Jeffrey Heine: If you do have a Bible, I invite you to open it or turn it on to, Acts chapter 26. Thank you, Jen and Kevin, for sharing your testimonies. There's there's something powerful about hearing people's stories. We're actually in a spot in acts, where Paul shares his testimony 3 times in a row. And he just continually goes back to how the Lord saved him.
And I so I thought I would actually start by sharing one more quick testimony. I I had not planned on doing that this week, but I, I found that I could not do help but do this after I heard some news from our trip in Istanbul. This testimony or this story begins here in Birmingham with some people from our church who became friends with an international student at UAB. Person's parents were so grateful for just the way that, we've been loving on and being friends to their son that they invited some of our group over for dinner. So about 5 of our team went over there.
And, So about 5 of our team went over there. And, so as they're heading there, they're having to take a ferry from the Asia side of Istanbul over to the Europe side of Istanbul. And and on the ferry, they, they thought, well, we might as well, you know, maybe share our faith. So sitting on the ferry was a 19 or 20 year old college student, a young woman there. As she heard the team talking, she just asked.
She goes, are y'all Americans? Are you Christians? And, they said, yes. She goes, I I have been waiting for a long time to meet a Christian. She said, 8 years ago, I was 12 years old, and I had a dream.
Remember we've been praying for these? And she said, I I had a dream, and as in the dream, I met Jesus. And as I was interacting with Jesus, he was glorious. And it began to be apparent to me the more he shown that you're you're not just a prophet, are you? He's, no.
And so she came to this realization that Jesus was much more than a prophet, and and yet she felt very comfortable in his presence. And then she wakes up. She goes, I've been waiting for 8 years for somebody to tell me who Jesus is. Isn't that incredible? And so the team got to share who Jesus was.
She was not ready to accept the Lord at that time, but then the missionaries that we were working with just let us know that she's come to faith, and that she celebrated her first communion this past Sunday. Isn't it pretty it's amazing how Jesus relentlessly pursues us. What we're gonna look at in acts just briefly this morning is not too different of a story. It's it's about how Jesus has been pursuing King Agrippa since childhood. Acts 26, I'm gonna read beginning in verse 19.
Therefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. This is Paul speaking. But declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God performing deeds and keeping with their 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 am 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 have escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.
King Agrippa, Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that 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. This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Pray with me. Father God, I pray that you would open up your word to us so that we might hear you clearly calling to us. Your word does not return void and so change us, Jesus. I pray that my words would fall to the ground and blow away and not be remembered anymore.
But, Lord, may your words remain. May they change us. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. We've been going through Acts, but we've just skipped a few chapters.
And so let me tell you where we are in this book. Back in chapter 20 where we last left off, Paul had just talked to the Ephesian elders and he said at that moment that he was constrained or he was bound by the spirit to to go to Jerusalem. And at that point on, Paul was literally bound. For the rest of the book of acts, he would indeed be going repeatedly, brought before tribunes and governors and rulers and kings, and he's gonna be asked to give his defense. And it's here after 26, or here in chapter 26, after years of being in prison, Paul finally is brought before 2 people, governor Festus and King Agrippa, and he's to make his defense.
And like he always does, he doesn't just make a defense, he begins sharing his story, sharing his testimony. He shares how he used to be just like his accusers, the ones who are bringing these accusations against him. He would go around trying to destroy Christianity, trying to kill Christians, but then something strange happened. He actually met the living Jesus. He wasn't looking to become a Christian.
He didn't want to become a Christian. Becoming a Christian would mean a lot of complications and hardship in his life, but he actually met Jesus. So what was he supposed to do? He came to faith. When I was in college, I had a friend who kept talking about his girlfriend.
Maybe you know somebody like that. Talking about the girlfriend you've never met, you've never seen. He would talk about how he always talked with her on the phone at night, carried a picture of some woman around in his wallet. And I just, you know, it wasn't just me, me and some others, we always just thought, you know, it's just kind of sad. It's just kind of sad that he has to go on doing this.
It's it's really pathetic actually because we went a long, long time without ever meeting this woman and then one day I see him holding hands with a girl just like the picture. And when I met her, I was confronted with evidence. He actually had a girlfriend. Paul was confronted. He didn't believe it.
He didn't want to believe it, but he actually met the living Jesus. So everything else had to change. Now when Paul mentions the resurrection here, Festus has enough. He can't take it anymore. He interrupts Paul and he says, Paul, your great learning has has has made you out of your mind.
Literally in the ESV it says your great learning is driving you mad. Here's how I would translate that. Paul, you seem to be a really smart guy, but I don't care how many fancy diplomas you have, you're nuts. You're absolutely crazy. And, of course, we know it makes sense that Festus would say this because believing that somebody rose from the dead sounds crazy.
But notice how Paul responds. In verse 25, he just calmly tells Festus, no. What I'm saying is both true and it's reasonable. True and reasonable. He's saying this is not blind faith.
This is not a leap in the dark. I have very legitimate reasons for believing that Jesus rose from the dead. And then Paul turns and he addresses the king, and I love this part, because you're not supposed to do this. This is a enormous breach in protocol right here. A prisoner does not address the king, but but Paul, he throws protocol out the window and he just looks right at the king and he goes, hey, he knows what I'm talking about, which I would have loved to seen King Agrippa's face as he was just thrown in with a crazy man as if they're on the same team.
But Paul, he he says, I can speak confidently about these things to him because these things were not done in a corner. They were not done in a corner. You you see Festus didn't know this. Festus was new to Jerusalem. He has just gotten there.
He didn't know Jerusalem's history, Israel's history. He didn't know about the the religious practices there, all the nuances in religion, but Agrippa Agrippa knew these things. And that's why Agrippa was pulled in to this trial. Agrippa was pulled in to help out Festus. Agrippa knew all about the Jewish faith and some about Christianity.
He had lived in Israel for most of his life. And a matter of fact, it was Agrippa's dad who was there at the trial of Jesus. King Herod, not the King Herod from Jesus's birth, but there was a King Herod the second who was there when Jesus was tried. And that's the person who Pilate, when Pilate was trying Jesus, he brought Jesus before King Herod. That's Agrippa's dad.
Agrippa would have been about 9 or 10 at the time that this was happening. So he would have certainly known about this. His dad was actually really curious about Jesus. You read in Luke chapter 23 that when Jesus was brought before him, it says that King Herod was glad about this. He'd heard so much about Jesus' teaching, about the miracles, and he was hoping Jesus would do a miracle for him.
You know, his own private magic show right there. He was really disappointed when Jesus wouldn't do it, and so he said, off with him, Pilate. I've had enough. But that was Agrippa's dad, so he he grew up knowing these things. He would have certainly known all about the crucifixion and the resurrection.
It wasn't done in a corner. All of Jerusalem at that time, as he would have been a child, would have been exploding with the knowledge of the resurrection. Everybody would have been talking about Jesus' teaching, all of his miracles, and of course his death and his resurrection. And Jesus was appearing to many people. Many people alive at this time would have met the living Jesus, have seen his miracles.
And when Jesus was resurrected, he wasn't just appearing to 1 or 2 people. We have records at one time he appeared to over 500 people at once. Many saw Jesus. Many of those people are still alive. It's why Paul could say, Agrippa, this was not done in a corner.
You heard all about it growing up. You've talked to people who've met the living Jesus. You've talked to people who saw him do miracles. I can imagine conversations like this happened often during this time. Picture 2 Jewish men maybe walking down the road and and one of them says to the other, man, I ran into another Christian the other day.
You know, I I I despise these Christians. And the other guy would have said, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I mean, I I agree with you, but but hear hear me out. Lazarus was a friend of mine.
I was there. I mean, I was actually there at his funeral, and he stank. I mean, he was dead. And yet Jesus just said, Come forth, and Lazarus came back to life. Now, I don't know what to do with that, but I was there.
Conversations like that would have been happening all over Israel as all these living witnesses were still around. These things were not done in a corner. So Paul looks at Agrippa and he says, do you believe? Do you believe the prophets who foretold all of this? Do you believe?
I know you believe. And that's at this point it dawns on Agrippa that Paul isn't the one on trial. It's now like, wait, Paul's not give what is Paul? Paul's trying to convert me. Like it finally dawns on him.
It's like, he's not giving a defense of his life. He's actually trying to convert me. I can't believe he would do this. But I want you to notice what King Agrippa does not say here. Paul, I'm with Festus.
You're out of your mind. Agrippa can't say that because these things were not done in a corner. Instead he says, In a short time, would you make me a Christian? And Paul says, Absolutely. It's like, But we don't have to be in a rush.
I'm not going anywhere. Whether it's short or whether it's long, I hope not just you, but everybody who hears me will come to faith in Christ. Paul here is making a strong appeal to Agrippa. He's essentially saying this, Agrippa, you were there as a child. You were there when Jesus was crucified.
As a child, you heard everybody abuzz talking about the resurrection. You saw your dad trying to deal with it and trying to deal with the aftermath of the resurrection. You saw the church explode in growth. You've met many people over the years who saw the living Jesus, who saw him do miracles, who heard his teaching. You have known these things since childhood.
Won't you believe? Won't you come to faith? You can't change the facts, Agrippa. These things were not done in a corner. Your dad just showed a curiosity about Jesus and nothing more.
He never surrendered his life. When I look at you, you are showing the same curiosity. Don't make the same mistake your dad did. Give your life to Jesus. You've known this for so long.
And I want to make the same appeal that Paul did. I want to make that appeal to you today. I know that in a group this size that there are likely many people who grew up hearing all about Jesus. You grew up singing the songs. You know some of the hymns.
You grew up knowing the bible stories. You attended church some. You know about his healings, his teachings, his resurrection, but maybe since then, you've left the church. Or maybe you've stayed in the church, but you've actually mentally and spiritually checked out. And now there's just these vague notions of You know it.
You've heard too many of the stories. You've seen too many changed lives. You've met too many people who's had a complete and total heart change. And for some reason, despite all of the evidence around you, you keep holding off and you just kinda keep this as this curiosity. And you've yet to surrender your life.
Yet you know it's true. You know it's true. Hear me pleading with you to put that decision off no longer. Never in the Bible will you ever hear the words tomorrow is the day of salvation. It's always today.
Today if you hear the lord's voice, today respond, today is the day of salvation. It's time for you to finally trust Jesus as Lord and savior. Jesus is offering you forgiveness. He is offering new life. New life, not in just this life, but in eternal life to come.
Jesus has conquered the grave so you no longer have to fear the grave, but you can go to the grave in confidence. We talk a lot as a church that we could go singing into the grave because we know there is singing on the other side of it. We've been given a new life here and a greater life to come. So hear me and hear Paul pleading with you. Those who have known since childhood yet have yet to respond, delay that decision no more.
Pray with me. Lord Jesus, we are in awe at the myriad of ways you relentlessly pursue us. From childhood to adulthood, you never give up in your pursuit of us. And I pray right now through your spirit, you would be convicting somebody's heart here, that they would have a strong conviction that the words that I am saying, the words they've heard in the testimonies and in the songs that they are true, they are no less than your words, Jesus, calling them to themselves. Jesus, we are here because you've given us new life, you've given us forgiveness.
Not just new life in this life, but life in our next, eternal life to come. Oh, Jesus, I pray through your spirit you would cause people to respond, And we pray this all for your glory. Amen.