SERMON: CONTINUING THE ACTS OF THE SAINTS (ACTS 28:30-31)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 1:1-4

 

Luke 1:1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

 

            -- a few years ago, I read a book called "Younger Next Year" – it’s basically a book about recovering your life and finding fitness in the last third of your life – and while the authors give lots of practical tips about getting back into shape and striving to have your best health ever as you move on in your later years, I think the best advice they gave was this

            -- they said that the reason so many older adults are in poor health and can’t walk or get around like they used to is because they forgot who they truly are and they’ve accepted the lie from the world that when you get older, your health must decline

-- that’s simply not true, the authors said – instead of living life like that, they recommend we start living like we feel on the inside – and recapture our younger selves that are hidden deep within

-- their point is that because we get too caught up in being an adult and living like the world tells us to live that we get overly stressed about life – and this is the reason so many older adults face health issues later in life

-- the authors say that we have forgotten how to play and how to be active and how to focus on what's truly important – we need to learn to look at life through the eyes of a child and start living more childlike if we want to be truly healthy

-- and, if you think about it, what they are saying makes sense -- no one really feels old on the inside – even now that I’m over 60, I don’t feel like I’m an adult – when a crisis happens, I still look for an adult to take charge – I still feel like I’m a child or teenager or young adult on the inside – and I think we all do – we’re young people trapped in an older body

-- so, the authors of this book say, if you’ll start living life like you feel on the inside – physically – mentally – and emotionally – your health and your life will improve – you will literally become younger next year – and you’ll begin to enjoy life as we used to when we were younger in body, mind, and spirit

 

            -- well, with that thought in mind, I wanted to share with you a few quotes from kids that I got off the internet – these are great reminders of what we have forgotten as we have gotten older and how we need to start living again if we are going to live the full and abundant lives that Jesus is calling us to – these quotes are from a post entitled, “Important Things I've Learned from Kids"

 

-- It's more fun to color outside the lines.

-- If you're gonna draw on the wall, do it behind the couch.

-- Ask "Why?" until you understand.

-- Even if you've been fishing for 3 hours and haven't gotten anything except poison ivy and a sunburn, you're still better off than the worm.

-- Make up the rules as you go along.

-- If the horse you're drawing looks more like a dog, make it a dog.

-- If you want a kitten, start out asking for a horse.

-- You can't ask to start over just because you're losing the game

-- and, finally, everyone's got a story, you just have to ask

 

II.  The Story of Our Lives

            -- those are some important things we all need to remember -- and apply -- in our lives -- especially that last one -- "everyone's got a story, you just have to ask"

 

            -- Donald Miller, the author of the autobiographical book about his faith -- “Blue Like Jazz” – has really leaned into this idea that everyone’s got a story – it became very real to him when they were making a movie from his book

-- he said that whole experience of seeing his life turned into a movie caused him to step back and see his life from a different perspective – not only as he experienced it, but as others around him experienced it, too – and it helped him see how his life truly was a story that was being written by Someone greater than him

-- looking back at his life like this, Miller was able to see how the trials and tribulations that he had experienced were necessary in his life – how conflict makes a story better because conflict forces the protagonist to grow and mature and change into a better version of themselves

-- when you’re in the midst of your story, he wrote, you can’t always see this – but when you look back and review your life and see the story that God is writing, you can see how His hand has been on your life the whole time and how He has molded and shaped you into the person He wants you to be

            -- this experience of seeing his life turned into a movie impacted Miller so much that he started a company called "Storyline," where he helps people through the process of doing the same thing with their lives as what happened to him during the movie-making process

-- when you begin to realize your life is a story, you begin to see the bigger picture of your life and the direction God is moving you and you can make the necessary adjustments to align your life with God's grand story of you – and when you reach that point, you can change your story to make it better¹

            -- in her song, “Write Your Story,” Francesca Battistelli says the same thing – she sings, "I'm an empty page -- I'm an open book -- Write your story on my heart -- Come on and make Your mark"

-- that's the same process Miller is calling people to – to begin to see their lives as part of a story that God is writing, and for them to reach out to God and invite Him to help their stories become ever better

 

            -- well, since reading Miller's book on this subject -- "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" -- I've really gotten enamored with this idea of living life like a story -- and I've tried to impress this on others -- I was talking with someone just last week about a crisis they were in that is totally encompassing their lives -- and they were wondering how they would ever make it through

            -- and I reminded them that God was writing their story at this very moment -- and this crisis wasn't the end -- it was only a chapter -- or maybe even just a paragraph -- a moment in time -- a moment in the story that was necessary to grow them and to change them and to make them stronger so they would move on to the better things which God had for them in the end

            -- and just realizing that their story was more than the crisis seemed to help -- it seemed to give them hope for the future

            -- everyone has a story, you just need to make them aware of it

 

III.  The Story of the Bible  

            -- and while Donald Miller and Francesca Battistelli may be the latest to promote this idea of God writing the story of our lives, they certainly weren't the first -- what is the Bible but the story of God written in the lives of everyday people – people, like you and me?

            -- what is the Bible but the stories of people who take a moment to say, "Hey, let me tell you who God is and let me tell you what God has been doing in my life?"

 

            -- we have seen the truth of this over the last several weeks as we have been going through the Book of Acts together – for the Book of Acts is simply the story of how God sent the Holy Spirit to the new church of Christ, so that they might be empowered to go forth and share the good news of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth

 

            -- and we see the truth of this in the opening to the Gospel of Luke – look back with me at Luke 1:1 again

 

Luke 1:1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

           

            -- in these first four verses in this gospel, Luke is basically telling his friend Theophilus, “Have I got a story for you!”

            -- and he goes on to share with Theophilus the greatest story ever written – the story of Jesus – and how God sent Him to earth to show us the way – to reconcile us with the Father – to offer up His very own body and blood on the cross as payment for our sin – and then how He was resurrected on the third day in proof of His victory over sin and death

-- but, Luke says, the story is even greater than that because we are all in this story – just knowing Jesus changed lives – just being around Jesus made everyone better – and following Jesus is the greatest adventure in the world

-- “Listen to this story, Theophilus, because you’re going to want to be part of this, too!”

 

            -- there are a couple important points in these opening verses to the gospel of Luke I want you to see and I want you to think about

 

            -- first, Luke says here he wanted to write an orderly account of these things which happened to us -- in other words, Luke is telling us in the introduction to this gospel that he has a story -- and it's a story that he not only heard from others, but that he was an eyewitness to -- a story that he saw with his eyes -- that he looked upon -- that he touched with his hands -- a story that happened to him

 

            -- second, this story of Luke is not just an ordinary story -- it's the story of faith -- it's the story of Luke's faith -- the story of salvation -- Luke wants to tell us how God came to earth in the form of a man so that we could have fellowship with him -- so that we would know Him in a real and personal way -- so that we would have someone we could follow -- someone we could imitate and emulate in our actions -- someone who would go to the cross for us and pay the price for our sins so we could experience life with God forever

 

            -- third, this story of Luke was written with a purpose in mind -- he wrote this story for Theophilus, so Theophilus would know beyond the shadow of a doubt that what he had been told -- that what he believed -- was true -- Luke wrote this down and said, "This happened -- I know the people it happened to -- I was part of this story -- I was there and I can tell you it's true -- and because I was there and because I am telling you it's true, you can trust in it -- you can believe it -- you can have faith in it"

 

            -- so, what does this mean to us? -- what are we supposed to get from Luke's introduction to this gospel? -- what is the take-home message for today?

 

            -- first, we need to remember and really take hold of the fact that everyone has a story -- that's the most important thing of all -- we have to remember we are in the midst of a story -- it will change the way you live

            -- let me give you an example – I’ve shared with you that I retired from my civilian job with the Air Force this week – but retirement doesn’t mean that my story is over – it simply means that I’m beginning a new chapter

-- and thinking about my life as a story causes me to wake up and consider, “What chapter is God leading me to write today? – What adventure will today hold that I can record so that others might see how God led me during this time? -- What can I do today to make my life meaningful?"

            -- remembering you have a story and that every day you are writing a story reminds you to live each day to the fullest and to make every day count

 

            -- second, as we just noted, Luke's story was not just an ordinary story, but it was the story of faith -- as Christians, our stories are not just ordinary stories either -- in the King James translation of 1 Peter 2:9, the Apostle Peter writes that we are a peculiar people -- and I really like that phrase -- we are nothing if we are not peculiar

            -- the stories that we are writing are not just the stories of going to work and going to school and going out to eat and or watch TV or whatever -- no, the stories we are writing are stories of faith -- stories of our interaction with Jesus and with those around us -- stories of how our faith intersects with this world and the people of this world and changes it in ways great and small – stories like those we have been reading about in the Book of Acts

            -- when you remember you have a story and that it is a peculiar story -- the story of faith that you are writing -- then you can begin to revolve each part of your life around Jesus -- as Whitney Hopler points out, it helps us discover the purpose of our life and empowers us to fulfill it²

            -- in addition to waking up each morning and saying, "Today is a new day -- what story am I going to write today?" -- you need to also ask, "What is Jesus going to do through me today? -- where is He going to send me? -- what does He want me to do? -- who will He put in my path? -- what life will I interact with today?"

            -- as Luke says, we all have a story -- a story of faith -- that we write every day -- we just need to remember it

 

            -- third, finally, we need to remember not only do we have a story -- not only is the story we are writing a story of faith -- but our story needs to be written with purpose

            -- I've been reading a lot lately about passion and about purpose and about finding your true path in this crazy world today -- and while most of what I have been reading is secular literature, the main point remains true -- we need to identify our passion -- we need to identify our purpose -- if we are going to live meaningful and happy and successful lives

 

            -- we spend too much time focusing our energy and our resources on things that really don't matter -- and this keeps us drained emotionally and physically and spiritually -- I had a friend at work a few years ago who was so frustrated with his job and with the difficulties of his job that it affected his physical health and his emotional state -- he couldn’t sleep -- he got up in the middle of the night to do work – he became short-tempered with everybody around him – eventually, his doctor told him that his health had drastically declined over the last couple of years

            -- I talked with him about this at the time -- I told him you can't do this -- you can't keep this up -- you need to stop caring about every single thing that we do at work this much, because it just doesn't matter

-- honestly, a lot of what he was so worried about back then, no one even remembers right now – all those major pressing issues just went away

-- which begs the question – why do we waste all our time and energy focusing on things that don't matter while the important things are neglected?

 

            -- when you remember that each day you are writing a story of faith and that Christ is intimately involved in that story, you start focusing on the important things – when you start to write Christ into your life from the moment you first open your eyes in the morning until you lay your head down that night, your focus shifts

            -- rather than worrying about ourselves and focusing on the nonessential part of life, our passion and our purpose shift to focus on Jesus -- we begin looking for Him in our daily lives -- we begin seeking Him out and finding out where He is working so that we might join Him in His redeeming work in this world today

            -- Jesus told us that every day we must die to self and pick up our cross and follow Him -- and by aligning our passion and His purpose in our lives together, we can put aside all the things of life that are hindering us in our walk with Jesus and we can "maximize our participation in His story"

            -- by focusing our passion and purpose on Christ every day, we can rest and relax in His presence -- we can rely more on Him and not ourselves -- we can focus on what's truly important and let the lesser things that worry us so much pass away

 

            -- the bottom-line message is this -- remember that every day you are writing a story of faith and that you need to focus your time and energy and resources on what is truly important and not on the nonessentials of life

            -- this is something that we have seen lived out for us in the life of the Apostle Paul

 

            -- flip over to Acts 28:30-31

 

Acts 28:30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

 

            -- after more than 20 years of ministry – three missionary journeys – multiple storms and shipwrecks and dangers – trouble with Jews and Gentiles – the Apostle Paul has finally made his way to Rome, which was his heart’s destination all along

            -- it didn’t happen like he expected – God added a few twists to Paul’s story to keep things interesting – but Paul has made it

            -- for two whole years, Paul lived in Rome in a rented house waiting for his day before Caesar – not in anticipation of his final vindication before the court of Rome – but in anticipation of the opportunity to share his story of faith and the good news of Jesus with the leader of the Roman Empire

            -- and even while he waited, Paul continued to write his story – proclaiming the kingdom of God and the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and without hindrance to everyone who came to visit him

            -- and there the Book of Acts ends – but the story continues – it continues on in Acts 29 – which is the chapter that God is writing with us – the chapter of our faith and our ministry and how He is continuing to use His people and His church to share the good news of Jesus with this world today

            -- Acts 29 is being written every day – in your life and mine – and in the lives of all our brothers and sisters in the faith across this world

            -- remember the story that is being written – remember your part in this story – and every day, when you get up, ask God to help you write a good story that day

 

IV.  Closing

            -- let’s bring this study to a close – since we’ve been studying the stories of faith written for us in the Book of Acts for several weeks and because we’re not all aware that we are part of a great story that God is writing in our own lives – I asked Donna to close today with the hymn, “Blessed Assurance”

 

            -- in this hymn, Fanny Crosby really brought out the idea of the story of faith that we are all living as God works in us and through us to record the stories of our lives

            -- Fanny Crosby is, without a doubt, the most celebrated hymn writer of all time – she wrote over 9,000 hymns – most of them inspired by her own life experiences with God – the stories of faith that God was writing on her heart

            -- but what makes this accomplishment so much more noteworthy is the fact that Fanny Crosby was blind from the time she was 6 weeks old until her death -- but even though her eyesight was taken from her, she never got bitter -- she never got angry at God for her condition – because she learned to recognize God's hand in the story of her life

-- she realized her life was a story of her faith -- and she recorded her stories in the form of hymns so they would continue to bless us today

 

-- one day at a Bible conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, Miss Crosby was asked by the great evangelist, D.L. Moody, to give a personal testimony -- At first she hesitated, then quietly rose and said, 'There is one hymn I have written which has never been published -- I call it my soul's poem -- Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.'

-- She then recited this lyric to her unpublished hymn while many wept:

"Someday the silver cord will break,

and I no more as now shall sing;

but oh, the joy when I shall wake

within the palace of the King!

And I shall see Him face to face,

and tell the story--saved by grace!"³

 

-- that is the whole reason we have been studying the Book of Acts these last few weeks – not so we could just learn more about the Bible – but so that we could join the saints in writing the story of faith in our own lives – following their example as we seek to go forth and tell the story of how Jesus touched our lives and changed us by His grace

-- so, as we close, let us remember the story of Acts -- and let us remember that the story that was started in the Book of Acts continues on in us today

-- let us leave here and write new stories of faith as we strive to be faithful messengers for God in the world today – proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching everyone about the Lord Jesus Christ, just as the Apostle Paul did in his final days

-- let's pray

 

-------------------------------------------------------

1 Donald Miller, Storyline Home:  http://storylineblog.com/

2 Whitney Hopler, "How to find your place in Jesus' great story," Crosswalk.com [http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/how-to-find-your-place-in-jesus-great-story.html]

3 "The Unpublished Hymn," Sermon Central Staff, [http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-sermoncentral-staff-stories-comfort-68461.asp]

 

SERMON: STORMS, SHIPWRECKS, AND SNAKES (Acts 27-28:16)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 27:1-12

 

Acts 27:1When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

 

3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

 

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our journey through the Book of Acts – when we left off last week, we looked at the sad state of King Agrippa – who heard the gospel – who believed the gospel intellectually – but who could not be persuaded by Paul to take that final step, where one puts their faith in Jesus for salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life

            -- Agrippa tells Paul that he was almost persuaded, but as we talked about last week, being almost persuaded – almost believing – almost having faith in Jesus – just means that you are totally lost and bound by your sins and death

            -- and even though both Agrippa and Festus agreed that Paul was innocent of all the charges the Jews had brought against him, Paul’s appeal to Caesar stood firm – and in this next section, we read of Paul’s final journey to Rome

 

            -- I’ve entitled this message, “Storms, Shipwrecks, and Snakes,” which I thought was especially fitting given that this weekend is the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene – and as we’ll see in this passage, just like the sailors here discounted the threat of severe weather, I remember the local forecasters saying that Helene was going to not be a major threat to our area – but that it should make landfall as a lower category hurricane, bringing mostly high rain and some strong tropical storm-force winds with it into Valdosta

            -- but they were wrong, as we all know – Helene was a storm of historic proportions – and we are still recovering from the damage she brought – and while we were not shipwrecked, we did experience the wreckage of our homes, our forests, and our community – and we experienced the snakes and the scammers and those who follow catastrophe, seeking to inflict even more harm on those reeling from the storms of life

            -- so, let’s look now at Paul and how he handled the storms, shipwrecks, and snakes that threatened him on his final journey to Rome

 

 II.  THE STORM (Acts 27:1-26)

            -- look back with me now at Acts 27:1, and let’s start our study there

 

Acts 27:1When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

 

3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

 

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

 

            -- the decision was made by Festus and Agrippa to send Paul on to Rome, at his request – so they placed him in the custody of a Roman centurion named Julius, along with several other prisoners

            -- Paul’s innocence was obvious, as he was afforded luxuries probably not available to the other prisoners – he was allowed to go into port and meet with friends there – Christians who Paul knew from his three missionary journeys – so that they might provide resources to help him on the journey

            -- the journey was slow, because the winds were against them – it was late in the year – after the Day of Atonement, which is in September – and so, the ship had a difficult time making its way along the coast

            -- they switched ships in Myra, but their slow passage continued – finally, they made their way to a place called Fair Havens, where a decision awaited them – should they continue on towards Rome? – should they overwinter in Fair Havens? – or should they seek another place to overwinter and wait for better weather in the spring?

 

            -- Paul was a theologian – a missionary – an Apostle – he was not a sailor – so, when Paul warned the men that it would be dangerous to proceed with their journey at this point, no one listened to him – you see, they did not understand that Paul had something they did not – Paul had the counsel of the Holy Spirit – and even though Paul was not a sailor, the Spirit impressed upon him the fate that would come if the ship continued on

            -- Julius listened to Paul, but paid more attention to the pilot and owner of the ship – for they had experience – they were sailors – and they knew their ship and they knew the waters they were sailing

            -- finally, a vote was taken – and Luke tells us here that since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on – hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there in a harbor in Crete

 

-- every day, we are faced with decisions and choices that we have to make – according to the statistics, the average person makes over 35,000 decisions a day – from what we will wear – what we will eat – where we will go – what we will do – what road we will take – the list just goes on and on

-- that is why some psychologists have said that we are overly stressed from the sheer number of decisions we are faced with daily, what they call “decision fatigue” – there are simply too many choices before us, and it is stressing us out

-- do you remember buying toothpaste 25 years ago? – it was simple – you only had a handful of brands, and they all did the same thing – your choices really came down to Crest, Aquafresh, Colgate, Arm & Hammer, and Aim

-- but have you looked at the toothpaste aisle now? – every brand has multiple types of toothpaste – this one for sensitivity – this one with a different flavor – this one with a different means of preventing cavities – this one to brighten your teeth – this one for tartar control – this one is fluoride-free – this one is natural -- this one does multiple things – the list just goes on and on – and to try to make a reasoned choice is difficult – and that’s for toothpaste

-- now think about everything else that you face on a given day, not to mention the big choices in life – such as who we will marry – where we will live – what career we will choose – what political candidates or what party we will follow – the choices are endless and overwhelming

 

-- so, when confronted with decisions like this, how do you determine what is the right course of action? – do you rely on what the experts say, like the pilot and the owner of this ship? – do you rely on the word of God and what the Spirit impresses upon you? – or do you rely on majority opinion? – do you just follow the crowd and do what they do?

-- it is always better to rely on God’s word above anything else, and Paul’s counsel to Julius here will show the wisdom in doing that as we move forward

-- however, in this case, Julius followed the crowd – he went with what the majority of the people on that ship told him was the best course of action – but as we will see, that didn’t turn out well – so, keep that in mind – just because it’s popular – just because the crowd says this is right – just because the world tells you this is the way to go – doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do

-- verse 13-26

 

Acts 27:13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor[b] and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

 

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

 

-- not long after they began to sail again, the ship was hit with a Nor’easter – just like the storm that is hitting the eastern coast this weekend – Nor’easters are similar to a hurricane – with strong winds – driving rain – and dangerous conditions

-- these little ships that sailed in the Mediterranean Sea in the 1^st century were just flimsy, wooden vessels – they were not built to the same standard as today’s ships – and they couldn’t survive major storms like this

-- the sailors did everything they could to keep the ship from breaking up – they ran ropes underneath it to hold the hull together – they threw cargo overboard and even the tackle they needed for sailing – after they had done everything in their power, they finally lost all hope of being saved

-- this is what happens when we make choices and live life in our own power and our own strength – we will fail – and the men on that ship were facing the consequences of their decision to press on even after Paul counseled them not to

-- John Wayne supposedly said, “Life is hard – It’s harder if you’re stupid” – and ignoring God’s word and God’s direction in our lives is stupid – we will suffer the consequences of our decisions, just like these men did

 

            -- so, why do storms come upon us? – certainly, nothing happens to us that God doesn’t allow, even if He didn’t ordain it in the beginning – and the Bible tells us that God uses these storms to help grow us and mature us in the faith – but God is not the author of all the storms we see in life

– some storms happen because we made bad decisions and we are suffering from the consequences of our actions – some storms happen just because we live in a fallen world – and we’re catching the effect of a creation that has been cursed or we’re caught up in the consequences of someone else’s sin

-- and some storms happen because Satan is trying to keep us from doing what God wants us to do

 

-- in Luke 8, Jesus is in a boat with His disciples – they are heading across the Sea of Galilee and are making their way to the Gentile region of Gerasenes – Gerasenes was where Jesus found the man possessed by a legion of demons – and where He healed this man, casting the demons from him into a herd of pigs

-- Satan did not want Jesus in Gerasenes – he did not want Jesus to interfere with what he was doing in that region – and as Jesus is in the boat with His disciples heading to that place, a major storm came up in the sea and threatened to overwhelm the little boat Jesus and His disciples were in

-- the disciples in the boat that day included Simon Peter and Andrew – James and John – seasoned fishermen – seasoned sailors – used to sailing in storms on that very body of water – but when that storm hit their ship, even these seasoned sailors lost hope – they feared for their lives – and they cried out to Jesus, who was sleeping on a cushion, for help

-- Jesus stood up and spoke to the storm and calmed it – it is interesting to note the words that Jesus used – in Luke 8:24, we read that Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters – He “rebuked” them, implying this was something wrong – this was something out of the ordinary – this was not a normal storm

-- that’s why many believe, including me, that Satan created that storm that day to keep Jesus away from Gerasenes – and I believe that Satan was the source of this storm that is threatening the boat that Paul is on in the Mediterranean

-- remember, Satan has tried already to keep Paul out of Rome and to keep Paul from preaching the gospel – he had raised up opposition to Paul and the gospel in almost every town Paul preached in – he had raised up the Jews to arrest Paul and have him tried by the Romans

-- when that failed, he tried to offer Paul the easy way out – the temptation to be released from prison and declared innocent in Jerusalem – but Paul said “no,” because he knew God wanted him to go to Rome

-- and when Paul appealed to Caesar, despite his innocence being recognized by Felix and Festus and Agrippa, Satan has brought a storm against this ship as another scheme to keep Paul from standing before Nero and preaching the gospel in Rome

-- and while the sailors and the soldiers may have feared for their lives, Paul represented peace in the eye of the storm – for God had promised him through an angel that he would stand trial before Caesar and that no one on that ship would be killed – and Paul’s faith in God saw him through

 

III.  The Shipwreck (Acts 27:27-44)

            -- but Satan was not done in his attempts to keep Paul from Rome – if the storm didn’t do it, then Satan reasoned a shipwreck would

 

            -- verse 27-32

 

Acts 27:27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[c] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

 

-- while the sailors may have made a bad decision to press on towards Rome, they were still seasoned men who knew their business – and as the ship is being pushed on by the storm, they quickly discern that they were approaching land – it was just a feeling they had, based on experience and skill

-- they started taking soundings, which proved them right – by measuring the depth of the water using weighted ropes with marked lengths, they quickly determined the sea was getting shallower and shallower -- they were heading towards shore – which could be disastrous, if the ship crashed into rocks or was broken up by the pounding waves

-- just like these men became aware of a change in their condition – that something was different – God uses spiritual soundings in our lives to give us a sense of a change in our condition or an indication of what we should do – through the Holy Spirit – through prayer – through circumstances – through the church – and through His word – God speaks to us and lets us know if we are going the right way or whether we need to make a change in course

-- in order for us to discern these changes and the call of God in our lives, we have to become seasoned Christians – we have to stay in His word and stay close to Him in prayer – so that we can discern when He is making a change or calling us in another direction

 

            -- verse 33-44

 

Acts 27:33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

 

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

 

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

 

-- Paul stands up before the sailors and the soldiers and encourages them to eat something – why does he do this? – they’re in the middle of a storm – the ship is being driven towards shore, where the chance of shipwreck and destruction are very real – so, why take a moment and eat?

-- it’s a demonstration of faith – Paul had been told by God that no one on that ship was going to perish – that all of them would live – and he stands up now and encourages the men to eat based on that promise – because men who are going to die don’t need food – but men who are going to live, do

-- so, Paul takes the bread – gives thanks to God – eats the bread, feeding himself physically and spiritually – and then shares it with the rest of the men on that ship

-- his faith and his trust in God were contagious – and the men began to believe and ate based on the promise God gave to Paul

 

-- when daylight came and the sailors saw a bay with a sandy beach, they decided to run the ship aground – they cut loose the anchors and untied the ropes that held the rudders and pointed the bow at the sand – the ship ran aground on a sandbar and the waves began to break the ship apart

-- all of the men began to abandon the ship to swim to shore – but the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners first – Julius stopped them, because he had become convinced of God through Paul – that’s not to say he was a believer in Jesus – but he believed God had spoken to Paul – and based on Paul’s direction, he commanded the men to spare Paul’s life and the lives of the rest of the prisoners

            -- Satan’s second attempt to stop Paul from getting to Rome didn’t completely work – he was shipwrecked, but he was spared by God and all the men on that ship made it safely to shore

 

III.  The Snake (Acts 28:1-16)

-- look at Chapter 28:1-6

 

Acts 28:1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

 

-- so, when the storm didn’t work and the shipwreck didn’t work, Satan tried one more thing to keep Paul from getting to Rome

-- as the day dawned on the survivors of the shipwreck, they found themselves on the island of Malta, about 60 miles south of Sicily – the islanders came and built a fire, and Paul lent a hand, gathering brushwood to keep the fire going

-- when he put the wood he had gathered on the fire, a venomous snake came out and bit him – the islanders were certain Paul was going to die, because no one survived a bite from these snakes

-- isn’t it ironic that Satan used a snake as his last attempt to keep Paul from Rome? – we first see Satan in the form of a snake in the Garden of Eden, where he successfully tempted Adam and Eve to sin by causing them to doubt God’s word

-- but Paul remains true to the Word and trusts in the promise from God that he would stand before Caesar in Rome and preach the gospel – God protects him from the venom of the snake, to the amazement of the islanders

 

            -- skip down to verse 11, and we’ll finish up there

 

Acts 28:11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

 

            -- Paul and his companions remained in Malta for the next three months, finally heeding the Spirit’s counsel to Paul to not sail at that time – they waited for the season to turn, and when the weather improved for sailing, they found a ship that had wintered in the island and booked passage on it for Rome

            -- it’s interesting here that Luke describes the ship in such detail – he tells us it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux – as we discussed when we looked at the story of Apollos earlier in the book of Acts, Alexandria was a city renowned for human wisdom and intelligence – it was a center for education, with a major library – and so, Alexandria represented human wisdom and knowledge, as opposed to Godly wisdom and knowledge

            -- the twin gods, of course, represented the pagan religion that was centered in Rome – and by describing the figurehead in such detail, Luke is setting up the purpose of Paul’s travel to Rome in the first place – for his arrival in Rome would be a battle between the spiritual forces of evil and the truth of the gospel of Christ, as well as a battle between man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom

 

            -- not long after the Alexandrian ship set sail, Paul arrived in Rome, just as God had ordained – he was given freedom there as he awaited his trial before Caesar, although a Roman soldier remained with him as a guard

           

IV.  Closing

-- let me close by sharing with you the story about a boy who entered a grocery store and asked the saleswoman for a box of Tide detergent --The saleswoman was puzzled and asked why he wanted a box of Tide -- The boy said that he was going to wash his cat.

-- The saleswoman said, "Young man, you should not wash your cat with this kind of soap." -- However, the boy insisted that it would be okay.

            -- A few days later, the boy returned to the store and the saleswoman asked about the cat.

            -- "Oh, he died," said the boy -- The saleswoman said, "Well, son. I warned you not to wash your cat with Tide detergent."

-- The boy replied, "The soap didn’t hurt him. It was the spin cycle that got him."

 

-- the Apostle Paul has certainly been in a spin cycle throughout the Book of Acts as he tried to faithfully preach the gospel of Christ and convince others to put their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior

-- and here, as the Book of Acts comes to an end and Paul is trying to make his way to Rome, he gets hit with a triple spin cycle consisting of a storm, a shipwreck, and a snake

-- but despite everything Satan throws his way, Paul persists through the power of the Holy Spirit and by standing on the promise that God has given him

 

-- all of us are going to get hit with the spin cycles of life as we go through this world – sometimes it’s storms – literal and spiritual – sometimes it’s shipwrecks, as life seems to go off the rails – and sometimes it’s snakes – those people who come into our lives to harm us and cause us to turn away from God

-- the answer to surviving the spin cycle is clear – we do what Paul did – we persist through the power of the Spirit – we stand on our faith – we trust in the promise – and we press on, knowing that God is with us and that in all things, He will work for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose

-- so, as we close, let me encourage you to face the storm without fear – to stare down the threats of shipwrecks and destruction – and to stand against the world and the snakes that threaten our walk with Christ

-- let us set our faces resolutely towards the throne of God – and let us put our faith and trust in the One who has promised to never leave us or forsake – but who promises to see us safely home

-- let us pray

 

SERMON: ALMOST A CHRISTIAN?

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 26:12-28

 

Acts 26:12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

 

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. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive 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. 20 First 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 repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But God has 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— 23 that 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.”

 

24 At 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. 26 The 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. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

 

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

 

-- Since the 1940s, the Ad Council has been the leading producer of public service announcements – but over that long history of encouraging public action for the good of the nation and its citizens, the ads called, “Don’t Almost Give,” have proven to be the most powerful and memorable of all

-- these haven’t been aired in a while, but most of us are of an age where we probably remember them – there was one ad showing a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of concrete stairs -- The narrator says, "This is a man who almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money." -- After a brief pause, the announcer continues: "Almost gave. How good is almost giving? About as good as almost walking."

            -- Another ad showed a homeless man curled up in a ball on a pile of rags – the only thing he had to cover himself from the cold winter night was a ratty bed sheet -- The narrator says, "This is Jack Thomas. Today someone almost brought Jack something to eat. Someone almost brought him to a shelter. And someone else almost brought him a warm blanket." -- After a brief pause, the narrator continues: "And Jack Thomas? Well, he almost made it through the night."

            -- and, finally, there was an ad showing an older woman sitting alone in a room, staring out a window. -- The narrator says, "This is Sarah Watkins. A lot of people almost helped her. One almost cooked for her. Another almost drove her to the doctor. Still another almost stopped by to say hello. They almost helped. They almost gave of themselves. But almost giving is the same as not giving at all."

            -- Each ad ends with a simple, direct message: "Don't almost give. Give."

 

            -- the old cliché says, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” – and this implies that a lot of people almost did something good – they had a good thought – they had an idea of how they might help – but in the end, they did nothing

            -- “almost people” – those people who “almost” commit to doing something or being something – never change their lives or the lives of those around them

            -- and with social media, it has become all too easy to be “almost people” – people who see an injustice or a crisis or a disaster and who comment on social media, “This is not right – someone should do something” – but that’s all they do

            -- they almost reach the point where their caring turns into action – but they seldom do – and so nothing ever changes

 

            -- as we are continuing on in our sermon series on the Book of Acts, we find ourselves confronted with the most famous “almost person” in the world – King Agrippa

            -- and as we’ll see, his failure to do something with what has been shared with him lives in infamy and stands in stark contrast to the Apostle Paul, who heard the same word calling him to salvation but who took action on the message he received

            -- Agrippa was almost persuaded, but in the end, he walked away from Jesus

            -- so, let’s look at this passage together now and see what we can learn from Paul’s trial before Festus and King Agrippa

 

II.  Scripture Lesson -- Acts 25:9-12 and Acts 26:12-28

 

Background and Context

            -- as this passage opens, we find Paul still imprisoned in Caesarea – if you remember what we have studied, Paul had been taken from Jerusalem to Caesarea by the Roman commander Lysias to save him from the Jews, who were going to try to kill him in an ambush when he appeared before the Sanhedrin

-- Paul stood trial before Governor Felix, who found Paul to be innocent of any charges deserving of death – but because he was trying to curry favor with the Jews, Felix kept Paul confined in Herod’s palace, although he gave him quite a bit of freedom and allowed Paul’s friends to visit him and meet his needs

-- when last we left off, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus as the Governor over this region of Judea – but instead of freeing Paul, he left him imprisoned for Festus to decide his case

 

-- as soon as Festus took office and visited Jerusalem, the leading Jews met with him and pressed him to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem for trial – but Festus disagreed and told them that they could follow him to Caesarea, where he would hear Paul’s case and determine if there was enough evidence to condemn Paul

-- a couple of weeks later, we see Paul standing again before the Roman governor – on trial because of his faith – as we have discussed over the last few weeks, the Jews had originally had Paul arrested because they alleged he was not following the Jewish law and was teaching Jews to do the same – but this charge did not hold up in the court of law

-- instead, Paul demonstrated that the whole controversy hinged on his faith in the resurrection of Jesus – and how this resurrection proved Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah

-- these leaders of the Sanhedrin were primarily Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead and they adamantly refused to accept Jesus as Messiah – so they kept pressing the issue, first appearing before Felix and now before Festus

-- once again, they asked Festus to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, because they were planning on killing him while he was being moved back to the city – but Festus didn’t know this – and so, he asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there

 

-- look at Acts 25:9-12

 

Acts 25:9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”

 

10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

 

12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

 

-- I want you to see that there is more going on here than just a decision on where Paul is going to stand trial – when Festus asks Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial there, Paul tells Festus that he has done nothing deserving of death – and he does something amazing here – he tells Festus , “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried – I appeal to Caesar”

-- and, upon hearing this, Festus responds, “You have appealed to Caesar – to Caesar you will go”

-- it is obvious that Paul has done nothing wrong – the Roman Commander Lysias saw this – Felix and his wife Drusilla saw this – and now Festus has seen this – everyone is in agreement that Paul is innocent of any charges and should be freed

-- in a concession to the Jews, Festus says, “We’ll go back to Jerusalem and try you there in your home” – this would be a way for all the Jews to see the truth of Paul’s innocence – no one would ever doubt him again – no one would ever try to oppose him again

-- but Paul refuses and appeals to Caesar – why?

-- because this means Paul has to go to Rome – remember what the Lord told Paul when he was in prison in the Roman barracks? – “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome”

 

            -- after Jesus was baptized, He was led into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan to take up His position as ruler of this world without having to go to the cross – that was such an attractive option -- that would have been the easy way – that would have let Jesus become King on earth and rule from Jerusalem and make everything right now

– He wouldn’t have been persecuted – He wouldn’t have been beaten and put on the cross – He wouldn’t have been put to death – this scenario from Satan looks like the perfect answer – it was the easiest and simplest way for Jesus to get what He was supposed to get – what He was destined to get

-- but that wasn’t the plan – and to take that short-cut would have caused Jesus to bypass the cross – He would not have died for our sins – He would not have conquered sin and death by giving His own body and own blood for us – He would not have shown the world His power over death once and for all in His resurrection

-- what looks easy – what looks right – what seems to make perfect sense – isn’t always the right choice – as the cliché says, “All that glitters is not gold”

 

-- and what we see here is Satan dangling that same false hope and choice before Paul – he’s offering Paul the easy way out – “Hey, you’ve been in prison, but now you can go back to Jerusalem and you will be vindicated – you will be proven innocent in a court of law by the Romans – you’ll be set free and you will have even greater opportunities to preach the gospel in Jerusalem – maybe one day you’ll even go to Rome – this is the path – this is the answer you are looking for”

-- but Paul saw this open door for what it was – a temptation from Satan that would divert him from what God was calling him to do – yes, he could have gone back to Jerusalem and served God there, but that wasn’t what God had called him to do – God was calling him to more

-- so, in order to get to Rome as God intended, Paul appealed to Caesar – and he used the Romans and their justice system as the means by which he would get to Rome

-- and that is why it is so momentous that Paul appealed to Caesar, even though Festus was trying to release him

 

-- a few days after this trial, Festus was visited by King Agrippa and his wife Bernice – King Agrippa was the great-grandson of Herod the Great – that means that Agrippa was ethnically Jewish and understood Jewish laws, customs, and religious debates – although, there is no evidence that he was a practicing Jew

-- and I want to pause here for a second to talk about an issue that has been in the news this week – the singer Macklemore was scheduled to be the opening act on Ed Sheeran’s new tour – during the first leg of that concert, Macklemore shouted, “Free Palestine,” and called the war in Gaza a genocide

-- immediately, people accused him of antisemitism, and he was dropped from the tour – and Ed Sheeran has tried to walk a tightrope all week to keep himself out of trouble politically and socially

-- and just like with Macklemore, throughout this whole conflict in Gaza, a lot of the people who spoke out against Israel or condemned their actions there have been accused of being antisemites

-- but here’s what I want you to know – antisemitism is hatred toward the Jewish people – it is the persecution and discrimination against people simply because they are Jewish – and this can take the form of verbal attacks or physical attacks – this is the simple definition from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

-- but pay attention to what it says – it is hatred towards the Jewish people – the people – the people who are ethnically Jewish – that is not the same as the Government

-- to speak out against the actions of the Israeli Government without hatred directed towards the Jewish people is not antisemitism – the government can be critiqued, judged, applauded, or spoken against – that is not antisemitism

-- and so, what Macklemore shouted on stage was his opposition to the actions of the Israeli government – that was not antisemitism

-- so, don’t confuse the two – hatred towards Jews – persecution of Jews – verbal denigration and physical harm to Jews – that is wrong, wrong, wrong – those are antisemitic actions

-- but speaking out against Government policies, even by the nation of Israel, is not antisemitism

-- sorry for the derail here, but noting that Agrippa was ethnically Jewish made me think about the controversy of this week

-- let’s get back on track

 

-- when King Agrippa and Bernice come to visit Festus, he had Paul brought before them so they could hear Paul’s story themselves

-- knowing that Agrippa was ethnically a Jew and familiar with the Jewish traditions and cultures, Paul begins by sharing about his background as a Pharisee and persecutor of Christians

-- let’s look now at Acts 26:12, and pick up Paul’s story as he shares about his experience on the road to Damascus

 

Acts 26:12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

 

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. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

 

           

            -- Paul begins by talking about the reason why he was on the road to Damascus – and this is not only a reminder of who Paul was before he came to Christ, but also evidence of his Christian faith

-- the man who stood now before Festus and Agrippa was not the same man who started on that journey to Damascus -- his life had been irrevocably changed -- his passions had been redirected -- and his life was now eclipsed by the shining light of Christ that met him at that place

            -- Paul had an experience with the living Christ that changed his life forever -- Jesus told Paul that He was going to use Paul to open the eyes of those living in darkness -- to help them see the light of Christ -- the truth of the gospel -- and to help them turn from the power of Satan -- from being held in bondage to sin -- to living with God

            -- the word "gospel" means "good news" -- and here we see the good news of Christ clearly spelled out -- this is the reason why we are here this morning -- our gathering on Sunday mornings in worship is a proclamation of our belief in the mystery of faith: Christ has died -- Christ is risen -- Christ will come again

            -- this is what we believe -- this is what Paul is saying here to Festus and Agrippa -- Jesus came and died in our place to free us from the bondage of sin -- He rose on the third day to free us from the chains of death -- and He will return in glory to bring us to heaven

 

            -- verse 19-23

 

Acts 26:19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First 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 repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But God has 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— 23 that 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.”

 

            -- I want you to see something right here -- in verse 19 Paul says he was "not disobedient" to the vision he received from heaven

-- that means that Paul had a choice on that road to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him -- he could either be obedient by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior and going out to witness to others – or he could be disobedient and turn his back on Jesus

            -- when Jesus appeared to Paul on the road that day, Paul was probably the least likely of all those alive to believe and to accept Jesus -- he not only didn't believe Jesus was the Savior, but he was actively killing those who were Christians -- yet, he says that he made his choice there on that road and he accepted Christ and he never looked back -- and, even now, about 20 years later, Paul could stand before Festus and Agrippa and tell them the very moment he made that decision -- the instant his life changed forever

            -- our lives are determined by the choices we make -- who we are today is the result of choices we have made in the past -- and who we are going to be in the future is based on the choices we make from this point on

            -- salvation is a choice and that choice has to be made by you and you alone -- Paul chose to say yes to Jesus on the road to Damascus -- and we have to choose to receive the gift of salvation and choose to walk in obedience to Christ -- every day when we wake up, we have to make a decision to follow Jesus -- in salvation and in obedience to His word

 

            -- verse 24-28

 

Acts 26:24 At 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. 26 The 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. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

 

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

 

 

            -- in Paul’s testimony to Festus and Agrippa, we are introduced to the four types of people in the world

 

-- first, there are the Sauls – the people who are like who Paul was when he set out on the road to Damascus -- these are the ones who hate Jesus and want nothing to do with Him or His followers -- who actively persecute Him and are opposed to the church and to His word

-- in reality, there aren't many people in our country who are like this -- I've met a few -- I've talked with a man who was actively trying to get the Bible banned in America -- he wanted to see all the Bibles burned -- and, of course, there are a few atheists who are militant and who not only don't believe in God but are opposed to those who do -- but, these are few and far between here in America

-- in other countries, these people are more prevalent, especially in countries hostile to Christianity, like the Muslim countries

 

-- second, there are the Pauls as he was after his experience on the Damascus Road -- these are the ones who have experienced the risen Christ and who have made a choice to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and be obedient to His word – these are the ones who have been changed through the power of grace

-- looking around this room, this is us -- this is the church of Christ -- the true believers who know Jesus -- who have a relationship with Jesus -- and who are trying to live for Him in this world today

-- true, many of us need to mature -- we need to grow stronger and deeper in our faith -- but our faith is real none-the-less – we are similar to Paul because we are Christians, saved by grace and believing in faith in Jesus

 

            -- third, there are those like Festus -- these are the people who don't believe in God or anything spiritual -- these are the ones like Jesse Ventura, the former Governor of Minnesota, who made fun of Christians and said they were weak and idiotic because they believed in God -- they think we're out of our mind for believing in a supreme being

            -- they're not actively persecuting Christians -- they're not attacking us -- they just don't believe and don't understand those who do believe – they think we’re insane, just like Festus thought of Paul

 

            -- finally, there are the Agrippas -- the ones who have some sort of spiritual belief – who are cultural Christians – who may have grown up in church or attended with their parents or grandparents – those people who say they believe in God or some supreme power -- but who don't really accept Jesus as their Savior – they just believe in a concept of God and do not have a personal relationship with Jesus

            -- they're not necessarily opposed to Christians -- they're not necessarily opposed to Jesus -- in fact, most of them will tell you they like Jesus – but they like the idea of Jesus as the friend of sinners and not the Jesus who calls them to do better

            -- people like Agrippa remind me of that old Doobie Brothers' song, "Jesus is Just Alright with Me" -- they sing about Jesus being their friend and being "just alright" with them, but being "just alright" is not the same thing as being completely alright

            -- people like Agrippa and the Doobie Brothers have never come to the point in their lives where they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- where they have made a choice to follow Jesus

            -- King Agrippa gave us a good description of what to call these type of people in verse 28 -- these are the "almost" Christians – these are the “almost people”

            -- Agrippa says here that he was "almost persuaded" -- almost convinced -- by what Paul said -- he almost believed, but he wasn't there yet

 

III.  Almost Persuaded

 

-- Let's talk for a moment about that word, "Almost" -- what does "Almost" mean?

      -- the word "almost" means not quite there -- it means just slightly missing the mark

      -- we often use the word "almost" in sports and in games and in school -- we say things like "I almost won" -- "we almost beat them today" -- "I almost passed the third grade"

      -- it means close, but not quite there – Ohio State almost beat Texas this year, but that just means they lost

 

      -- but you know, no matter what we're talking about, "almost" doesn't cut it -- it means you failed, and you're just trying to make yourself sound better

      -- do you remember what you used to say as a kid when you were playing a game and someone said they "almost" beat you or they got close to beating you? -- "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades" -- in other words, "almost' doesn't cut it

      -- and, if you think about it, the reason why "almost" doesn't cut it is because there's really no such thing as an "almost" anything, even though we say it all the time

      -- actually, you either you are or you're not -- either you won or you didn't

      -- you can't be "almost" pregnant -- either you are pregnant or you're not

      -- you can't be "almost" married -- either you are married or you're not

      -- think about it like this -- a cloud is 100% water -- a watermelon is 92% water -- you could say that a watermelon is almost a cloud -- it only missed by 8% -- but that doesn’t change the fact that a watermelon is not and never will be a cloud – even if it has almost the same amount of water that a cloud does

 

            -- so, what does it really mean when Agrippa says here that he was "almost" persuaded -- that he was "almost" a Christian?

            -- we've got to remember that the context of this passage isn't about grades or sports or games -- it is about the state of a man's soul

-- to be almost a Christian is to be totally lost -- to be almost a Christian is to be on your way to Hell -- as Adrian Rogers says, "you're either a saint or an ain't -- there's no other choice"

-- and, as Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Almost persuaded to be a Christian is like the man who was almost pardoned, but he was hanged -- like the man who was almost rescued, but he was burned in the house -- A man that is almost saved is damned.”

 

            -- an almost Christian is someone that is not saved -- someone who has never made the choice to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior

-- they can look like a Christian -- they can talk like a Christian -- they can come to church every Sunday and know the words to every hymn -- they can be a good old boy or a good old girl -- but if they have not received forgiveness for their sins from Jesus, they’re not almost a Christian -- they are totally lost

 

            -- John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist denomination, once admitted in a sermon that he had spent the early part of his life as an "almost Christian " -- he said that he had the appearance of Godliness -- he followed all the rules -- he went to church -- he read the Bible -- he prayed -- he took communion -- he ministered to the poor and to chose in prison -- he gave to the church financially

-- but he had never actually received Jesus as his Lord and Savior -- he had never actually asked Jesus to save him and forgive his sins -- he had never trusted in faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross or in the power of the resurrection over sin and death

            -- he looked holy on the outside, but he was not truly saved -- he was "almost" a Christian, just like King Agrippa

 

            -- Jesus continually warned about the dangers of being an "almost Christian" -- in Matthew 13, Jesus shared the parable of the wheat and the tares -- Tares were one of the curses a farmer had to struggle against -- they were a weed called "darnel" -- they were poisonous, and if you ate them it would cause dizziness and sickness -- so you didn't want them in the field with your wheat

-- but the problem was, when they were young, they looked just like wheat -- it was impossible to tell one from the other -- and by the time that you could tell the true wheat from the imposter, their roots had become intertwined and you couldn't pull up the tares without hurting the wheat -- so the owner of the field told the servants not to pull up the weeds but to leave them until the harvest at the end when they could be separated from the true wheat and burned

-- When His disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable, He told them that the wheat was the Christians and the tares represented those who did not accept Him -- the "almost Christians"

 

IV.  Altogether Christians

            -- so, what's the alternative to being an "almost Christian?" -- it is to be an "altogether" Christian

            -- an "altogether" Christian is someone who has stood on the Damascus Road like Paul -- faced with a choice on whether to believe in Jesus or not -- and who has said "Yes" to Jesus --when this happens, an "almost" Christian is transformed into an "altogether" Christian

 

            -- an "altogether" Christian is someone who believes in and has experienced the transforming power of Jesus -- they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and just like it says in verse 18, their sins have been forgiven and they will live with Jesus in Heaven forever

 

      -- an "altogether" Christian is characterized by three things: Faith, Hope, Love

            -- Faith in Christ -- trusting that they will go to Heaven simply because Jesus died for them

            -- Hope in Eternal Life -- hope in the resurrection because of the empty tomb on Easter morning

            -- Love -- love for God and Neighbor as they become examples of the transforming power of Christ in their lives

 

            -- what does it take to be an "altogether Christian?" -- simply saying "Yes" to Jesus' offer of forgiveness and life

            -- as it says in Romans 10:9-10 -- If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

            -- Agrippa didn’t do that – and Agrippa went to his death an “almost” Christian – totally lost

 

V.  Closing

-- let’s bring this to a close -- many years ago, a man named Walter took his friend Arthur to see some land in the middle of nowhere -- this was open ranch country where cattle were idly grazing.

-- Walter explained to Arthur that he had a dream for developing this area -- He told his friend that in time the area would be surrounded by restaurants and hotels and convention centers

-- but he told Arthur, his plan would take all of the money he had, and he needed others to come alongside him and donate their money to help develop the surrounding area and make his dream come alive -- He wanted his friend to have the first opportunity to buy into this project.

-- Arthur was almost persuaded to give Walter some money -- But he thought to himself, "Who in the world is going to drive twenty-five miles into the middle of nowhere for this crazy project?" -- He told Walter that he would think about it and make a decision later.

-- "Later will be too late," Walter cautioned Arthur. -- "You'd better move on it right now."

-- And so, Art Linkletter turned down the opportunity to buy up all the land that surrounded what was to become Disneyland. -- His friend Walt Disney tried to talk him into it. -- Art was almost persuaded, but in the end chose not to say "Yes"

 

-- Life's like that -- King Agrippa had the opportunity to accept Christ and become a Christian -- He was almost persuaded by Paul that day -- but he turned it down

-- Judas had one of the greatest opportunities in all history to become a follower of Jesus -- but instead, he betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver

-- The two thieves who were crucified with Jesus also had the opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life -- one accepted – but the other didn't.

 

            -- Life offers all of us many opportunities -- We all have the opportunity to become followers of Jesus and to be a part of what God is doing in the world today -- we all have the opportunity to become an "altogether Christian" and to lead others to make that same choice in their lives

            -- we can't forget why we are here -- we can't forget why Paul was standing before Agrippa and Festus

            -- we are not here to just enjoy the fruits of Christianity and the graces of God -- we are here to pass on His message of life and love to others -- to share with them the opportunity to become altogether Christians -- to persuade them to make the choice Agrippa would not make

 

            -- so, as we close, let us pray for all of those who are “almost Christians” -- let us pray that they would be open to Christ and to His offer of salvation and forgiveness -- let us pray that they would make the choice to become altogether Christians

            -- and let's pray that God would lead us to make the choices in our lives that will influence others for His kingdom

            -- let us pray