Persuading the King

Acts: The Gospel in the City PART XXVIII
Rev. Leo Schuster
16 June 2013

15"Then I asked, 'Who are you Lord?'
"'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.' the Lord replied. 16'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may recieve forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

19"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentence by their deeds. 21That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22But God as helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen--23that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.

24At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense.  "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted.  "Your great learning is driving you insane."

25"I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied.  "What I am saying is true and reasonable.  26The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him.  I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.  27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?  I know you do."

28Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"

29Paul replied, "Short time or long--I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."

30The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them.  31After they left the room, they began saying to one another, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment."

32Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.

HISTORICAL EVIDENCE (v.25-26)
--Miracles authenticate Jesus's teachings
--Happened in plain sight--"not done in a corner"
--Jesus's claims were over the top by claiming to be the way to God.

BIBLICAL EVIDENCE (v.27)
--Paul didn't invent anything new; he was unpacking the Old Testament.
--Understanding the Bible is understanding yourself.
--v.29 Belief can be a short or long process.

EXPERIENTIAL AND EMOTIONAL SENSE (v.29)
--New Person - truth of Jesus reinvents us.
--New Perspective - to live as Christ did.
--Freedom to fearless and courageous.
--When living through Jesus, life doesn't control us because of our position in Christ.
--New Power - through the sacrifice on the cross.