paul before festus & agrippa acts 26:1-32 message 11 in our 14-part series on the acts of the...

Paul Before Festus & Agrippa Acts 26:1-32

Message 11 in our 14-part series on the Acts of the Apostles.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Speaker: Doug Virgint

Paul before Festus & Agrippa

1. Introduction

2. The players

3. The testimony

4. The conclusion

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1. Introduction

2. The players

3. The testimony

4. The conclusion

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Introduction

Have you ever been close to a man in chains?

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1. Introduction

2. The players

3. The testimony

4. The conclusion

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The players - Festus

• Best of the Roman governors in the NT

• Josephus says “marked improvement over Felix ”

• Felix had been recalled because he had badly mishandled a riot

• Porcius Festus ruled about 2 years (60 -62 – and died in office)

• When installed, made immediate trip to Jerusalem to visit priests and Sanhedrin 6


• Uncertain whether he was agnostic or devout believer in Roman gods

• In any case, did not believe in a “resurrection”

• On death Romans were buried with a coin in mouth to pay boat trip over river Styx

• Then judgment, and sent to the Elysian fields, or Tatarus, or Ashpodel Fields 7


One other thing we should remember when we consider Festus’ reactions:

•To a Christian or a Jew, God is the ultimate moral, holy being. We try to be like him.

•The Roman gods were monstrous, unfair, immoral and nasty.

•Good Romans did not try to imitate their gods!

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• Festus was cleaning up a mess left by Felix

• He could not send Paul to Rome without explaining the charges to Nero

• He did not know what to say

• He was seeking help from Agrippa to prepare the documents he must send with Paul to explain the case to the Emperor

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The players – Agrippa 2

• Great grandson of Herod the Great, who killed the babies in Bethlehem

• Grandson of Herod the Tetrarch, who beheaded John the Baptist

• The son of Herod Agrippa 1, who had beheaded James in Acts 12

• Pretended to be a Jew, but really descended from Esau – an Edomite

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The players – Agrippa 2

• Was only 17 when Father died (Acts 12)

• Too young to reign in Father’s place• Given different, smaller territories• Responsible to appoint High Priest• Had guard of temple vestments• Controlled the temple treasury• Considered as an expert on Judaism

by the Romans – and by Paul

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The players – Bernice

• She was Agrippa’s sister (probably twin)

• His consort & probably his mistress

• Later mistress of two Roman Emperors

• Vespasian who first put down Jewish revolt in A. D. 66 - 70

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The players – Bernice

• Then mistress of his son Titus, first general, afterwards Emperor

• When Titus took her back to Rome with him, nobles made him kick her out

• Romans were not prudes, but they knew her from of old, and despised her

• They remembered too well the problems caused by another foreign princess – Cleopatra

• Paul seems to have ignored her!13

The players – Paul

• Paul had been in prison for two years.

• Chained – probably to a Roman centurion, 24 hours a day.

• But he was not on trial here – he had appealed to Rome.

• He wanted to go to Rome as part of his call as the apostle to the Gentiles.

• This appearance before Agrippa was just an opportunity for him to witness for his Lord.

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Notice three things here:

• The man who penned these words was present – the whole text “smells” like a first hand account.

• During Paul’s 2-year imprisonment, Luke, his friend and physician, was with him.

• And he is the author of the book of Acts.

• We can reject any idea that Acts (and the Gospels) were written 100 years or more after the events (à la The Da Vinci Code).

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• Festus was not well known – he only served 2 years.

• Luke gets the different Herod “Agrippas” right.

• Luke correctly shows that Agrippa 1 ruled in Jerusalem but Agrippa 2 ruled to the north-east of Israel.

• Acts – and the Gospels – are full of internal evidence that they are historical accounts.

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• Agrippa is not shown as Festus’ superior.

• This is a friendly state visit to welcome a fellow Roman ruler in a different territory.

• In Acts 25:25, Festus is reported to have referred to Caesar Nero as Augustus – a nice, small, accurate detail.

• In Acts 20: Luke referred to the islands of Chios and Samos – well known at that time to the Romans, forgotten years later.

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1. Introduction

2. The players

3. The testimony

4. The conclusion

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The testimony:

• Paul is speaking especially to Agrippa

• He stretched out his hand to him, a customary gesture – that also showed off his chains

• Remember, Paul’s goal is not to defend himself, but to convert Agrippa, and to present his testimony before this new Roman Governor – perhaps to incline him to be favourable to Christians later on

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The testimony:

• Paul makes three points:

1. Christianity is the logical and promised fulfillment of the Jewish Faith

2. Jesus’ resurrection proves him to be the Messiah

3. Paul’s changed life is a proof of the resurrection

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The testimony:

1. Christianity is the logical and promised fulfillment of the Jewish Faith (vs. 4-8)

• From his youth• Strict Pharisee• Hope of the promise by God to

Jewish Fathers• Twelve tribes serve God … hope to

attain• God raises the dead• Jesus of Nazareth 21

The testimony:

• The Old Testament is filled with promises of a coming Messiah who would solve the problem of sin

• The Old Testament is also filled with references to a future resurrection

• We desperately need a Savior to deal with our sin

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The testimony:

2. Jesus’ resurrection proves him to be the Messiah (vs. 12-18)

• No other religious leader has been raised from the dead

• The Old Testament is full of prophecy concerning the resurrection of the Messiah (Psalm 16, Isaiah 53)

Our world, our society, and we ourselves personally, need a Savior

like Jesus! 23

The testimony:

Our Messiah Jesus Christ solves man’s two greatest problems:

•The problem of guilt

•The problem of death

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The testimony:

• Do you fear death?

• Are you shutting out your guilt by denial, by activity, by alcohol, by drugs, by sex, by work …

• None of this works.

You need to turn to Jesus.

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The testimony:

Jesus is God – he is the only one with the authority and power to forgive you.

Jesus died on the cross, paying the price for your sin and your forgiveness.

Jesus rose from the dead, opening up eternal life for us with God.

We need to turn to Jesus

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The testimony:

3. Paul’s changed life is a proof of the resurrection

• One day he was persecuting Christians – the next day he was a Christian

• One day he hated Jesus Christ – the next day he loved him and served him

Only a meeting with the risen Christ could explain all these changes!

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1. Introduction

2. The players

3. The testimony

4. The conclusion

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The conclusion:

• To Paul, his conversion was synonymous with his call to testify to others about what God had done in his life.

• He was willing to be in prison and to die if necessary, if that was the price he had to pay to be a testimony.

• What price have I – have we – paid in the last month, the last year, to be testimonies?

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The conclusion:

• Have you dealt with your sin?

• Have you been cleansed of your guilt?

• Two men listened to Paul that day.

• Festus mocked him and said he was crazy.

• Agrippa said he needed more time.

• As far as we know, they died without committing themselves to Jesus.

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The conclusion:

• The Bible says that if we “neglect” this great salvation, we are without excuse!

• Today, are you mocking?

• Relying on another method to deal with your sin and guilt?

• Demanding more time – just an excuse to reject God’s remedy for your sin and guilt?

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The conclusion:

Will you accept

Jesus Christ the Messiah

as your Savior

and your Lord

today?

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paul before festus & agrippa acts 26:1-32 message 11 in our 14-part series on the acts of the...

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