down and he was buried.

And it's placed in a tomb, and you can go and verify, because that tomb was guarded by one of your people, or two of your people. You can verify what is being said. This is not secretive stuff. This is open for everyone to hear. Now, it was many years ago.

Go look at the records. And then he rose from the dead in the resurrection. He showed himself to James, to the apostles. He showed himself to Paul even, we're told in 1 Corinthians 15. And he showed himself as the resurrected Savior to over 500 people who've been testified to.

None of this was done in secret. None of this was done in secret. The prophecies are all there for you to read and they're all fulfilled in this Jesus Christ. Then Paul turns to the King of Rippa and he says, And he puts him on the spot. Do you believe the prophets?

He asks. He doesn't wait for a response. It's a rhetorical question. Because then Paul jumps in and he answers the question. I know that you believe, he says.

Probably heard a bit about his reputation, a bit about his knowledge, a bit of what he does believe. And he said, I know, I know, I know you believe. And Grippa 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 means I would wish to God, or I'd hope to God, that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am, except for these chaps. In other words, Grip is saying, Paul, is it your objective to convert me into a Christian?

in such little time and could be translated such little time or such with such little words. But either way, yes, yes, King Agrippa, you're correct. That is the apostle Paul's objective. That's the bottom line for this man. Paul's not spreading information so as to give more details and more academic knowledge to people.

That's not what he's doing. The thing that Paul does in his ministry is He's hazardous to his life. How many times has he come this close to dying? Beaten by a wall. He was stoned in this trial.

Beaten by the Jews. This close to death on so many occasions. Do you honestly think with such a high cost to preach the gospel that he's doing it only so that you can achieve more information? No. King Rupert, you're spot on.

He's saying what he says. because his hope is that the God of the universe would invade your heart and soul with his grace as he did me on the road to Damascus and that you would see the light as I've seen the light. and that you would learn to enjoy Christ, the Redeemer and the Saviour of your soul, the one who's taken your sins, though they be like red as scarlet, now they're being made white as snow. Yes, King of Ripper, that's Paul's objective, that you come to know Jesus in that way. The Apostle Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, First the Jew and also the Greek.

That's Paul's hope. He's not ashamed to proclaim it. At risk of life and health, he's not ashamed to proclaim it. That's his purpose. That's his mission.

Remember what the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians? He says, to the Jews I became a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law, though not being myself under the law, that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one inside the law, not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ, that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.

I have become all things to all people like all, so that by all means I might save some. That's his last objective. In other words, I will do everything as long as it's lawful. Anything and everything, as long as it's lawful. To proclaim the good news of the gospel so that I might see some come into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and be redeemed from hellfire and bend their knee to King Jesus who is worthy of all creation bending their knee to his majesty.

That's the Apostle Paul's mission. That's his objective. R.C.M.

was able to see it. You're there, speaking these words, because you want me to become like you. And Paul says, I have nothing to benefit, but you have the love. You come to know Christ, like I know Christ. And not only you, King of River, The Apostle's response is that not only you, I would that everyone in this room, everyone who hears the sound of my voice come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

And not only King Agrippa, who is well-versed in the Scripture, by Paul saying that, I wish everyone would know, Agrippa knows the Scripture well, he can probably recite some of it, but by Paul saying, I would that everyone become a Christian like me without these chains, means those who know the Torah and the Old Testament, and those who are completely oblivious to it, the grace of God embraces all. How much do you need to know to become a Christian? You don't need to know the whole history of the Jews. You need to know that this Jesus Christ is a place you'll trust in Him. You need to know that you're a sinner, that you have offended a good and holy God, you've broken His law, and you deserve judgment, and there is only one Savior in Jesus Christ.

You need to know and trust and believe and embrace that truth. And the Bible says, you shall be saved. Whether you're a male or a female, whether you're a slave or free, whether you're Jew or Gentile, the salvation of the Lord, the mercy of God, the grace of our Trinitarian God in Christ Jesus extends to all who come and believe God. That was Paul's burden. I pray to God that that would be ours also.

I'm almost done. Because beloved, if you've tasted and seen the goodness of our Lord, then you cannot but speak of that goodness You cannot remain silent even if your life is on the line as it is even now for Paul in the context of that passage But he would have it no other way Because I'm convinced that Paul was convinced that nothing else matters What's the worst that can happen? Let's just throw that out there. What is the worst that can happen if they take his life? Paul doesn't consider this place his home.

To be with Christ is better, isn't that what he says? Oh beloved, no matter how you slice it, there's no better way to live your life. than to hold on to the things of this world with a loose grip. Give it your own life. Don't hold that too tightly.

And endeavor with all that you are, with all that Christ has given you by fixing your eyes upon Him and Him alone to walk faithfully in what Christ has called you to. To love him and to love others. And the way you love others is to proclaim the gospel of salvation. Leave the outcomes of your life in his hands. They're safest there.

For Paul, though both Festus and Agrippa now can clearly see, we're told in the last few verses, that he's guiltless. He's done nothing deserving imprisonment. And although these men can see this, and it's very likely that even now Fester's had the authority to release Paul, even though he's appealed to run. He doesn't. And Paul remains in prison for now, soon to go to Rome.

He always knew that, didn't he? You know why? You know why Paul will end up actually going to Rome? It's simple. Because Jesus said he would.

That's it. That's it. And Paul was trusting in Christ. Beloved, the culmination of everything of our faith simply comes to that point. In Jesus Christ.

To know Him. To believe upon Him.