deal. It's almost like Monty Hall on Let's Make a Deal. How many remember that show back in the golden age of television? All right, now Aaron Satchwell. Aaron Satchwell, this is the Aaron Satchwell family. Come up here, Aaron. Some of you remember Aaron was one of our interns. What year would that have been? Wow, doesn't that seem like an eternity ago? 06, and he now serves in a church. He'll tell us more about it in Northern. Well, it's in the People's Republic of Minnesota, and it's in the Northern part of the state. So Aaron, tell us, just give us an update. He's brought his beautiful family with him, and we're so glad for that. His wife and seven kids. Can you imagine that? By the way, next fall, they're getting their own TV show to premiere. Is that right? OK, there you go. Go ahead. Go ahead, Aaron. It's so good to be here and glad to be back. It was 2006 that I did an internship here, obviously in the old building, and just so enjoyed that. So I wanted to update you on a few things real quickly. First of all, I wanted to say a big thank you. In 2006, I came to intern. And it was with kind of my seminary and went through that and just a great experience that was. And then later went on and graduated seminary and went into the ministry. And I want to just remind us of a few verses. In 2 Timothy 2 it says that Paul is talking to Timothy and he says, So prior to my interning, my brother interned, And then obviously I came later on in 06 and interned. And as a result of the influence that Faith Baptist and Pastor Monty and the leadership here has had on our two lives, there's two new churches in Minnesota that weren't there before. And so in 2015, I'm at Emmanuel Baptist Church, got started. And later on that year, Nathan went and started Cornerstone Baptist Church, my brother, that's in Thief River Falls. I'm in Roseau, Minnesota. So I'm on the Canadian border. He's about an hour and 15 minutes south. And so the reason I bring that up is by the obedience of 2 Timothy 2.2, you influencing my life and Nathan's life, you actually have a part in the ministry of two churches in Minnesota. And so I wanted to say thank you for that. And so we're going well on Palm Sunday. I was able to baptize a young girl who was adopted. She's Chinese. One of the families in the church adopted her. So we had a baptism on Palm Sunday. That was really cool. the church is going well and I appreciate your prayers on that also Nathan's church is doing well he started that he's moved on to Indiana actually he lives now near Fort Wayne area but pray for that church as they're looking for a pastor I'm working with them on that but they're both doing well both churches are going well appreciate your prayers on that The other way I want to say thank you is thank you for your sermons. I know that was already mentioned earlier, but I've passed on the peace of mind to a family in our church that has struggled with some issues. So I really appreciate Pastor Monty and that. And also just to continue counseling because Pastor Monty, I talk to him once in a while and his influence in my life is still great. I want to close you with just a few thoughts just really quickly. First of all, it's good to have my family here, and they're over there, and it's Naomi, Esther, Anna, Aaron, Julia, Grace, Lydia, and Andrew. And so I got them all this time, so you can say hi to them afterwards, and a good part of the ministry. I want to close you with a few thoughts about the ministry, and then I want to say thank you. So when Paul's writing to the Philippians, he says these quick words. He says in the first part of the book, he says that he was thankful for their fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. And so you guys have fellowship of the gospel with me in Minnesota, and we appreciate that. The last thing is in Paul in the first Thessalonians five, he says in verse 25, brethren pray for us. So you see here, and how can we help you? First of all, you're a blessing just to the influence you've had in my life in 2006, and the ministry now, and being able to have sermons online, and my kids listen to some of those, and all that, and great. But being in prayer for us would be great, because as we preach the gospel, develop disciples, and continue to influence northern Minnesota for the glory of God, I really appreciate all your help. The last thing is, if you're ever up there, we are the only Sadducees up there, and probably in the state. So come and visit us. We'd love to talk to you. Thank you for the time. What's your town, how's Rozo? It's Rozo, it's his friend, so it'd be Rozo, but they pronounce it Rozo. Rozo, like as in Bozo. Rozo as in Bozo. Okay, got it, got it. Thank you. How many years have you been there, Aaron? Seven. Seven years, that's tremendous. Folks, let me tell you, Bozo, I mean Rozo, is located, it's not the end of the world, but you can see it from there. It really is, it's really remote, isn't it? And do you know, it's so far north, you can't even imagine the kind of winters that this young man goes through. You can't even imagine. He is an endurance person. So thank you, Aaron. Thank you. God bless you. And I remember one time he preached here, I think it was years ago, and I think I referred to you, because of how you carry yourself, as the Charles Stanley of fundamentalism. I really do, and you've got the same silver tongue. That's good. All right, folks, take your Bible with me and turn to Acts chapter 26. Acts 26, it seems like an eternity since I've been here. I went on vacation. We had a wanna, we had revival, and I haven't been in the Windsor-Ann Pulpit in a while. So I need to remind you of where we are. Acts chapter 6 follows closely on the heels, Acts 26 follows closely on the heels of Acts chapter 25. In Acts chapter 25, we were introduced to two characters. Look quickly, Acts 25, verse 13, the Bible says this, Now Festus was, of course, the Roman official that was in charge at this point of the Apostle Paul. Previously it had been Felix, but Festus came in and took that position. And Agrippa is referred to as King Agrippa. Now, he was really king of several provinces, northern provinces in Israel. And Agrippa and his sister, Benise, they came to visit. And what they were doing is they were making connections with all of the other Roman officials. And so they're learning some things. But Agrippa, one of the interesting things about Agrippa was that he was, in a sense, Jewish. Now, actually profess Judaism. We don't know if he was a Jew who believed in the promise of the coming Messiah or not. He certainly did not come to believe in the Lord Jesus, but he did have a level of belief in the Jewish Scriptures. At the end of chapter 26, in verse number 27, the Apostle Paul, in chapter 26, verse 27, Paul says to King Agrippa, he says, King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? And then Paul answers his own question, I know that thou believest. Now, who is Agrippa? He is this king over some of the northern provinces of Israel. He is visiting with Festus, and Festus tells him about a problem child. The problem child is the apostle Paul. And it's frustrating because Paul, you'll recall, had been falsely accused of stirring up trouble in the temple at Jerusalem. Because there was a threat on his life, he was brought up to Caesarea. And there were some trials held, but nothing really came of those trials. There was a lack of witnesses. There were all kinds of problems with regard to the trial. And so Festus had in his mind to send Paul back to Jerusalem to stand trial. And it was at that moment that the Apostle Paul said, I appeal unto Caesar. And the reply was given, unto Caesar thou shalt go. And so at this point, Paul is essentially waiting to go to Caesar. But Festus has a problem. He needs to send this prisoner to Caesar for judgment, but Festus has no accusation to bring against Paul. And Festus said, it doesn't seem reasonable to me to send someone to the Caesar with no accusation to give. And so Agrippa is interested. And so he says, well, why don't we call Paul together? And this is not a trial per se, but it is an opportunity for the Apostle Paul, orchestrated by the Lord, to stand before Festus, who I think probably had a notepad in his hand and was writing stuff down to try to figure out what his accusation against Paul would be, and an opportunity for Agrippa, who was keenly interested in the things of Judaism, to listen and to hear. You say, Pastor Monty, what did Paul do with this? Paul turned this opportunity into a tremendous platform for the Gospel. Remember back when Paul was called into Christian ministry, saved and immediately called into Christian ministry. The prophecy was made over Paul that he would stand before kings. This is fulfilled in the book of Acts. And so we have here Paul standing before Agrippa and Festus, and he's excited to be there. Look, if you will. At 26, verse number one, then Agrippa said unto Paul, thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand and answered for himself. Paul is given an opportunity. He did not hesitate. Now, as a Roman citizen, it is argued that Paul could have turned down this request. It was an informal request. It wasn't an inquest. It was not a hearing. There was no legal thing going on here. But Paul saw in this an opportunity to spread the gospel to King Agrippa. And so Paul looks him in the eye, in verse number two he says this, I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews, especially because I know thee to be an expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews, wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. What happened here? Paul is introducing what will become his testimony. Now here's something I want you to see. Remember King Agrippa is a professed Jew. The family of Herod that ruled over in Palestine, in Palestine, the family of of Herod was very interested in currying favor of the Jewish people. And so they professed at least a certain level of Judaism, though Herod the Great, this would have been the great grandfather of Agrippa, this would be Agrippa II by the way we're talking about, Herod the Great Herod the Great was a very wicked man. But they had a parade of Judaism. They pretended Judaism. They favored Judaism. Herod the Great was the one who began the temple remodel and expansion. And so, in this particular case, we have Agrippa, another member of Herod's family, was about to hear the Gospel. By the way, if you trace the dynasty of Herod's family in the Book of Acts. It's really interesting how many of the Herods, and when you get into the Book of Acts, you're going to run across all these names, Herod this, Herod, and you're going to be, wait a minute, who are these people? You have to kind of look closely at it or get a good Bible commentary to figure out which Herod. Parts of that dynasty and relationships of that dynasty, they all like to name themselves Herod, so it got confusing. Over and over again in the Book of Acts, it is interesting, they come in contact with the Gospel. Pastor Ronnie, who was the first? Well, Herod the Great. How did he come in contact with the Gospel? The Magi who came, the wise men. And then over and over through the Book of Acts, these men come in contact with the Gospel. We have no record that any of them ever came to Christ as Savior, but it's interesting to see the connection. So remembering that Agrippa is a professed Jew. And Paul assures us that Agrippa at least believes the prophets. Paul did something really interesting. He highlighted Judaism in his testimony. Now why did Paul do that? This is so important what I'm about to say. Paul did that because he did not view Christianity as a separate religion from Judaism. He believed that Christianity, what we call Christianity today, is the fulfillment of Judaism. Paul, in a sense, never abandoned Judaism. He only embraced its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. So what he will attest to is this, that the New Testament truth and the occurrences, one in particular, we'll get there in a moment, is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and in his entire testimony before Agrippa, who is a professed Jew, he's going to state that the promises made to Israel will be fulfilled by Israel's Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. Now listen carefully. Paul was not a Reformed theologian. Let me say that again. Paul was not a Reformed theologian. He interpreted the promises of the prophets literally, and believed that one day Messiah would establish a kingdom. Now, when he was a Pharisee, he didn't understand all the particulars of this. We'll see that in a moment. But later on he came to understand that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, that one day he will fulfill his word in particular and in detail to the Jewish people. What is the key to this? How is it that Paul went from Pharisee to Christian missionary? How did that happen? Here are the words, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now listen carefully. The primary emphasis of the apostolic message was always upon Christ's resurrection. This is the absolute key. Now think back with me a moment, if you will, when we thought about Paul's testimony before. Remember how Paul got the Sanhedrin and the leadership, the Sanhedrin of the Jewish people, the elders. Remember, how did he get them all stirred up against each other, arguing? He brought up the issue of the resurrection. Half are Pharisees, half are Sadducees. Sadducees are theological liberals. They don't believe in the resurrection. Paul said, well, I believe in the resurrection. And the Pharisees are like, Oh, well, you're a good guy. You're on our side." And then they fought amongst each other. You remember I said that was a brilliant move way back when on the part of the Apostle Paul. But here he brings up the resurrection again, and we're going to get to that in just a moment. The key in this whole passage is that Paul is affirming, listen carefully, the Jewish belief in resurrection in general and the resurrection of Jesus Christ in particular. And it is the resurrection that connects Judaism to what we call Christianity, which is really the fulfillment of the Jewish faith, okay? What was Paul's approach? I want us to see that. I read verses 1 through 3. A moment ago, what was Paul's approach? He's now standing before this man who is a ruler in Palestine, but he's also very learned in the Jewish scriptures. And I love this. In verse number two, he says, I think myself happy. He viewed it as an opportunity, but he had been locked up at Caesarea for a very long time. I can tell you this, most of us would have been discouraged. But Paul, someone knocked on his prison cell. He was actually under home arrest, so it wasn't necessarily as bad as it could have been. Someone knocked on that cell door. Paul, we've got visitors. Festus wants you to come, and you're going to meet King Agrippa. And Paul was thrilled with the opportunity. He viewed it as an opportunity not just to clarify himself legally, because this was not, it was not a hearing. There was no legality here. He viewed it as an opportunity to clarify what had happened so that the accusations would not be false, but also to witness the gospel. And so he said he was happy. That was part of his approach. Now look at verse number three, because I think it's also instructive. He was complimentary. Verse number three. He's happy about this, especially, Paul said, because I know thee, speaking of Agrippa II, because I know thee to be an expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews, wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. Now, he acknowledged Agrippa's knowledge of Jewish matters. Yes, Pastor Monty, it sounds like Paul was just kind of kissing up. I don't think so. I think it was more than that. I think what Paul did immediately was connect where he was going in the whole story to Judaism. Very, very important. You say, Pastor, why is that important? because Judaism was a legally recognized religion in the Roman Empire. If it were proven that Paul was starting a new religion that was not sanctioned by Rome, he could have been in trouble. But Paul is stating, I'm not starting a new religion, I am preaching the fulfillment of the old. So that was vital. But he was complimentary toward Agrippa. He was also very respectful. If you look at the end of Verse number three, it says, wherefore I beseech thee to hear me, note the next words, patiently. Those words should come out of the mouth of nearly every preacher. How many of y'all know sometimes it goes too long? Come on. Maybe it's not long enough. How many of y'all know that Pastor Wall goes too long sometimes? Oh, I've got a lot of show of hands. I understand when I was on vacation. But anyway, and when someone is preaching and Paul's about to, he's asking this man in a very respectful way, he's saying, please listen with patience. Why? Because sometimes the point doesn't come until the end. I'll tell you what I really enjoy. I really enjoyed our evangelist, Brother Burden. How many enjoyed him? Did you enjoy him? And he had a very unique approach to preaching because he gave you the whole text, he explained it all, and you're kind of waiting for something to happen. And then he gave you that one point. How many like a one-point message? He gave you that one point at the very end. Okay, Paul is going to do essentially that same thing as he goes through his story. So he respectfully requests that Agrippa would be patient. Well, why is Paul's approach important? I'll tell you why. Because tone matters. Tone matters. I don't know how I would have felt having been held this long a time without a legitimate trial. But Paul knew that when he stood before these important people, his tone would really matter. It especially matters when you're communicating the gospel. And here Paul would be communicating the gospel. Folks, listen to me. It is not productive to present angry Christianity to the lost world. It is not productive. Okay, now, well, Pastor Ronnie, there's so many things going on now. No, it doesn't mean we compromise our preaching. But understand, when you're dealing with a lost person, and you appear to be angry over everything, that can be a big turnoff. Many years ago, I had a man come to my office and, He was telling me about a problem he was having at work. He was a mechanic and there were various bays of workmen at different bays and apparently the guy in the next work bay had a big radio and the guy was playing some kind of music that this man felt was offensive. And so this man came to my office to tell me about this issue he had. And he said, yeah, he said, I just can't stand it. This man's blasting all this music, some style of music he didn't like. This man was blasting all his music. And he said, Pastor Monty, he said, I marched right over there. And he said, I let him have it. And I told him, God will judge you for listening to that music. Okay, and he thought, Pastor Monty's gonna be proud. No, I was utterly mortified. The man was likely an unsaved person, and here a Christian, they don't go to this church anymore, praise the Lord, here a Christian, it didn't last long by the way, here a Christian approaches this person in an angry way. You cannot win that way. Now, we're all frustrated with the world. We're frustrated with how things are in the country. We're frustrated. But you know what? Having a respectful, loving, and clear approach will win people over much quicker than if we become angry. So I love Paul's approach here. But then Paul begins with his speech by giving his personal history. Look at verse number four. He says, Paul was very, very well known. Saul of Tarsus. He was not born in Jerusalem, but he had grown up in Jerusalem and received education there. And he speaks of the Jewish people, very well known in the neighborhoods of Jerusalem. He said, which knew me, verse 5, from the beginning, if they would testify that after the most strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. And he'll continue giving his personal history. So Paul is respectful. He comes across right. And then in order to gain hearing, he relates to Agrippa by making a connection. Agrippa is a professed Jew, though not an observant one. He's a professed Jew. And so Paul immediately says, I am Jewish. Why would he do that right away? Because he's identifying himself with Judaism as clearly as possible, not only to relate to Agrippa, but to demonstrate that he's not forsaking the faith. He's proclaiming Christ, which is its fulfillment. He was well-known as a Pharisee. He lived a very clear-cut Pharisaical life, and everybody knew it. He appealed to his reputation But in doing so, he also appealed to his orthodoxy. You see, we know this of Agrippa, and Paul confirms it in the introductory remarks, that Agrippa knew a lot about how the Jewish religion worked. He understood that there were various parties. We would call them denominations today. Various parties of Jewish people. So you had the Pharisees, you had the Sadducees, you had people called the Zealots, you had another group called the Essenes. There were various groups, by the way, just like there are today in Israel. If you go to Israel, you'll notice the men wear the little beanie caps on their head. Our tour guide told me that you can tell what stripe of Jew they are by the size of the beanie on their head. and sometimes by the color. And I said, how many varieties are there? And he said, too many to count. So there's a lot of that. But Agrippa would have been familiar. Agrippa would have known that the chief difference between Pharisees and Sadducees was one of doctrine, and that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, and that the Pharisees did. So right away he establishes his own Jewish orthodoxy as a foundation for what he's about to say. I think that was very wise. But then notice, if you will, in verse number six, he said, so I've lived as a Pharisee, I'm a Jew, I'm well-known, I have a reputation, I'm standing in the community, and in verse number six he says, and now, looking at King Agrippa, who is very familiar with Judaism, and a professed Jew, and now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers. Wow. Paul is saying, I'm legitimately Jewish. Everybody knows it. I am a Pharisee. And now I stand in judgment. Do you see his, this is a really, really good, good introduction, gripping. Now I stand in judgment for a promise. And I'm judged in hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers, unto which, verse 7, unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come, for which hopes sake, King Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Agrippa is on the edge of his seat. Paul has laid quite a groundwork, and now he's saying, I'm being accused of a promise that God gave, that everybody who's Orthodox believed God gave, that certainly all of the Pharisees. I'm now standing here accused because of a promise I believe in, but you notice he hasn't given the promise yet. What was he doing? He was drawing Agrippa's attention. Verse number eight. Paul looks Agrippa in the eye and says, why should it be thought, a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? Now, wait a minute, Pastor Monty. I thought that Paul was brought in on charges of tearing up the temple. They couldn't prove any of that. And ultimately it came down, if you'll remember Paul stirred that controversy when in Jerusalem standing before the Sanhedrin. Ultimately it came down to Paul saying, hey, you're questioning my orthodoxy as a Jew because I believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul continued to affirm basic Orthodox Jewish belief, including the Resurrection. Now you say, Pastor Monty, where in the Old Testament is the Resurrection? Okay, I'm not going to give you an exhaustive study, because that would be, quite frankly, exhausting. But I want to give you some hints. In the book of Genesis, and everything is in seed form in the book of Genesis, all the major doctrines of the Bible are in seed form in Genesis. In the book of Genesis, we have the promise in Genesis 3.15 that God would crush the head, or the Christ, the Savior, would crush the head of the serpent. The serpent would bruise his heel. That means there would be an injury to the Messiah, but ultimately Messiah would crush The serpent. In that, there is the hint of the resurrection. You know, Pastor Monty, that's just a hint. Take your Bible with me and turn to Genesis 22. I'd like you just to see this for a moment. Genesis 22 in your Bible with me, if you would. So it's hinted at in the great promise of a Messiah given first in Genesis 3.15. But in Genesis 22, look, if you will, with me at verse number 15. This, of course, the angel speaking to Abraham in verse 15, Genesis 22, and the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time and said, by myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing will I bless thee. Now this is in the context of the near sacrifice of Isaac. In blessing will I bless thee, and in multiplying will I multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. What happened? Abraham, again, this happened in Genesis 12, it's repeated in Genesis 22, later on repeated to the other patriarchs. Abraham is given what we call the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, and they include several things. They include a land, they include descendants, they include prominence of Israel and a future kingdom. All these things are part of the promise, but it always says Listen carefully, that all of Abraham's descendants will be included in this. Well, Pastor Money, how is that possible? Because many millions of them have died over the multiple of millennium. How is that possible? It's only possible one day, one way, folks, by the resurrection of the dead. The covenant promises of God are directly connected to the belief in a resurrection. And so we can turn to Deuteronomy, we can turn to 2 Samuel, we can turn to Psalm 132, Isaiah chapter 4, we can turn to Daniel 9, and all of these hint of the resurrection. But I want you to turn to Daniel chapter 12. An Orthodox Jew would have understood the importance of this teaching. Without the resurrection, the promises that God gives to all of the descendants of Abraham could never be fulfilled, because many of them would have died. But if you will please turn to Genesis chapter 12, verse number 2. The witness to belief in a bodily resurrection is clear Old Testament Jewish orthodoxy. Daniel 12.2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. What is verse number two? Verse number two is the clear and direct teaching of a bodily resurrection. It speaks of those that lay in the sleep and dust of the earth, they shall awake. What is that? It is resurrection. So when Paul makes the statement that this is Jewish orthodoxy, He was not blowing smoke. It was hotly contested and believed firmly by every Pharisee and every Orthodox Jew. By the way, every modern Orthodox Jew today, and I'm saying modern in the term of contemporary, every contemporary Orthodox Jew today believes in the resurrection of the dead. And what was Paul doing? He was essentially stating that this is what I believe, and this is why I'm here. And you ask, why would he say that? I'll tell you why. He was laying a groundwork for the truth of the gospel. Look, if you will, back to Acts 26, please. Acts 26. He talks about the resurrection. He talks about the scriptures. He talks about Jewish orthodoxy. He has the interest of Agrippa And then in verse number nine, he makes an interesting confession. He says, I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Okay, I am an Orthodox Jew. I am a Pharisee. To persecute one who has departed from Orthodoxy is well within the pale of Pharisaical tradition. And so I'm ready to bring persecution against Jesus Christ. And he says, I was doing this. He said, verse number 10, which thing, persecuting the name of Christ, doing things contrary to the name of Christ, which thing I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. Likely Stephen, the first martyr. We believe Paul was present for that. and I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities." Well, now this is odd to Agrippa. He's a Pharisee. Pharisees were very zealous. They would persecute over matters of doctrine. So none of this was a problem. Verse number 12. Wherefore, as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining round about me, and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. Now listen carefully. The Apostle Paul was very familiar with the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a Pharisee and persecutor of the church, as a champion for what we might call the status quo in religion, Paul was very opposed to the concept that this man, Jesus, had resurrected from the dead. Pastor Monty, why was that such an issue? Look. because if Paul has risen from, pardon me, if Jesus has risen from the dead, Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The resurrection was such an offensive doctrine because belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ pointed the finger of accusation directly at the Jewish people for crucifying their own Messiah. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, it confirmed everything about who he was and what his message said, and that it was truth. This is why when Jesus did arise, and the soldiers awoke to find that the tomb was empty, and they were fearful, they were told, quick, make up a story. Just say some of the disciples came and stole the body away. We can't have this getting out, even if it were true. There were those who would have felt such shame at crucifying a Messiah as to cover up their deeds. But Paul initially persecuted the church, and then Paul converted to Christ because of the resurrection. Now watch this, folks, watch this. This is where the dots are connected. Paul said, Agrippa, super happy to be testifying before you. I'm really happy because I know that you're an expert in all things of the law and the customs of the Jews." And he said, now, just for a little background, he said, I wasn't born in Jerusalem, but he said, I grew up in Jerusalem. Some people know me in Jerusalem. I was trained, by the way, under Gamaliel, a very famous Jewish rabbi. He said, I was trained here, and everybody knows who I am, and I'm a Pharisee. And he said, I rose to the top of the Pharisaical tradition. He may, by the way, have been a member of the Sanhedrin. Some Jewish commentators, or Christian commentators believe that he was. We don't know that for sure. But Paul said, everybody in Jerusalem knew who I was and I was persecuting the church because I didn't believe in this Jesus of Nazareth. And then on the way to Damascus, I met the resurrected Christ. And I always, as a Pharisee, had believed in the doctrine of the resurrection. But now I believe in the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And he is saying, when I saw Jesus, the resurrected Jesus, I am looking at the man that has fulfilled the prediction of the prophets. Later in the chapter, Paul will talk about his commission to be a preacher of the gospel. He'll talk about the resurrected Messiah in that way. But I want you to drop down If you would please to, let's look at verse number 24, same chapter, chapter 26, verse 24. The Bible says, and as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself. Much learning doth make thee mad or crazy. Paul, you're not case. You've studied too long. I cannot believe what you believe about Jesus. Why would Festus call Paul crazy? Because look at verse 22. Having therefore, Paul said, obtained help of God, I continue unto this day witnessing, both to small and great, saying none other things than those things, listen to this, which the prophets and Moses did say should come. Paul said, I'm not abandoning Jewish orthodoxy. I am proclaiming that what the prophet said is here and now, and it's real today. What is it that the prophet said? Verse number 23, he explains the message. That Christ should suffer. Isaiah 53. 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." This was a brilliant testimony because an interested, professed Jew, king, stood before him, keenly listening connecting to every step of the testimony, agreeing with much of it, likely even agreeing with the resurrection, then hearing the testimony of Paul that he was an eyewitness to the resurrected Jesus while on the way to persecute Christians in Damascus. And Paul said, I gave my life to the one who rose again. And he said, I've come to preach the very Christ that the prophets predicted. This was brilliant on the part of the Apostle Paul. Festus didn't know anything about Jewish religion. He was just frustrated by the whole thing. And he said, Paul, he said, much learning doth make thee mad. But he, Paul said, I am not mad. I'm at verse 25. I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things before whom I also speak freely. He was aware of some of the things that had taken place and the stir that had come by virtue of the resurrection and the preaching of Christians in Palestine. The king knoweth of these things before whom I also speak freely, for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, for this thing was not done in a corner. Or as Paul said, part of the reason Agrippa wanted to hear my testimony was he's heard a lot of rumors. If you were a ruler of any level in Palestine, the one thing you did was keep your ear to the rail for rumors. Agrippa heard these things. But Agrippa also knew the Old Testament scripture. And Paul summarizes by saying, King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? Do you believe? And then Paul answers his own question, looking at Agrippa, and he says, Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? And he says, I know that thou believest. And I think he paused there. I can picture this in my mind. Paul paused there. He stared into the eyes of Agrippa. Agrippa believed the prophets. Paul said, I know that thou believest. And look at verse number 28. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. We have no record that Agrippa made the final step of belief and personal faith in Christ. But we have a very detailed record of Paul in his great approach to Agrippa and his connecting using his knowledge of this man and this man's interest in the scriptures to bring him right up to the very edge of salvation. When we traveled to Israel, I had the opportunity to speak to the armed guard that was guarding our tour bus. This was with an Israeli-sponsored tour, so we had an armed guard. The church tour, in a few weeks, will not have an armed guard. I'm sorry about that, but the first trip I went on had an armed guard. He was a Jewish man who was from Russia. His family had immigrated from Russia. And as I would speak, after I would speak, I noticed a very young man. I would watch him. He'd be listening very intently. Spoke perfect English with a Russian accent. And after the first or second little devotional speech I gave, by the way, all out of the Old Testament because I wanted our Jewish guides to see, just like Paul did. When I recognized the guides were Jewish and I had Jews, I said, I can deal with every single site right out of the Old Testament so they can read along and follow it in their Hebrew Bibles. And so I went through a couple sites. He came up to me afterwards and he said, he said, and we'd gotten to know each other through friendly banter on the bus and things like that. He said, he said, Pastor, he said, these things I've never heard. I've never heard this. I said, well, you're Jewish. He said, yes, I'm Jew. But he said, I'm only blood Jew. My family immigrated from the Soviet Union. He said, I am an atheist, and I've never heard anything about the scripture. Young man. But he said, I am so interested because this is all new to me. Well, he listened carefully each time I would talk. He'd come up sometimes and ask questions. We'd discuss what had happened in a particular location and what it meant in the scripture and especially what it meant in the Hebrew scripture and what the prophet said to say. And he was probably, I had a bunch of Baptist young people, but this Jewish bodyguard was probably my most attentive listener. He and the tour guide. just drilled in, attentive and listening. And I was able to give him the gospel. He said, Pastor Monty, now wait a minute, it is illegal in Israel to try to convert other people to other religions. What's very interesting, you're not supposed to convert people, but you can sure talk about it. And so I just talked about the gospel, went through the whole thing. The very last day, he was with me standing in line with our group to get on, go through the very, very, intensive security searches and questions that you go through to leave Israel before you can walk to the gate where the plane is. And I got through the questioning part, and he walked me on towards the gate where the plane was, and he said, it's my job to be with you until you get on the plane. And so we walked together over there, and I was about to leave to get on the plane. And I said to him, I said, call my name, and I said, I said, you're not yet a Christian. But I said, I'm going to pray for you. And he said, I said, can I right now pray for you and your family? This young man, a professed atheist, started to cry. And he said, no one has ever prayed for me in my entire life. I laid my hand on his shoulder, and I just started to pray. And as I prayed, he was sobbing. And he told me, he said, that was so kind of you to pray for my family. Now, do I know the rest of the story? I don't know. I pray that he got saved. But whether you know the rest of the story or not, giving the gospel is the key. Pastor Monty, did Agrippa the second get saved? In that verse he said, almost Paul, thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we got to heaven and that seed that was planted by the apostle Paul, somewhere not recorded anywhere in history, had borne fruit and Agrippa had been saved. Wouldn't it be wonderful to get to heaven And for me to see that young man, my bodyguard for the week, in heaven, because seed that was planted. Well, Pastor Monty, it's more exciting if you could just tell us he got saved. I'd love to tell you that. But wouldn't it be exciting to see people that we were kind to, that we said a word to, that we witnessed to, standing before the throne of God? Here's what I believe. Paul said in 1 Corinthians, one man plants the gospel seed. He used farming and planting as an analogy. One man plants the gospel seed, another man comes along and waters it. So the seed is planted, then it's watered. And he said this, in the ultimate end, God brings the increase, he produces the fruit. So the guy that's planting, he's nothing, he's not a big deal. The guy that's watering, he's not a big deal. But if somebody gets saved, give God the glory because God brings the increase, God brings the fruit, but Our job is to plant and our job is to water. Years ago I was in the state of Maine. Many, many years ago. This is on 23 years ago probably or more. I was in the state of Maine for a wedding and I needed a haircut. And so I went to a barber shop in Portland, Maine. Scully's Barber Shop I think it was called in Portland, Maine. and he and I were the only people in the room and he was cutting my hair and I decided I need to witness to this man. So I witnessed to him and told him about Christ. And then he didn't get saved, did not get saved, and then I left. And I don't know if he ever got saved, but I got a call probably about a year later, maybe six months to a year later, from Evangelist Dwight Smith, you know Evangelist Dwight Smith. And he said to me, he said, Marty, he said, hey, he said, I got a question for you. He said, I was in Portland, Maine preaching a meeting. He said, any chance that you gave a man a haircut or spoke to a barber in Portland, Maine? I'm thinking back, I said, yeah, I said, I was at a barbershop. He said, were you at Scully's Barbershop in Portland, Maine? I said, yes. I said, that's where I was getting a haircut. He said, he was all excited. You know how Dwight gets. He said, I was there. I was just there. I said, well, how do you know that I was there? That was months ago. How do you know that I was there? He said, because, you know how Dwight gets, because I witnessed to the man, and the man said that a few months earlier, there was another man who had told him the exact same message, and he said he couldn't figure out why he kept hearing this exact same message, and Dwight said to the barber, he said, describe the man. And he described me. Tall, handsome, athletic, Irresistibly good-looking. Okay. And so Dwight immediately thought it was, was I. Just kidding. And I said, well, I said, Dwight, I said, did he get saved? He said, no, but he's super interested. Do you know what? I hope one day to see that man in heaven. He said, Pastor Monty, it's discouraging if we don't know. No, it's not discouraging because the almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian. Many of them do. Somebody plants the seed, somebody waters it, and God gives the increase. And Paul's entire testimony before Agrippa, masterfully done, drew him in to the very point of decision. My question for us tonight is this, how faithful are we in giving the gospel this way? Taking the time to do it, investing. Pastor Monty, I just want to see someone make that decision. We all want to see that. But you know what we're called to do? Plant that seed, water that seed, and then God will give the increase. Father, thank you for your word tonight. I pray that you'll help us as we think about our responsibility to lost people. Lord, sometimes our contact with folks is just very brief, but in that brief time, we could plant a seed, or maybe in the words that we speak, we are watering seed that someone else planted already. Lord, we can trust you for the increase. Father, without someone to plant and without someone to water, there would be no increase. The Gospel is given by preachers, by Christians, by people willing to speak. Father, give us that willingness to speak and then faith to believe that you carry your Word in power. Thank you, Lord, for your love. In Jesus' name, amen. Pastor Morris will come with