“I wish you and everyone in this courtroom was totally just like me”
Acts 26:1-32
December 4, 2022
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Introduction (Acts 26:28.29)
A. Did you know that a Christian has a consuming wish? Something they yearn for everyone they meet?
B. Whether it is a president, or a plumber – an architect or an artist – a mason or a musician – a Bible beliving Christian yearns for men and women to become Christians like them!
C. That people would become JUST LIKE US! (not religious, but really different)
D. Acts 26:28,29 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God [I WISH MORE THAN ANYTHING], that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
II. Background (Acts 26:1-8)
A. Paul has been through some rough times since his conversion to Christianity in Acts 9
1. Rejected by most every Christian at first because of his past
2. Hunted by the Jews in Damascus, and had to be let down through a window over a wall so he could escape for his life – all because he had gotten born again!
3. Stoned with real rocks, and left for dead in Iconium, all because he preached repentance
4. Beaten-up several times in Philippi, and Jerusalem
5. Almost physically torn apart by angry mobs in both Ephesus and Jerusalem
6. Jailed in Philippi, and Jerusalem, and Ceserea
7. Quite a life so far being a follower of Jesus Christ!
B. But Paul says two unexpected things when he gets an opportunity to speak to a king…
1. Staring into the eyes of a powerful KING named Agrippa… Surrounded by a royal court of dozens of VIPs and maybe a hundred onlookers who gathered to hear words from the mouth of this odd Gospel preacher…
2. Paul cries out with all his heart
a. I Am Happy to be here!
b. And I wish you were all just like me!
3. Wait a minute… What?
a. Paul was happy?
b. You better believe he was happy! He was excited about the kind of life he got to live every day since getting saved!
c. He was Convinced the Christian Life was the Greatest Life You Can Live.
d. Better than being a governor like Festus, and better than the life of a king like Agrippa!
4. Paul was a Happy Man (Acts 26:3-8)
a. Quite unlike a lot of Christians I know these days – so many are the same room temperature as the world around them – rude, bitter, complaining, proud, no joy!
b. But listen for a moment to Paul in Acts 26:1,2 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: 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:
c. Paul is saying, I get to stand here (even in chains) and tell you all about my AMAZING LIFE, and answer the accusations against me! And I am glad to do it!
d. Everyone knows my manner of life – how I have lived since a teenager (Acts 26:3-5)
1) Acts 26:3 Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
2) Acts 26:4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
3) Acts 26:5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
e. Why is it so impossible to believe that God would raise again the dead? (Acts 26:6-8)
1) He gets right to the point…
a) Acts 26:6,7 And now I stand and am judged [BY THOSE PHARISEES] for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
2) And asks a very important question
a) Acts 26:8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
b) Why is it wrong to believe Jesus is back alive again?
c) Either He is alive again, or He is still dead
d) I know Jesus to be alive and well!
e) And that makes all the difference in the world!
f) THAT’S why I am in trouble!
5. And Secondly, Paul desperately wished that everyone were just like him!
a. Acts 26:29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
b. THAT was Paul’s wish above all things – “I wish you could experience MY life”
c. Except for the chains on his wrists and ankles!
6. And even after 2,000 years, I believe Paul would stand here and still wish the same thing for everyone in THIS room, today!
III. Message
A. I Wish Everyone in this Room was SAVED like Me (Acts 26:9-15)
1. Paul goes back about 10 years, and tells them all the story about what happened to him one day as he travelled a road to the city of Damascus…
a. Furious at the very name of Jesus (Acts 26:9) I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
b. Angry at anyone who would even THINK of following His teaching
1) Acts 26:10,11 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; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. 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.
c. And then Jesus spoke to me!
1) Acts 26:12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
2) Acts 26:13 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.
3) Acts 26:14 And 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.
4) Acts 26:15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
5) Paul couldn’t explain it
6) Paul wasn’t looking for Jesus – he believed Jeses was very dead!
7) He wasn’t wanting to believe – he already HAD a belief
8) He was fighting, kicking and resisting every effort Jesus did to get Paul’s attention
9) And yet here was Jesus speaking right to him, and proving to him He is quite alive, and compelling him to finally just believe it as true!
2. And that was when Paul got saved
a. He fell to the earth – humbled, stunned, defeated, proven to be wrong about everything
b. He heard Jesus speaking to him – not a preacher, or a singer, or the words of the Bible… but the voice behind the voice, the voice behind the words on the page!
c. And that’s when Saul/Paul spoke back, and wondered, “could it really be you, LORD?”
d. And that little bit of belief, SAVED HIS SOUL, changed his life, and began to turn the world upside down!
3. What is Paul saying? “I wish you all knew Jesus like I know Him”
a. I wish you knew Jesus as YOUR Lord and Saviour like I do!
b. I wish you were born again, saved, converted, adopted, justified!
c. His wish was that ALL people would personally, intimately know and love the only One who ever fully knew and yet still loved THEM!
4. What a wish! THAT is not arrogance! It is the BEST wish!
a. Paul stood there and poured out his heart in testimony of the greatest event that ever happened to him, and wished Agrippa was JUST LIKE HIM!
b. Saved!
c. Romans 10:9,10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
d. This wish was so consuming, so overwhelming that it drove him to travel throughout the middle east and deep into Europe – through Greece and Turkey all the way up to Spain, and maybe even England – tens of thousands of miles, mainly by foot
e. All because he had a wish – for every person – to get saved!
f. I got that wish, and I hope I never lose it!
5. Have you accepted the free gift of Jesus in your place? Are you saved?
a. From sin’s power?
b. From hell’s flame?
c. From Satan’s dominion?
d. Paul was saved! And he wished his worst enemies were saved just like him!
e. And You CAN be too! I’ll tell you how in just a few minutes!
B. Secondly, I wish everyone in this room was CALLED (Acts 26:16-18)
1. Jesus ‘called’ Paul to a different life than he had been living!
a. Paul next describes how Jesus spoke to him on that Damascus road, and commanded him to live differently now
b. Acts 26:16-18 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 the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive for-giveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
c. God took a religious KILLER and ‘CALLED’ him, purposed him to win souls, preach the Gospel, encourage believers, start churches, teach the Bible, glorify the Lord Jesus, and turn the world upside down and inside out – that is quite a life!
2. Look again at what Jesus called Paul to do with his new life (it is quite a calling):
a. Acts 26:16 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 the which I will appear unto thee;
1) To be a MINISTER – to serve people with the words of this Book
2) And a WITNESS – a living testimony of answered prayer and dependance upon God
b. Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
1) To be an INFLUENCE that opens people’s eyes and minds, and turns people from darkness to the Light of the Gospel, and from the power of Satan unto God
2) All so that someone else receives the greatest gift of all…
3) The forgiveness of all their sins
4) And get them an inheritance in heaven on top of it all
5) Forget about Christmas gifts… get THIS gift!
3. Every Christian in this room ought to know their calling
a. Oh I wish you knew what God wanted to do through you
1) We normally think about Preaching, Sunday School Teacher, Church Planting
2) But, what about Having a Godly home, and a business that truly honours the Lord Jesus Christ? What about staying pure until marriage? What about just giving away Gospel tracts? What about just serving people’s needs? Volunteering to help?
b. An aimless Christian is a depressed Christian – End of Story!
c. Your life is NOTHING without Christ leading, and you following
4. Think about it – if you are saved, What is YOUR purpose? MacDonalds? Netflix?
a. Oh, I wish you knew what Jesus saved you for!
b. It is usually for MORE than you have settled for!
c. If only God could open your stubborn blind eyes, your life would be so different!
C. I wish everyone in this room was SURRENDERED to that Calling (26:19,20; 9:6)
1. Paul was NOT disobedient to what Jesus told him to do
a. Acts 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
b. Paul was through fighting Jesus – arguing, resisting, kicking at the mention of His name
c. Listen to his words in Acts 26:14 And 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.
1) I know a lot of people who are saved, and they know God has a job for them to do, but they won’t do it
a) They are TOO tired, too old, too bitter, too busy, too proud
b) The will of God probably is too scary, or too painful
c) Or even too unusual
2) If you don’t want to do some hard things for the Lord, then DON’T call yourself a Christian – Don’t claim to be “Just like Christ?” That’s hypocrisy
3) And the world is going to hell simply because CHRISTIANS are constantly arguing and fighting against the will of God for their lives!
d. Go back to Acts 9:4-6 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
e. That’s the most important question a person can ever ask of God! “What should I do now that I have been given eternal life?”
2. Thankfully, Paul surrendered to the work of the Gospel
a. He just did whatever Jesus told him to do! From the moment he got saved…
b. Acts 26:20 But [I] shewed first [PREACHED] unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
c. What is the work of the Gospel?
1) To GO everywhere and talk to everyone – (not just the people you like!)
2) Telling people they should REPENT
a) Turn away from whatever life they may be living
b) And turn by faith to the only God that there is – looking to Him for everything
c) And DO good works now – do the right things, as commanded by God in this Book – that match our repentance – prove that we have actually repented!
d) No repentance, then no salvation
e) And if there are no changes in your life, then you never got born again!
3) And BELIEVE Jesus suffered and died in their place and then rose again! Just as predicted throughout the Old Testament
a) Acts 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
b) Acts 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
3. Many a Christian hesitates at this stage of their Christianity – they hesitate to really trust the Lord, and obey His Holy Spirit – they never really SURRENDER
a. Some are so SCARED of making a mistake
b. Others are FEARFUL of God’s ways being different than the norm – being weird
4. To surrender means to give up the freedom do as I please, and do as HE pleases now!
5. And believe me – surrender is the sweetest strength of the Christian, and Paul was driving it home right into the heart of king Agrippa
D. He then yearned that everyone in that room would become SAFE like he was (26:21-23)
1. Acts 26:21,22 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day…
2. Paul KNEW he was SAFE
a. Agrippa had a standing army surrounding him, protecting him
b. Yet, Paul was the safest man alive
3. Why? Because he was doing the will of God
4. And Because of the help of GOD as he did the will of God!
a. He was not on his own, doing things in his own strengths
b. Did you notice Jesus’ promise in Acts 26:17? Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
c. Jesus promised to take good care of Paul
d. Not to keep him FROM trouble
e. But to always get him THROUGH every valley, every storm!
f. Why did Paul keep going through all the beatings, starvation, ship-wrecks (2Corinthians 11:23-33)?
1) Because Paul had met Jesus ALIVE and WELL on the road to Damascus – LORD!
2) Because Jesus called him to PREACH the Gospel to a hostile world – called to do a hard thing!
3) And, Because Jesus promised to keep him SAFE through them all
5. Therefore, You and I are safe in the care of Jesus, as we DO the WILL of God
E. Lastly,
Paul Wished everyone in that room was PERSISTANT like Him (Acts
26:22-29)
FAITHFUL, CONSISTANT
1. Acts 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
2. Paul says, I continue to this very day – I am not quitting
a. I am not backing down, slowing down, petering out
b. I may wear-out but I will wear-out doing what God saved me to do! AMEN!
c. I am going to persevere, and stay the course all the way to the finish
1) That is the only way to live folks!
2) This generation is so full of quitters
3) And those of us that stay the course are thought of as weird
4) We should be the most faithful and consistant kind of people in the world!
3. Watch as Festus interrupts, and calls Paul ‘a mad-man’
a. Acts 26:24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself [CRAZY]; much learning doth make thee mad.
b. But Paul responds as a gentlemen, and keeps talking, keeps preaching
c. Acts 26:25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
4. And then, Paul turns all attention on to Agrippa
a. Acts 26:26,27 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
b. He knows Agrippa in his heart of heart believes in the resurrection, and that Paul was making sense
c. And begs Agrippa to believe the Gospel he just preached!
d. He almost is trying to believe FOR Agrippa – but we can’t do it for people!
5. And that’s when Agrippa hesitates
a. Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
b. Ah, look at what Paul has been doing… PERSUADING, Convincing, Swaying Agrippa
c. And Agrippa STOPPED SHORT of becoming a bonafide Christian!
d. He was one breath away from stepping down from that throne and embracing Paul as a brother in Christ!
e. And he decided not to!
f. Oh that would discourage the best of us, and cause us to hang our heads and walk away
6. But Paul presses the point – doesn’t skip a beat…
a. Acts 26:29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
b. He cries out so everyone hears him… “I wish you king Agrippa, and everyone in this courtroom was totally just like me… except for their chains!”
1) Even though Agrippa says ‘almost’, Paul doesn’t shut down and quit pressing!
2) Paul says in the most burdened of words, “Oh How I Wish you were not just almost like me, but altogether like me!”
a) Not just SAVED like me, but…
b) SAVED AND CALLED to a whole new LIFE
c) AND SURRENDERED to that calling
d) AND SAFE as I do my calling
e) AND FAITHFUL, never quitting
7. Agrippa fully understood what Paul was asking him to become
a. Paul was begging Agrippa to become ALL OF THOSE THINGS
b. Not just a believer
c. But a CHRISTIAN – someone who followed Jesus Christ in belief AND actions
d. All because Agrippa saw all of those things in Paul’s life
8. Oh, be faithful dear Christian – be rock-solid consistent in your new life!
a. The world meets too many Sunday only Christians – barely Sunday only Christians!
b. They meet yo-yo Christians
c. Christianity needs a bunch of persistent people, who consistently pray, soul-win, give, and go – never quitting till the trumpet blows someday soon!
d. So, STAY witnessing, preaching, praying, tracting, serving people as Christ did
1) Who is not saved in your family? Stay on them with passion and patience
2) Who is not saved at work – keep working on them! Inviting them to consider where they will spend eternity
3) Who is not in church this morning? Will you still love them, and go after them and encourage them, and pick them up and bring them back?
4) What countries need Bible preaching churches? Will ANYBODY surrender today to GO, and STAY until the job gets done? ANYBODY?
5) It’s ONLY going to get done by persistence in prayer, and preaching, and passionate giving, and then going!
F. Unfortunately, Agrippa and Festus Made Their Decision (Acts 26:30-32)
1. Acts 26:30-32 And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.
2. They did three things that determined their destiny
a. They chose NOT to believe – they walked away from the greatest opportunity ever
1) You are free to chose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choices!
2) John 3:18,19 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
b. They decided to pass Paul on to the next guy – “Go talk to the guy down the street…”
1) They could have set him free
2) Passed the buck to Caesar
c. And then decided to just go back to their pitiful, wasted, lost lives
3. That may have been the last time they ever had an opportunity to get saved!
4. And if it was, they, and everyone in that room on day, stepped off into eternity, lost!
IV.Conclusion
A. Agrippa ALMOST got it – almost became one of us – a true fanatic – a Christ follower
1. You see, Paul didn’t want Agrippa to just pray a prayer, or dabble in religion, or become a good person, or change religions
2. He wanted Agrippa and everyone in that courtroom to be just like HIM!
3. Not just “SAVED” … But a true, sold-out follower of Jesus, who is:
a. Born Again
b. Called – having a purpose
c. Surrendered and obedient to that call
d. Always Safe
e. And very Persistent and faithful being like Jesus
4. That’s what a CHRISTIAN is – and Agrippa now KNEW IT!
5. There is nothing better than being a sold-out, born-again, sin-hating, blood-bought, Bible-believing, soul-winning, sinner saved by God’s grace, and doing the will of God by that same grace!
B. But oh how Paul’s heart broke at that one word – ALMOST
1. Agrippa didn’t flat out reject the Gospel, he just hesitated and put it all off!
2. Almost saved is still all lost!
3. Agrippa almost surrendered to the truth of the Gospel, but walked away, and went to hell
4. Don’t make the same mistake!
C. TODAY, right NOW is your moment…
1. REPENT – that is a humbling of yourself before God as a messed-up sinner
2. And believe Jesus suffered and died in YOUR place and then rose again for your victory!
D. Don’t be ALMOST a Christian. Become someone just like Paul!