ALMOST PERSUADED Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Acts 26:28 There are some great names today involved in the business of evangelism. The preaching of the Gospel has become a flourishing enterprise and the Crusade evangelists literally jet round the world speaking to vast audiences that have been prepared for months for the occasion. Thousands are coming to the front and told they are saved. We are encouraged to look to such evangelists as men and women so greatly used of God. I want to take you to a scene on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was the year 58 AD and one evangelist - Paul - was appearing before the local procurator, Felix. (Procurators were put in place to take care of administrative matters). He had been in custody for two years. Felix, however, was recalled to Rome by the Emperor Nero in 60 AD and Porcius Festus replaced him. The Jews from Jerusalem travelled up to Caesarea to bring their accusations against Paul (Acts 25:6ff.), but Paul refused to be judged by them. He told Festus, 25:10 I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. 11 For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar [Augustus]. By this time Paul had become an attraction, - so much so that King Herod Agrippa II and his wife Bernice decided to come to Caesarea to find out more about him, and to meet him. Now, Agrippa was one of the most powerful Jewish leaders in the whole area. Festus duly convened a special court in honour of him and his wife so they could hear the apostle for themselves. So, into the beautiful throne room parades Agrippa and his wife, 25:23 when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city. And Festus begins the proceedings with the use of beautiful and ornate language v.23 at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth. Paul is now standing before the king, surrounded by all the Jews and enemies of the Gospel of Christ, and he is standing there alone! He daren t open his mouth to protest until 26:1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself.
D.G. 2 This great man of God standing before the judgement seat of an earthly king waiting to be allowed to speak for his Saviour! THE TESTIMONY OF PAUL What a Gospel message he preached! He told Agrippa and the whole audience his testimony of how God had reached down and saved him. Before meeting with Jesus, many of the Jewish dignitaries there knew he had lived an exemplary life before his fellow-jews. He was zealous for his religion. He would have stood up and harangued anyone who spoke against it, but what a change had taken place in his life! By his own admission he was guilty of taking those who had turned to Christ and beating them and shutting them in prison (v.9ff.) He hated the message they preached so much that he condemned to death many who followed Christ. He told King Agrippa how he caught them and forced them to blaspheme the Name of Jesus. He described how he was v.11 exceedingly mad against them, and that he travelled throughout the country in his quest to hunt them down, I persecuted them even unto strange [foreign] cities. Until one day, involved in the business of exterminating the Church, he was walking along the main road to Damascus. He remembered it well, - it was at midday (v.13), - and all of a sudden, a brightness of light shone that blinded him. He fell to the ground, and those with him, and he heard his name being called. When God begins to do a dealing in your life He calls you by name, and He calls you where you are. He meets you at the place and at the time of His choosing, and He interrupts what you are doing. And when the Holy Spirit begins to work in your heart you mightn t see great flashes of light but there is no mistaking Who it is that confronts you. And Paul knew exactly Who it was that met with him that day on his road to Damascus, Who art thou, Lord? There he was, fallen, before Christ; and Jesus said to him, v.16 rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness. Fallen, yet Jesus lifted Him up, - that was Paul s testimony, that was Paul s first meeting with the risen, glorified Lord Jesus Christ.
D.G. 3 And the Lord, there and then, laid a burden upon Paul s heart to testify to the power of sovereign grace in changing his life to God s glory. Paul remembered those words God spoke to Him, and I m sure even as he stood in front of King Agrippa the words were still precious in his heart, 18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Christ, and the claim of Christ upon his life, was his dominant drivingforce, - For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. And there was nothing Agrippa, or Festus, or Felix, or the Jews could do to stop his witness as long as he had breath in his body, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. He had only one message to preach wherever he could grab the opportunity, v.20 that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. Yes, and Christ was the substance of his preaching, v.22 witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. And as Paul would have been standing before this illustrious audience he would have been showing forth the joy of the Lord to these unbelievers. It s good to be saved, are you saved? It s good to have a testimony! The Lord showed you the sin that was holding you down, but Jesus entered your life and freed you. And do you see where Paul s testimony took him up to? v. 21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me, right to the present day. Your testimony is precious to you; it doesn t matter how long ago you were saved, it s still precious to you right up to this moment. You don t have a testimony? You re not saved? Why not? Look at all the opportunities you have been given. There is no reason other than your sin and Christ can deal with it through the blood He shed on Calvary. THE ACCUSATION FROM FESTUS Festus interrupted Paul v.24 with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. Paul had been trained in the Jewish school; he was a Roman citizen; there was nothing mad about Paul. He was merely telling what God had done in his life to bring him to salvation.
D.G. 4 Of course, Festus kept quiet when Paul was speaking about persecuting the Christians; he kept quiet when Paul was talking about the Jews, but when the C (Christ) word was mentioned he flew into a flurry of insult and levelled a plea of insanity against Paul. Festus didn t want to hear about Jesus; he didn t want to know, v. 23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. Christ had been put to death, leave Him in the tomb! That was as far as Festus was concerned. You re mad, Paul! No, I m not mad, says Paul, You know what I am saying is true, v. 26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. Aye, there was no use appealing to Festus because he had shut his ears, his mind, and his heart to the Gospel and to any mention of the Lord Jesus Christ. He avoided the whole issue! He would listen to any other message, but he wouldn t listen to anything Paul telling him about his need of Christ. Festus hadn t interrupted Paul because he thought was mad he interrupted because he did not want to listen to Paul preaching about Christ! Festus heard the Gospel, but he closed the shutters on his heart. THE REJECTION BY AGRIPPA While Paul was addressing the whole crowd it was to Agrippa in particular he was speaking. Agrippa was a Jew, - he knew what had happened to Jesus. It was members of his family that stood by and allowed Jesus to be scourged and mocked and crucified. He listened to all Paul had to say and he belittled it completely. I m sure he had a wry smile on his face as he looked at this little man standing in front of him talking about Jesus, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Who do you think you are Paul? Do you think that in such a short space of time you could convince me to accept this Jesus of yours as my Saviour? Almost persuaded? No, the greatest of preachers preached to this king whose heart was as cold to the message as cold could be. Almost persuaded? No, Seems now some soul to say? Go, Spirit, go Thy way: Some more convenient day, On Thee I ll call. But, Almost cannot avail; Almost is but to fail; Sad, sad, that bitter wail Almost but lost!
D.G. 5 The message of the Gospel rejected again. Oh, says Paul, v.29 I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. But Agrippa had stopped listening, he had heard enough, v.30 And when [Paul] had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice and they went out through the door, leaving the message behind them! That was it, - they weren t going to listen any longer. They locked the gate on God s offer of salvation. Conclusion. What Agrippa and Festus failed to understand was that the real Judge was the One about Whom Paul was speaking. It wasn t Paul in the dock that day; Agrippa and Festus, and Bernice and all those people present in the court were in the dock and being tried by God s Word. They were the prisoners, - to their own lifestyle, to their idols, to their sin. It wasn t them that had the power to bring freedom, it was the message Paul preached, Jn. 8: 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Festus called Paul insane; Agrippa sneered, but they were the people who really were on trial. People ridicule the Gospel, and they make fun at those who preach it but the Bible says, Prov. 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin Gal. 6:7 God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. The Bible says, Prov. 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour. They had been shown Christ, but they had rejected Him. Yes, I suppose they felt relieved when Paul headed off to Rome in 27:1, - he was out of their way; he would trouble them no more. Their trial before him was over, and they had rejected the Christ he preached. Paul was being taken to Rome where in a few short years he would be sentenced to death for the sake of this same Lord Jesus Christ; but Agrippa s sentence, and Festus, - their sentence was to be an eternal sentence. You re not saved? Why not? when you have heard so many times that Jesus saves, why don t you come to Him and give Him your life? I ll tell you why you re not saved, it is because your heart is so hard, Maybe you are like Festus, - the hardness of your heart makes you laugh and sneer. If it doesn t make you do that, it uses some other form of barrier to erect against God s offer of mercy.
D.G. 6 Almost persuaded, making a joke out of God s offer of salvation. As far as we know, on the basis of the decision they made that day, both of those men went out into a lost eternity having heard about Christ knowing about Christ, but yet not knowing Him! What mercy God has shown to us to reveal the Gospel! It is the only Gospel that saves the sinner from Hell. Believer, treat it as altogether precious. Treat it as it is, - God s saving message to lost sinners. Don t be afraid to share it, - that is the responsibility God has given us even to this day. If you are not saved, come to Jesus. Take Him into your life, and He will become your Saviour and your Lord. You will start a journey that will be completed one day when He leads you into Heaven. Listen to Paul preaching. Listen to God s Word. I trust the Holy Spirit will not allow it to return without achieving His purposes, for Christ s sake. Amen.