Do you consider yourself a religious person? Do you have a personal and private faith? Stay tuned for Renewing Your Mind Weekend Edition with Dr. R.C. Sproul. Welcome to this weekend broadcast of Renewing Your Mind with Dr. R.C. Sproul. Dr. Sproul is a minister of preaching and teaching at St. Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida. How much is enough? How far is too far? When Jesus called His disciples, He told them to leave all and follow Him. After His conversion, the Apostle Paul later followed Jesus with seemingly unparalleled tenacity. Yet many churchgoers hope to do only just enough religion while trying to avoid the criticism of being a religious fanatic. Today, as we continue our study through the Book of Acts, Dr. Sproul will take us back to the meeting between Paul and King Agrippa to remind us that almost is not enough. Here's our teacher with Almost Persuaded. Now let's continue our study of the book of Acts in chapter 26. No, not at verse 12, but we're going to start at verse 19 and read through verse 32. Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. For these reasons, the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both the small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come, that the Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. Now, as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you're beside yourself. Much learning is driving you mad. But he said, I'm not mad, most noble Festus, but I speak the words of truth and reason. For the king before whom I also speak freely knows these things. For I'm convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe." Then Agrippa said to Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian. Paul said, I would to God that not only you, but all who hear me today might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains. And when he had said these things, the king stood up as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them. And when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, this man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains. Then Agrippa said to Festus, this man may have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. He who has ears to hear the Word of God, let them hear. Let's pray. Now, O Father, give to our listening ears, to our waiting hearts, the enduring and abiding truth that is found in this testimony of Paul. For we ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen. Last Sunday, we look at the beginning of Paul's defense before King Agrippa, where for the third time in the book of Acts, we had related to us the circumstances of Paul's dramatic conversion on the desert road to Damascus when he saw the light that was brighter than the noonday sun and heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him in Hebrew and calling him to his mission. And this morning we pick it up in the middle of that after reciting those events of his conversion. Paul then said, therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. I never saw a light brighter than the midday sun. I have never had a visual experience of the risen Christ. I've not seen him face to face, nor have I ever heard the sound of his voice in my ears. And I trust that that is true as well for you. But I also understand that when the scriptures speak of conversion, it speaks of the immediate supernatural work upon the soul of a sinner who lives in darkness and through this divine and supernatural light is now brought out of darkness into the kingdom of light. So that in a very real sense, though not sensory, we also have experienced the Visio Dei or the vision of God, the vision of Christ in our souls. But I cannot look at you this morning and say with a straight face, but, oh, people of St. Andrews, I have never been disobedient. to that heavenly vision. And I doubt if there's any Christian in this room today whose eyes have been opened to the sweetness and loveliness of Jesus who can look Jesus in the face and say, Lord, I have never been disobedient to that vision. And we may excuse ourselves by saying, but who is? Who is faithful to the end? once they have been converted? The answer is simple. Paul was. Paul was not bragging. He was speaking the truth before the king. I was not disobedient to the vision that Christ gave me of himself. And then he went on to say, I kept the Great Commission. I preached first in Jerusalem to the Jews, then in Judea, and then to the Gentiles. And I've stood before little and great proclaiming the Word of God and calling people to repent, to turn to God, and to do works befitting repentance. Now, Paul's not here articulating a doctrine of justification by works. No one was ever a more clear advocate of justification by faith alone. Paul understood that our works do nothing to make us right in the sight of God. But once we are converted, And once God pronounces just in Christ by faith, that living faith is supposed to produce works of obedience, works of righteousness in our lives. And Paul said, that's the message I've been preaching everywhere I go, trying to get people to turn to God. And it's because of this, not because I went into the temple, but it's because of what I've been preaching. that they seized me, and they tried to kill me. That's why I'm here before you, O King, because all I've been doing is preaching what Moses taught, what the prophets taught, what the whole Old Testament teaches about the Messiah, that he would suffer King Agrippa. Did you read Isaiah 53? We hear it all the time at St. Andrew's. This is no novel idea in theology. The servant of Israel, the Bible says, would suffer, would die, would be raised from the grave, and he would be a light to the nations. I guess you weren't there, Agrippa, when this baby was born. His parents brought him to the temple to be dedicated, and that elderly Saint Simeon was there, and when he saw him, he sang a song called the Luke to Metis. Oh, now let thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen the glory of Israel. And when Simeon sang that song, O King, he talked about the Messiah, this baby, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy of bringing the light of God to the Gentiles. Now in the middle of this defense, and remember, he had been granted leave by Festus at the beginning saying, you may now speak freely. And Paul asked for patience that he could finish his testimony without interruption. And the king and the governor had agreed to those terms. But Festus couldn't take it. He couldn't stand anymore. He heard all of this that he could possibly bear. And so he finally interrupts Paul, and he doesn't interrupt him by whispering. We're told that he speaks now in a loud voice. And when I have my students in the seminary and we talk about reading the text, I say, when the Bible says that somebody says something in a loud voice, you don't whisper it. After the first service this morning, the men back there working the sound system said, we're glad you warned us in advance. But let's look at what Festus does. He interrupts Paul and with a loud voice, Paul. You're beside yourself. Much learning hath made you mad. You hear what he's saying? Paul, I understand you're to learn it. I understand you're an intellectual. I understand that you're a heavily degreed scholar, but I'm afraid you've been educated beyond your intelligence. They say there's a thin line between genius and insanity, and I think you've skated over the line, Paul. You're beside yourself. Now, in the Greek, the word there that is used is the word from which we get the English word, maniac. That's what Festus is saying, Paul, you're a maniac. Or we could take the Latin translation, which gives us the word from which we get the English term, insane. He says, Paul, you're a stark raven. You have to be crazy to believe this sort of thing. Paul's not ruffled. He listens to the charge. It wasn't the first time somebody called him crazy. And he looks Festus in the eye and he said, no, no, no, most noble Festus. No, I'm not mad. but I'm speaking to you the words of truth and soberness. What are you doing here this morning? Are you here to be religious? To be spiritual? To show forth your piety? Let me tell you what, Paul could care less about religion. Christianity is not about religion. Here's what it's about, folks. It's about truth. Sober truth. Not finding a purpose for your life, but coming to a saving knowledge of Christ. and understanding the whole world around you in light of the truth of God. It's a sobering truth. And now, while he's responding to Festus, he mentions Agrippa without looking at him yet. He's still talking to Festus. He said, Festus, I'm not crazy. I'm telling you the sober truth. And the king knows what I'm talking about. He's no stranger. Is that right, Agrippa? You know about what I'm speaking here. You know Moses. You know the prophet. You know that these things were not done in a corner. Don't miss that, folks. Christianity did not begin as a mystery religion. with secret rites and rituals that only the initiates knew about. It didn't begin like the Mormons in Palmyra, New York, when Joseph Smith said he received special revelation on golden tablets hidden from anybody else's view by sheets that were hung around him when the angel Moroni came and revealed these things to him. No. The manifestation of the Son of God was a public matter. It wasn't secret. It wasn't private. One of the most pernicious clichés we hear in the church today is this. You've heard it, maybe you've said it, and if you've said it, get on your knees and ask God to forgive you. You say, my faith is personal and private. If your faith is private, It's not Christian faith you're talking about. Because a Christian who trusts Christ is commanded to declare Him before others. There's no such thing as a Secret Service Christian. But that's what the world tells you you ought to be like. Oh, you can have your religion. Just keep it in your closet. Don't mention it in the workplace, don't mention it in the school, don't mention it in the public square. Make sure it's personal and private and we'll all get along. I wonder how many times Paul heard that. And the voice of Jesus could be heard. If you're ashamed of me before men, I will be ashamed of you before my father. No, I wasn't disobedient, O King, about this matter because it was a public matter. Jesus was killed publicly. He was raised from the dead and didn't just appear to a few disciples in the upper room, but He appeared to over 500 people at one time. It's a public matter. And God has declared that this truth is to be made known to the whole world. You believe the prophets, don't you? I know you do. And Agrippa gives these agonizing words in reply, pathetic words. Paul, you're pretty persuasive. Yeah, I read the Bible. I know about those prophecies. I've heard the rumors coming out of Jerusalem. You're making a good case here. Paul, I'm that close. Almost. You persuade me to be a Christian. The most tragic words Agrippa ever uttered in his life. The apostle of Christ is standing before him. preaching Christ to him. And I never said, I'm this close. Maybe some other time. I'm almost persuaded, but not quite. I was talking to a member of our congregation a couple of weeks ago. We were talking about some of our buddies that play golf on the PGA Tour. One of them made the comment to the other. One pro said to the other one, he said, you know this thing about trying to make your living being a professional golfer? He said, the difference between winning a tournament and not winning a tournament is one stroke. Think of it. And the other pro who had recently lost his tour card, he said, no, he says, the difference of one stroke is not a tournament, it's a career. Because the tournament I lost by one stroke gave a 10-year exemption. One stroke better, and my life changes dramatically. See, he almost won that tournament. Everybody in this room has those almost moments in their lives. Think back. Sometimes we think, oh, if I just would have done this one more thing, What a difference it would have made in my life. Or if I just wouldn't have done that one thing, how different my life would be. I'm almost happy. I'm almost fulfilled. But not quite. The first time I saw these paintings that adorn our church, They were hanging for display in a museum in Atlanta, and the man who had commissioned these paintings asked me to visit the museum and look at them because he was thinking about donating them to us here. And I'll never forget going into that museum and seeing these paintings, but of all the paintings that were there on display by the artist Richard Saron, the one that captured me the most was a small painting of Paul the Apostle. And it showed Paul standing before King Agrippa and before Festus. And I have to tell you what, I could not leave that museum without owning that painting. And it hangs in my living room over the mantle now to this day. I see every day, I see that portrait. Because it depicts Paul's response to Agrippa when Agrippa said, I'm almost persuaded, Paul. Paul looked at the king and he said, would to God that not only you, but everybody in this room who's within the sound of my voice would not just be almost, but altogether just as I am, except for these chains. Beloved, that's my plea for you. that nobody walk out of this room almost a Christian and spend eternity in regret. I would that you were almost and all together, such as Paul was, a man on fire for his vision of Christ. Well, when Festus heard that, Bernice heard that, Agrippa heard that, they said, That's all we don't want to hear anymore. You're excused. And they got together and they said, well, we haven't heard anything today that makes this man worthy of death or even being in chains. They were enough persuaded to be nice to Paul. Too bad he appealed to Caesar. Otherwise, he would have been set free. And the last thing that the apostle was thinking at that moment was his freedom. His heart was burdened by their chains, not by his. That was Dr. R.C. Sproul imploring us to give our all to the risen Christ. You're listening to Renewing Your Mind, Weekend Edition. During the month of June on Renewing Your Mind Weekend Edition, we're making a special offer for our listeners. We'd like to send you a copy of a book entitled Jesus the Evangelist. Often in our evangelism, we encourage people who have never heard the gospel to read the Gospel of John as a good introduction to scripture. In conjunction with that fact, Jesus the Evangelist was written to motivate and instruct you in your witness on behalf of Christ. In his book, Rev. Richard D. Phillips explores the early chapters of the Gospel of John to discover principles you can use for Christian outreach that were modeled by witnesses for Jesus and by Jesus himself. The book, Jesus the Evangelist, is available for a donation of any size. Again, if you'd like to receive the book, Jesus the Evangelist, contact us and we'll send it to you for a donation of any amount. Our resource consultants are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Our toll-free number is 1-800-435-4343. Again, that's 1-800-435-4343. Or you can go online at rymoffer.com. That's R-Y-M as in renewing your mind. And the word offer.com. Again, that's rymoffer.com. That web address is for today's special offer only. If you prefer to write, our mailing address is Ligonier Ministries, P.O. Box 863-595, Orlando, Florida 32886. Again, that's Post Office Box 863-595, Orlando, Florida 32886. Today's lecture, Almost Persuaded, is from a series by Dr. Sproul entitled The Book of Acts, recorded from the pulpit of St. Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida. This series of over 60 messages provides us with a treasury of biblical knowledge and insight into this important book of the early life of the Church. This entire series is available on two MP3 discs for $112.80. That's approximately 30 hours of expository preaching and teaching through the Book of Acts. To find out how you can purchase the entire study of the Book of Acts, call one of our resource consultants using our toll-free number 1-800-435-4343. Again, that's 1-800-435-4343. That's our time for this weekend edition of Renewing Your Mind. Thank you for joining us. Join us again next weekend as R.C. continues his exposition of the Book of Acts. Prayerful and financial support for Renewing Your Mind Weekend Edition comes from listeners just like you in your radio listening area. ["Pomp and Circumstance"]