Well, if you will, turn with me to Acts chapter 26. Tonight, we'll look at Paul's testimony before King Agrippa. This is actually phase 3 of the Apostles' trial. If you remember, as Paul was in prison in Rome, and there was a terrible plot for his life, and they had determined that they would eat or drink nothing, until they had taken Paul's life and there were some 40 individuals that had taken this pledge. They knew they had to get Paul out of town so they took him to Caesarea and there he came under the authority of one by the name of Felix. Felix was not a very good leader, in fact he was a very inept leader, he was a former slave. and one that did not truly know how to conduct an office of leadership. But he kept Paul in prison for some two years, Paul continually going to him and him calling for Paul, wanting to hear the gospel, interested in the gospel, wanting to hear more about the gospel. And then finally, after two years, because he was such a poor leader, Rome replaced him and replaced him with Festus. Paul also stood before Festus brought the gospel to Festus Festus is is kind of between a rock and a hard place because Paul has a has called or has, being a Roman citizen, he had demanded to see Nero to have his case tried before the emperor. And so this truly took Paul out of his jurisdiction. But yet he had to have some charge to send with Paul. Otherwise, the emperor would not look very favorably upon Festus. And so after Festus had become the governor, Agrippa, who's the king, the Jewish king, came in an act of respect and honor, came to pay a visit to Festus. This King Agrippa, by the way, is King Herod Agrippa. His father is the Herod that was eaten with worms. He's the one that had James beheaded. Not a particularly good man. His great-grandfather was none other than the Herod that sought to have Jesus put to death. He's the Herod that was king when Jesus was born. So this Herod Agrippa comes from a long line of Herods. Well, as we look at the text, as Herod, or Agrippa, is speaking with Festus, and of course, Agrippa has come with his supposed queen, in reality, she is his sister, Bernice, and most historians believe that Agrippa had illicit relations with his sister, Bernice, but they had come, And after a certain period of time, Festus shares with Agrippa the situation concerning Paul. In verses 13 and 14 of chapter 25, we read, After certain days, King Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus. And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's calls unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix, about whom, when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priest and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him. To whom I answered, it is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow, I sat at judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth, against whom, when the accuser stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed, but had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem and there be judged of these matters. But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I send him unto Caesar." So Paul describes, I mean Festus describes Paul to Agrippa Agrippa is quite interested. He's ready to hear. And so Agrippa said to Festus, I would also hear the man myself. Tomorrow, said he, thou shalt hear. And so Paul is now about to go into the presence of Agrippa. Agrippa enters into the the meeting place with great pomp, verse 33, on the morrow when Agrippa was come and Bernice with great pomp was entered into the place of hearing with the chief captains and principal men of the city. At Festus' commandment, Paul was brought forth. And so, Paul is brought forth. Festus, again, is relieved that Paul is going to Agrippa because he really doesn't have any charges to bring against Paul. In fact, in verse 26, we read of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my Lord, wherefore I have brought them forth before you, specifically before thee, O King Agrippa, that after examination had, I might have somewhat to write, I might have some charge to bring against Paul." So chapter 26 opens with Paul gladly standing and giving his defense, technically Paul was not required to speak, not required to give defense, because he's appealed to Rome. And so he dealt from under their jurisdiction. So technically, Paul doesn't have to say a thing. He doesn't have to come before them. They don't have any jurisdiction to try him. This is all because Paul wants to have an opportunity to share the gospel. That's his motive. That's what he always does. And so, he opens with giving a defense of his testimony concerning Christ. And again, his motive is not to exonerate himself. It would do little good. He's appealed to Rome. His motive is to convert his listeners. And so, as we come into chapter 26, Paul gives his defense. Now, in verses... I mean, in chapter 24, And in chapter 26, we find some distinct ways in which men respond to the gospel of Christ. Now, we've already seen the response of Felix. Felix's response was that of interest. He was interested in hearing Paul, interested in the gospel. You know, normally we think Dead men cannot be interested in the gospel. No, not true. We are religious by nature. Lost men are often interested in hearing the gospel because we are religious. Lost men are naturally interested in religion. It should not surprise us that they are sometimes even interested in the Christian religion. I mean, there are probably as many lost people in churches in the United States than there are believers. Lost people can be very interested in Christianity. But Felix's problem was one of delay. He was interested, wanted to hear But he continued to delay. We see in verse 25 of chapter 24, and he reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come. Felix trembled and answered, Go thy way for this time. When I have convenient season, I will call for thee. This went on time and time again. He would bring his wife before Paul time and time again. He would say, Go away, Paul. And then at a suitable time, I'll call you back again. Continuing to delay. And of course we know many, many people that come under this category. They've heard the gospel. They're not in severe opposition to the gospel. They just continue to delay. Many young people are this way because young people by their very nature think they're going to live forever. Think they have a lot of time. They don't see that it's a matter of great importance now. And so later, perhaps when I'm 20, 25 or 30, maybe after I get out of school, maybe after I get a good job, maybe after I'm married and have children, maybe, and their whole life tends to be this way, putting off, delaying, and finally dying, and they go to hell. We have no indication that Felix is any place right now than hell. Save the grace of God. And then last time, We looked at Governor Festus. And Governor Festus was not like Felix. Felix was one that says, interested, Paul, I like what you have to say. Tell me more. Well, maybe at some point I may actually receive what you have to say. Not so with Festus. Festus, his position was one of absolute unbelief. Verse 24 of chapter 26. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself. Much learning doth make thee mad. Festus interrupts Paul. He can no longer contain himself. He was brought to a place of fury, of anger. As he hears Paul, you can imagine it was starting to brew and fester as Paul speaks of his conversion, as Paul speaks of Christ, as Paul speaks of the resurrection. And Festus is going nuts, terrible, unbelievable. I cannot believe this man, who is supposed to be a man of learning, would actually embrace such nonsense. And so, finally, he explodes and he says, Much learning doth make thee mad. In other words, Paul, you have studied yourself into lunacy. I cannot believe that you would actually believe such a thing. So he sees Paul as a crazed fanatic, an over-crazed religious hypocrite that would believe such things. Festus's position is the position of many also. These are people who see genuine Christianity as being a religion of fanatics. Cultural Christianity is okay. Just don't take it too far. It's okay if you want to go to church. How many people have you heard say, you know, I'm a very spiritual person. I'm just not very religious. But you know, if you want to be religious, that's okay. Just don't take it too far. They look upon us as having taken it too far. As I spoke last time, Festus is the type that's dangerous. Your phoenixes, they're not going to persecute. They're friendly towards Christianity. Oh yeah, I'll hear a little more. Tell me some more. And they just continue to go their way. Perhaps they were raised in the church. Perhaps their parents were godly individuals, part of the church. Perhaps daddy was a deacon. Perhaps daddy was a pastor. You know, I'm okay with religion, but not Festus. Festus, these are the type that persecute. These are the type that will burn you at the stake. These are the type that will stone you to death. These are the type that will, in any way they can, bring harm to you. Because these are the type that openly despise and hate Christianity. But tonight, I want to call your attention to the third. This is Paul's third defense. And this is before King Agrippa. Now notice, as Festus has his unleashing of anger and hatred towards Paul and Christianity, verse 24, Festus says with a loud voice, Thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad. And then Paul's response is quite informative. Paul simply looks at him, doesn't get angry, doesn't shout back, doesn't try to argue with Festus. He simply says, he looks at Festus and he says, I'm not mad, most noble Festus. He speaks with respect. He's talking to the governor. This is the Roman governor. And so he says, most noble Festus. It would be akin to us saying, your honor, your honor, I'm not mad, but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness." And then it's almost as if Festus disappeared, because he looks at Festus, he says, most noble Festus, I'm not mad. And then it's almost like Festus disappears and he turns and he looks at Agrippa. Which is what we do. Someone like Felix, who postpones and delays, we continue patiently dealing with them, day after day. I'll hear more, I'll tell you more. You want to hear more, I'll tell you more. Day after day, it may go on for year after year, people delaying as we plead with their soul, but we continue to stay with them. But here's Festus. Festus says, this is nuts! This is horrible! You know, Paul, you're crazy! Paul respectfully says, No, sir, I am not crazy. And then he turns and he looks to Agrippa. So the text says, I'm not mad, Festus. I speak the words of truth and soberness. For the king knows 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. King Agrippa. Believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost persuadest me to be a Christian. Agrippa was convinced. Convinced of the truth of the gospel. And he says, Almost. I'm almost there. Almost. You persuade me to be a Christian. Now, there is some disagreement as to exactly the meaning of Paul's words as we have them before us. And it's reflected in the various translations. There is a slight textual disagreement. The modern text, when I say modern text, I'm referring to the Nestle-Alem, the United Bible Society text. When I say modern, I'm not talking about a newer text. As far as the Greek text, I'm just saying it's the text that modern translations use, as opposed to the Received Text or the Textus Receptus. In the Received Text, it uses the word genomai. And in the other translations, it used the words poieo. Poieo means to make or to do. Genomai... Get on my means to become. So you see the difference. One is to make one something. The other one is to become something. Well. The translations that tend to translate it as almost a more sarcastic tone, ESV, the NIV, they translate something like, do you think you can convince me to be a Christian in such a short period of time? In other words, it's almost a sarcastic tone. Do you really think in such a short period of time, Paul, you can convince me to be a Christian? Could it be that Agrippa was indeed stirred by the words spoken by Paul, which the King James reflects clearly in saying, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Or the New American Standard takes that approach too. The New American Standard translates it, Agrippa replied to Paul, in a short time you will persuade me to be a Christian. It's not a question. It's not an interrogative statement. And so, he's not asking a question. He's not saying, in a short time, will you persuade me to be a Christian? No, he's making a statement. In a short time, you will persuade me to become a Christian. In essence, he's saying the same thing. Almost persuadest thou me to be a Christian. Many, many people Although they may not preach from the King James, for example, notable R.C. Sproul, who I respect greatly and profit from his teaching. R.C. Sproul, a huge proponent of the ESV. The ESV translates it more in the sarcastic tone. Do you think you can convince me to be a Christian in such a short period of time? But yet I heard a message from him the other day, almost persuade us, thou me, to be a Christian. Would you persuade me to be a Christian? Yeah, in such a short time, which anyway. It's still taking the, this is the NIV that I quoted, it's still taking that same point of view. Would you persuade me to be a Christian in such a short period of time? As opposed to, I'm almost there. I'm almost persuaded to be a Christian. Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. The point is, Agrippa agrees with all of the facts. In fact, Paul asked him the question. He says, Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? Do you actually have you heard them? Have you understood them? Do you believe what they say? All of them point to Christ. Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? And of course, King Agrippa did believe the prophets. He's a Jew brought up in the Jewish tradition. He did believe the prophets. And he had also heard of Christ. You have to imagine that Agrippa heard about Christ in many different ways. His dad had put James to death. He's heard of Christ. And his great-grandfather was actually an authority when the king was born, when Jesus Christ came into the world. And he was so stirred by the prophecies that he knew that this young child was declared of God to be the king of the Jews. Kill him because he will threaten my throne. Agrippa had heard his whole life stories about this child growing up, stories about him, the position that he gained in Jerusalem as multitudes were following him. He would have heard much about Christ. And not only this, the very situation concerning Christ, his ministry in Jerusalem, his crucifixion, all of this. was common knowledge. It was all known. When Jesus meets the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus says, you know, paraphrasing, guys, what's the matter? And they answered, paraphrasing, are you from Mars? You haven't heard? Everyone's heard what's happened. Everyone. knows what happened. All the Jews understand clearly about this Jesus. And that's the reason Paul says in verse 26, For the king knoweth of these things, before whom I also speak freely. For I'm persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was not done in a corner. This thing was done openly. And you all know about it. Well, Paul had spoken the message of the gospel plainly and clearly, enough to throw Festus into a fit of rage. He had spoken the gospel plainly and clearly. He mentions on verse 13 in chapter 26, At midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining round about me with them which journeyed with me. When we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me and 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. But rise and stand upon thy feet. For I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto thee, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send you, to open their eyes, 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 which is in me." had preached clearly the gospel of Christ. Agrippa had heard, and Agrippa's response, I'm almost there, Paul. You've almost convinced me. The things you have to say are absolutely true, and I am almost there. Why then did Agrippa not flee to Christ? in faith and repentance. He's heard of sin. He's heard that Satan has this world bound in darkness. He's understood clearly that Christ is the only way of salvation. Why is it that he did not drop all things then and there and say, what must I do to be saved? Well, I think there's several reasons why he did not. One, because I think he had too much invested in this world. which is the problem of most people. Too much invested in this world. The love of this world is what keeps countless millions from everlasting life. Parable of the sower, Matthew 13, 22. He also that received the seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becometh unfruitful. I grew up a herd. But yet the seed took no root, unfruitful, had no effect, almost persuaded, but not there. Jesus said in Matthew 19, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. He was not willing to turn from his life? What would others say? What would Festus say? Festus has just looked at Paul and said, Paul! You are out of your mind! What if Agrippa would have said, Paul! I believe! I trust! Yes, this Christ is indeed the Son of God, the Savior! Yes, I bow before Him! What would Festus have said about Agrippa? What would the Jews have said about Agrippa? Remember, the Jews wanted Paul put to death. They were willing to travel from Jerusalem all the way to Caesarea. And after two years has passed, they were willing to make that journey because they hated Paul. What would the Jews have done to Agrippa? Remember, Agrippa's job Festus's job, keep peace among the Jews. The Roman authorities would not tolerate dissent. So keep peace at all costs. Keep peace. What would have happened if the king would have trusted Christ? He was not willing to do this. It could have been that Agrippa was convinced of the truth of the gospel, but he was not willing to give up his position. He's the king. He's not willing to give up his great position of pomp. Don't forget again the way he entered into the arena where Paul is giving his defense. On the morrow when Griffith was come and Bernice with great pomp and was entered into the place of hearing and the chief captains and the principal men of the city at Festus' commandment, Paul was brought forth. The word for pomp here is phantasia in the Greek. Phantasia is the word that we get, you can hear it, fantasy. In fact, if you do a strict transliteration of the word, it's letter by letter, it spells out fantasia. In other words, it's one who goes forth with a great sense of show, something flashy, something that catches the eye, Agrippa enters into this place with such pomp that catches the eye because all these chief men of the city and the Jewish leaders, they're looking at him and you have to imagine he had his kingly robe on as he goes and he sits on his kingly throne. He's not willing to give up his royal position. And could it be that he got this from his father? Fathers tend to pass on many of their unfavorable traits under their children. You remember his father? His father is the one, and on a set date, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel with pomp, I'm sure, sat on his throne and made an oration to them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god and not of a man. And immediately, The angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory and was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost. Agrippa loved the pomp, the attention. He loved putting on his royal robes. Surely he would not be willing to put down his own robe in order to place the robe upon Christ. Not willing, not willing to give this up. And what a contrast it must have been as Agrippa is sitting upon his throne with Bernice sitting at his side and all these people around and with great show and outward expression of pomp and enters the room. Remember, they all come in and they're seated. And then at the command of Festus, Paul is brought forth. Historians say that Paul would have been a short man, ball-headed, advancing in years by this point. So here comes Paul with a plain white toga on, probably hunched over a bit, completely unassuming, no pomp, with absolute meekness and humility, slowly comes walking in. What a contrast between this man who is so full of himself and Paul who doesn't even have to come at all but he took the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ what a contrast and could it be that Agrippa had invested so much in the Jewish religion knowing that if he received Christ He would be expelled from the temple. He would be ostracized by the Jewish leaders. He would be one that would be completely an outcast from all that Judaism pointed to. Why were so many Jewish people in poverty in Jerusalem? Why were there so many poor people that Paul was taking up a collection among so many of the churches that we read in the New Testament? Why is it that Jerusalem was so much worse off than many of the other places? Because these Jewish brethren lost everything. They were ostracized. They lost their jobs, their livelihood. They were outcast. They were excluded. They could no longer enter into the life of the Jewish community. Could it be that he had so much invested in the Jewish community, he was not willing to give it up to receive Christ. Matthew Henry says, Agrippa saw a great deal of reason for Christianity. The proofs of it he owns are strong and such as he cannot answer the objections against it trifling and such as he cannot for shame insist upon. so that if it were not for his obligations to the ceremonial law and his respect to the religion of his fathers and of his country, or his regard to his dignity as a king and his secular interest, he would have turned to Christianity immediately. But he would not. He did not. Could it be that although he was convinced of the truth of the gospel, He was not willing to forsake his sin. Human beings love their sin. Don't forget, Bernice is his sister. Remember as he comes marching in with great pop on the morrow when Agrippa was come and Bernice with great pop entered into the palace of hearing with the chief priest and the principal men of the city. Could it be? that he was so steeped in his sin with the illicit affair with his sister, in which only the most base individual would enter into such an incestuous relationship. Could it be that he was not willing to forsake the pleasures of sin in order to embrace Christ? How many people do we know just like King Agrippa Oh, they're not vicious against the gospel like Festus was. Agrippa is not railing against Paul. He's not saying, Paul, I agree with Festus. You are mad. You are a lunatic. You are out of your mind. He doesn't say that. He says, Paul, I'm almost there. You almost convinced me to be a Christian. I am almost there. How many people do we know that way? They're favorable towards the gospel, polite when you speak to them about Christ. Perhaps they hear a message stirred to the very depths of their soul. They tremble at the words they've heard. They've heard clearly the nature of the living God who is holy. They've heard clearly the nature of the law which condemns them, the law which serves as their schoolmaster to show that they are indeed guilty before the living God. They've seen themselves clearly in the mirror, but then They go away. Almost! I mean, trembling in their seat, holding on to the back of the chair till their knuckles turn white. Almost there! But then when it's all over, they're able to walk out of the back of the church. Or perhaps, even before they get out the door, they meet someone in the back and they start laughing and chuckling about their week and the things of life. And they forget what manner of man they saw just a few moments before. which James says in James 1.23. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass, the glass being a mirror. For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was, almost persuaded. For how many people in our generation are members of local churches, They attend every Sunday. They tithe of their income. They're there every time the doors of the church are open. Involved in the life of the church. Come to every activity. But Christ does not grip their heart. They go out and live just like everyone else in the world. There's no reality of Christ in them. They're religious. Almost persuaded. Almost! But Christ means nothing to them. The very nature of religion is it can be so distracting. Churches have so many things to do. There are gymnasiums. There's this activity and that activity. So much to occupy our thoughts and attention in church. We feel good about ourselves because we're so much a part of the church. Do not know Christ. Almost persuaded. How many people will stand before Christ. They'll call him Lord, Master. Because after all, I do know him, don't I? Lord, Lord! We were involved! We did many wonderful things in your name! By your name! We've done much! Jesus says, I don't even know you. I've never known you. Depart from me. Almost. Almost. but not there. Almost saved is to be totally lost. How many people get almost there, but then it's not enough? You know, an airplane that's coming in for a landing that almost makes the runway, a matter of feet off, crashes and people lose their lives. The mother in labor who almost makes it to the hospital still delivers in the back seat of the car. Almost. We were watching the Olympics last night for a moment. A young lady from Louisiana attended LSU, running the hurdles. She was a shoe-in. The gold was hers. There was no doubt. Everyone knew she was going to win. And indeed, she was winning. She was ahead of everyone, leaping over the hurdles like a deer. Incredible to watch, and she was ahead. Almost to the finish line! The gold medal was hers! She could see it! But the second to the last hurdle, her foot hit it. She tripped. She stumbled. Three other people went ahead of her. She didn't get the gold. She didn't get the silver. She didn't get the bronze. The shoe-in. The one that should have won. Almost! She did! But almost isn't enough. She still came in, in the pack, but almost isn't enough. In many ways, Agrippa was like Felix. Felix was waiting for a better time. Tell me more, Paul. Maybe later. That's what Agrippa's doing. I'm almost persuaded. Maybe later. Perhaps at another time. Perhaps when all these people are not here watching. Maybe, you know, some later time. But of course, Jesus will not have this kind of profession. Jesus says, whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. There are multitudes in this world who are blessed in having heard the gospel. It's a great blessing to hear it, to be born in a land where it's preached openly, to be born in a home where you hear the gospel. It's a great blessing. What do you do with it? What will you do with it? What will our young people do with the gospel they've heard over and over? What will your coworker do, your neighbor? people that hear the gospel over and over and over. Perhaps many will be like Felix, who continued to delay to the destruction of his soul. Some like Festus, who consider the truth too unbelievable to embrace. Some like Agrippa, that are so close, but yet still perish in their sin. The Gospel demands that we believe today. Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day that we must hear and believe. The common thread in all three of these, common thread, pride. The nature of the human heart. Why didn't Felix believe? Pride. Tell me more later. Why didn't Festus believe? Pride. Paul, you gotta be foolish to believe such a thing. No wise man would ever believe such rubbish. And then Agrippa. Almost, but after all, I like the pump. After all, I'll hold my religion, thank you very much. After all, I don't want to give up my wealth. After all, I don't want to give up my sin. Almost, but not there. Christ is worthy of all, of all today. Either he's captivated our heart or he has not. Almost is not good enough. We must embrace him completely or not at all. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, may these three men continually serve as a warning to us. Felix. and perished in his sin. Or Festus, who had such a hatred of Christianity, despised it, would not have it. He perished in his sin. And Agrippa, who almost became a Christian, but still perished in his sin. Father, may it be a reminder to us that Christ is either worthy of our life, or he's not, God help us to see him as truly precious, wonderful, glorious to behold, and help us to forsake all and follow him. Thank you, Father, for such a glorious gospel and such a glorious Savior. In Jesus' name we pray.