I. Paul Preaches The Gospel Vs. 19-22
A. Paul Obeyed Jesus’ Commission
1. “…I was not disobedient…”: The gospel starts w/God, not w/ man
The Gospel is God’s initiative towards man. God is the Initiator.
2. “…declared…throughout”: Gospel for all people: Jews & Gentiles, small & great
3. Before God, there are no class distinctions of any kind
4. God is no respecter of persons, He shows no partiality. Acts 10:34
5. “All have sinned & fallen short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23
6. The Gospel not just for the “down & out”
7. All mankind is spiritually bankrupt before God
8. God knows that all men & women are equally in need of His forgiveness
9. “For these reasons…”: Jews hated Gentiles. Prejudice is from man, not God.
10. Paul appeals to Agrippa re. man’s universal need for God.
B. Christ Had To Suffer & Die (Acc. To Moses & Prophets) Vs. 23
1. Luke 24:25-27 25Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
2. Isaiah 50:5-7 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.
3. Isaiah 53:3-5 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
4. Daniel 9:26 The Messiah shall be cut off (capitol punishment), but not for Himself
5. Zechariah 12:10 They will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn
6. Psalm 22:14, 16-18 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
C. Christ Rose From The Dead V. 23
Isaiah 53:10, 11 He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
D. Embracing That Truth Brings Light V. 23
Matthew 4:14-16 14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”
David Guzik– Messiah was the Seed of the Woman, The blessing of Abraham to all nations; The High Priest after the order of Melchizedek; The Man who wrestled w/ Jacob; The Lion of the Tribe of Judah; The voice from the burning bush; The Passover Lamb; The Prophet greater than Moses; The captain of the Lord’s army to Joshua; The ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer mentioned in Ruth; The son of David who was a King greater than David; The suffering Savior of Psalm 22, The Good Shepherd of Psalm 23. He was the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53; He was Messiah the Prince of Daniel who would establish a kingdom that would never end.
II. Festus’ Response
A. Much Learning-Man’s Invention V. 24
1. Festus: Gospel the result of much learning (human knowledge, imagination)
a. Bible says: Gospel is NOT the invention of man
b. Not based upon superstition or imagination
c. Gospel is the revelation of God
2. Festus: Gospel is foolishness
1 Cor. 1:18 “message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing”
B. With A Loud Voice
1. Remember that Festus had not been able to solidify the charges against Paul, which was necessary in order to send him to Rome.
2. Did Festus want to publicly distance himself from the Gospel message?
3. Did he not want to appear the fool before Agrippa, dignitaries, and the public?
III. Paul’s Response To Festus (To All Present) Vs. 22, 25
A. The Gospel Is True
1. Historically Verifiable
a. Psalm 22 speaks of crucifixion 1000 years before Jesus
b. Isaiah 53 speaks of the Suffering servant 750 years before Jesus
c. Moses highly regarded by Jewish leaders- referred to coming of Messiah
2. Never Intended To Be Hidden, But Proclaimed
a. Death & resurrection of Jesus spoken about ahead of time
b. Proven to be true when those predictions are fulfilled
c. Many witnesses of the resurrected Jesus still alive (29 years earlier)
B. The Gospel Is Reasonable
The Bible says “all have sinned”. Romans 3:23
a. Each of us knows that to be true
2. The Bible talks about punishment for wrongdoing: justice
a. Each of us has a sense of justice
3. Guzik– God may sometimes act above reason, but never contrary to it.
C. Paul Goes On The Offensive Vs. 20, 26, 27
The “judge” becomes the accused; Agrippa is on trial before God; how will he plead?
1. You know these things, it isn’t a secret.
2. Repent- to think differently, reconsider to change one’s mind for better
3. Turn To God-to turn one’s self about: turn to God, not just away from sin
4. Do Works Befitting Repentance– perform repeatedly, habitually: lifestyle
5. Do You Believe?– to be persuaded, place confidence in
IV. Agrippa’s Response Vs. 28-32
A. Avoids Answering The Question Directly- Won’t Say If He Believes
B. Attributes The Persuasion To Paul- “You Almost Persuade Me”
C. Agrippa Almost Becomes A Christian
1. Almost– little, small, few; of time: short, of degree or intensity: light, slight
2. NRSV-Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?”
3. NIV– “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
4. Consider V. 27: “I know you believe!” Agrippa: moved by truth, but not far enough