Imagine

Sunday, September 20, 2026

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

-- 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.”

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

Sunday, September 13, 2026

A Watchman Calls

I read this section from Ezekiel this morning in my daily readings. It is the call of Ezekiel to be a watchman to warn the nation of Israel to turn from their ways so that they might be saved:

Ezekiel 33:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.

10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of[b] them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

Given everything that is going on in our world today, from wars and rumors of war, unprecedented heat waves, flooding, and natural disasters, plagues and diseases previously eradicated becoming common, the threat of human extinction from rogue AI, and the political, social, and economic turmoil, I can't help but believe that God is calling out to us to turn and repent from our sins and return to Him.

So, echoing the call of God to Ezekiel, let me encourage all of you to open your eyes -- to see with eyes of faith -- the hand of God moving in this world and calling us back to Him.

Let us turn back to Him, while we still can. Let us lay aside all the sins and everything that is hindering our walk with Christ and let us return to Him in true faith and belief.

There is still time, but I fear it is fleeting. Today is the Day of the Lord. Today is the Day of Salvation. Today is the day you need to return to Him.

SERMON: THE GOSPEL ON TRIAL (Acts 22:30-24:27)

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

I. Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Acts 22:30-23:11

Acts 22:30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

Acts 23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”

4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’[a]”

6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

-- since the officially sanctioned church in China is nothing more than a political arm of the Chinese Government and pastors are restricted in what they can preach from the Bible, the true church in China exists in hidden, small communities of faith that are known as part of the underground church

-- these underground churches consist of only a handful of members in each community – they don’t travel together – they meet in homes and basements and hidden locations – they meet behind locked doors – and they change their meeting times and days to keep the Chinese government from noticing them

-- I read about the time that one of these underground churches was having a worship service – they were huddled in a small, closed room – the door was locked – and the believers quietly praised God so that their neighbors would not hear

-- when suddenly, there was a booming sound at the door and it was kicked open – armed Chinese soldiers filled the room – and the people huddled together in fear – the leader of the soldiers announced, “Anyone in here who is not a Christian or who is willing to recant their faith may leave” – at that pronouncement, several of the people there jumped up and rushed out into the night air

-- after they had left, the remaining members looked at one another in the knowledge that their lives were about to end or that they were facing imprisonment and torture – the leader of the soldiers walked to the open door, closed it, and locked it behind him

-- he turned around and faced the group and said, “Now that we have gotten rid of all the unbelievers, let the true church worship God together,” – and he fell to his knees and lifted the group up in prayer

-- what do we do when our faith is under trial? – what do we do when we are faced with persecution or legal action because of our belief in Jesus?

-- these questions are everyday occurrences in the lives of so many of our brothers and sisters scattered across the world – for they face the threat of persecution, imprisonment, torture, and even death on a daily basis – they live in the knowledge that their faith may put them on trial at any moment – but still they persist in their steadfast belief in Jesus as their Lord and Savior

-- this is exactly the situation in the passage that we are looking at this morning from the Book of Acts, as we are continuing in our sermon series through this book

-- as we looked at last week, the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul have ended, and Paul has come to Jerusalem at the prompting of the Holy Spirit to deliver an offering to the saints and to share the good news of the Gentiles who had turned from paganism to true faith in Jesus through Paul’s sharing of the gospel over the last twenty years

-- but here in the sunset of Paul’s ministry, life was not a bed of roses – or maybe it was – because the thorns were still there, and we’re going to see Paul get pricked by thorns in this passage – as the persecutions – the trials and the tribulations that he experienced on the mission field – have followed him into Jerusalem and into the temple of God

-- our passage this morning spans from Acts 22:30 to the end of Chapter 24 – and addresses Paul’s arrest by the Romans and his trials before the Sanhedrin and Governor Felix

-- and if you back out of this passage and look from it as a whole, you will see it reflects the same pattern that Paul experienced throughout his missionary journeys – first, the gospel was preached to the Jews, who then rebelled against the word and against the messenger – and then, the gospel was preached to the Gentiles – as we look at this passage, you will see the same exact scenario play out, just on a larger scale

-- so, with that long introduction, let us turn back to Acts 22:30 and let’s see what we can learn from God’s word about sharing the gospel, the threats and the dangers that come against those who do, and how we should respond in the face of hostility or unkind audiences

–but, before we do so, let me remind you also that even in the face of trials and tribulations – even in the midst of dangers and persecutions – God is still with us, as He was with Paul

– no matter what you are going through – no matter what our country or this world is going through -- God is still on His throne – He is still in charge – and if He allowed these things to happen to us, then it is for His glory and good will ultimately come from it – if not in this life, then in the next

II. Scripture Lesson (Acts 22:30-24:27)

-- look back now at Acts 22:30 and let’s read the first part of that verse

Acts 22:30a The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.

-- stop there – this sentence captures the heart of this entire passage – the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews

– in other words, God is about to use Paul to share the gospel to both the Romans and the Jews, for that is the reason Paul was on trial – and this time, God is going to have Paul speak to the leaders of both nations – the Jewish Sanhedrin and the governors, kings, and the very emperor of the nation of Rome

-- this verse reminds us of what is important – like we mentioned last week, we can get hung up on things that are not important at all – we can spend our time arguing over nonessential items and miss the big picture of sharing the truth of Jesus with a world longing for truth and life and light

-- for instance, the story is told about the time Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, threatened Rome with his army and how the leaders of the church at that time -- rather than providing wise counsel or advice to Rome -- chose instead to gather in conference to argue about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin

-- and while this story is probably not historically accurate or true, it does paint the picture that we are talking about here – too often we spend time arguing over nonessential things like angels dancing on the head of a pin while Rome burns down around us

-- we need to stop getting upset over the little things – even the little injustices or personal violations that we face – and instead focus on the big picture – which is sharing the truth of God’s word with all those around us – just as Paul is being given an opportunity to do in this passage

-- verse 30

4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”

5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”

-- at the request of the Roman commander, Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin – the Jewish ruling council that oversaw all aspects of Jewish life – religious, political, social, cultural

-- the commander wanted to find out why Paul was being beaten by the Jews the day before – as Paul is brought before them, he looks around at this group of Jewish leaders and proclaims that he has fulfilled his duty to God in all good conscience – in other words, Paul is saying that he has been a true and faithful Jew and followed the law, just as we talked about last week

-- this was the crux of the issue that caused the Jews to rush Paul out of the temple in the first place and to begin beating him – they believed that Paul was living contrary to God’s word and was teaching others to do the same – so, Paul’s proclamation here was a direct refutation of the charges against him – and it infuriated the high priest and the members of the Sanhedrin

-- the high priest ordered him struck and then Paul rebuked him for doing so – when we share the gospel with others – when we try to live for Christ as the Bible directs – we are going to get struck by this world

-- as Jesus told His followers, the world was going to hate them because of Him – in John 15:18-19, He said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

-- the world is always going to lash out and strike true followers of Christ – the same way the Jews struck Paul in this passage

-- when Paul was told that he had insulted the high priest, he said he did not realize that he was the high priest – and that can mean several different things – first, it could simply mean that Paul didn’t physically recognize him – most scholars agree that Paul had poor eyesight – it could be that he didn’t see the high priest’s face clear enough to know who he was

-- or it could mean that Paul didn’t recognize the high priest from a spiritual standpoint – that the high priest was not acting like a man of God when he had Paul struck or when he had Jesus put on trial or when he used politics and political scheming to gain personal power

-- it could also be a jab back at the Jews because they were still clinging to the law and man’s appointed high priests instead of Jesus – who the Bible says in Hebrews is our High Priest who made sacrifice for us once and for all – never to be repeated again

-- verse 6-10

Acts 23:6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

-- Paul was a brilliant man and his skills in debate had been honed to a sharp edge over twenty years of presenting the gospel to hostile groups across Europe and Asia – and knowing that the Pharisees and Sadducees were already at odds – and knowing that his position on the resurrection was not that different from what the Pharisees taught – he used that as a wedge to divide the Jewish council and make the case that the whole controversy revolved around whether the resurrection of Jesus was true or not

-- the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, so they could not accept Jesus risen from the dead – the Pharisees believed in a future resurrection, so they could accept Jesus’ resurrection as believable, even if they had not reached the point of accepting Him as their Messiah yet

-- so, Paul was able to move the Pharisees closer to the truth, while scoring points in his legal favor – when Paul shouted that the whole issue was about the resurrection, the Sanhedrin erupted in chaos – arguments and physical fights broke out – and several attacked Paul

-- the Roman Commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by the crowd, so he had his troops go into the midst of the fight and pull Paul out and take him back to the barracks, where Paul was imprisoned

-- verse 11

Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

-- Paul was no stranger to prison – we have seen him thrown into jail multiple times in the Book of Acts, and this is not different – but Paul must have been questioning the situation in his mind – to what end was this imprisonment? – was this the end of his ministry?

-- but the Lord Himself came and stood near Paul in the middle of the night and spoke to Paul’s wavering heart – “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome”

-- God was with Paul even in the midst of this trial – and God had allowed this to happen, so that Paul might be sent to Rome, where he would testify to the leaders of Rome about Jesus and the good news of salvation and eternal life through Him

-- for Paul, this act of grace from Jesus was like a drop of water on a parched land – Paul’s desire had been to go to Rome – to the heart of the empire – to the very seat of power on earth in his day – to carry the gospel

-- in Acts 19:21, Paul wrote, “I must visit Rome also” – and in Romans 1:15, he wrote to the church in Rome that he was eager to preach the gospel to those who were in Rome

-- Paul’s plan to reach Rome to preach the gospel certainly didn’t include prison, but God is using this situation and turning it to the best – fulfilling both Paul’s desire to go to Rome and bringing glory to God’s name, at the same time

-- following the disturbance in the Sanhedrin, a group of zealous Jews – probably either belonging to the sect of the Sadducees or the Zealots – came to the chief priests and elders and told them they had taken a vow to kill Paul

-- they concocted a scheme to have Paul taken from the Roman prison back to the Sanhedrin, and they planned on killing him while he was enroute – Paul’s nephew heard about this and told Paul – who, in turn, sent the boy to the Roman commander

-- when the commander heard about this, he decided to send Paul out of Jerusalem – not only for Paul’s safety – but also for pragmatic reasons – first, he didn’t want the death of a Roman citizen on his record, because that wouldn’t go well for him – second, he could curry favor with the Roman governor and promote himself as a loyal Roman citizen and superior commander, at the same time – and third, he could stop the riots within his own jurisdiction

-- so, the commander wrote a letter about Paul and the issue to Governor Felix and sent Paul by night with a strong Roman escort, almost 500 people – seventy horsemen, two hundred soldiers, and two hundred spearmen – to Governor Felix’s palace in Caesarea

-- they stopped for the night in Antipatris, which was a town located about 30-40 miles northwest of Jerusalem near the Mediterranean Sea – and then the horsemen carried Paul on to Caesarea

-- skip down to verse 31-35

Acts 23:31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

-- when Paul arrived in Caesarea, the Roman soldiers passed on the letter of introduction from Commander Lysias to Governor Felix – Felix was the governor for the region of Judea from 52 to 60 AD, so this gives us an idea of when Paul was brought before him

-- Felix asked Paul what region of Rome he was from – and when he heard Paul was from Cilicia, he agreed to hear his case – Felix was not the governor over Cilicia, but Felix had the authority to handle cases involving Roman citizens within the regional sphere of jurisdiction that included Cilicia and Syria -- so, Felix chose to hear the case himself rather than transferring Paul to a different regional ruler

-- he had Paul transferred to Herod’s palace to await trial -- Herod's palace was originally built for Herod the Great, but was now used as the home and office for the Governor of Judea – Governor’s homes and offices were called praetoriums, so you may see this in some translations of the Bible

-- there were several praetoriums scattered throughout the Roman Empire for the various regional governors, with praetoriums in Rome, Ephesus, Jerusalem, Caesarea, and other places

-- so, Paul was held there until his case could be heard, which would occur as soon as his Jewish accusers came to Caesarea

-- Governor Felix was not a Jew, but his wife Drusilla was – and Felix was familiar with the Christian faith – which Paul and the early Christians called, “the Way” – they took this name from Jesus’ proclamation that He was the Way and the Truth and the Life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him

-- so, when the Jews showed up in Caesarea with their lawyer Tertullus and begin to make their case before Felix, he already has a foundational understanding of the situation – he was not a Christian – but he knew enough about the faith and the differences between Judaism and the Way to grasp what was going on

-- the Jews presented their case and then Paul gave his statement about the incident – pointing out that he had done nothing wrong and that there was no legal grounds for him to be in chains – the true issue was spiritual and revolved around the truth of the resurrection of Christ, which Paul proclaimed as the gospel and which the high priest and the elders steadfastly opposed

-- skip over to Acts 24:22-23

Acts 24:22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs.

-- after hearing both sides, Felix didn’t make a decision one way or the other – and as we go forth to share the gospel and live our lives for Christ in the world, we need to be aware that this is going to be the same response from so many we speak to

-- people are going to ride the fence – they are not going to make a decision one way or the other – but are going to try to keep one foot in the world and one foot in heaven

-- that’s why polls show confusing statistical trends among Americans – for instance, about 70% of Americans believe there is a literal heaven – and about 60% believe they will go to heaven when they die

-- but at the same time, only about 20% of Americans attend worship services weekly – and almost 60% have never attended a worship service

-- so, we say we believe in heaven and we think we are going to go, but we don’t go to church and are not Christians in any real sense of the word

-- by and large, we just won’t commit to the truth – we are indecisive – fence-sitters – just like Felix – we won’t make a decision for or against Jesus

-- Felix apparently did get the idea that Paul was innocent of any real charges, though – because he had him moved from a prison cell to a home where he would be under guard, but with some freedoms – he also allowed Paul’s friends to take care of his needs – although that wasn’t simply an act of grace on Felix’s part – it was also pragmatic, since Paul’s friends would be responsible for providing Paul’s food, clothes, and any necessities – it was a common way for the Roman government to keep people as prisoners without having to provide them with anything to keep them alive

-- verse 24-27

Acts 24:24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

-- Felix routinely would have Paul come before him and Drusilla and speak to them about his faith in Christ Jesus and the beliefs that led to him being arrested – Paul spoke truth to power – sharing with Felix and his wife the truth about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come

-- the Spirit was working on Felix’s heart – and he was convicted and became afraid – but, once again, he wouldn’t take that step of faith that would lead to freedom and salvation and eternal life in Christ

-- when Paul’s words became too much – too real – too convicting for him – he would send Paul away until a later time – we also read that he was hoping that Paul would bribe him to get out of jail – but Paul wasn’t going to do that, because he was fulfilling the promise that God had given to him – that he would preach the gospel to the Gentile leaders, even in Rome

-- after two years passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus – this would have been in 60 AD – but even as Felix left office as Governor, he refused to release Paul because he wanted to grant a favor to the Jews – this was simply Felix’s way of keeping the peace, because he knew the Jews would react harshly if he turned Paul loose

-- so, we come to the end of today’s passage with Paul in jail because of the gospel and his belief in the resurrection – and we will pick up the story of the gospel on trial next week as we move on in the final chapters of the Book of Acts

III. Closing

-- what can we learn from this story of Paul that we can apply to our lives today?

-- first, Paul’s story reminds us of the calling that all of us share – we began this study in the Book of Acts focusing on Christ’s command in Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”

-- just like Paul, we are called to share the good news of the gospel with all we come into contact with – as Christians, we can do no less

-- evangelism – the sharing of the gospel with others – has been described as one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread – with that Bread being the Bread of Heaven

-- everyday, you tell a story about the gospel to others – sometimes, you do so in words – but most often, you do so with your life – how you live – what you say – what you spend your money on – where you spend your time – how you treat those around you – these are all part of the gospel message you are sharing – and we need to be mindful of who we are and who we are called to be in Christ

-- second, Paul’s story reminds us that the world is generally hostile to the truth of the gospel – the Bible tells us that this world is under the control of the prince of the power of the air – Satan himself – and Satan uses his authority in this world to spread evil and to confront the truth of God’s word and God’s people where he can

-- if you are living for Christ, you will always find yourself in conflict with someone or something – the world and Satan hates Jesus and the people of Jesus, and so they will always be opposed to Him and His word and His people

-- sometimes this takes the form of ridicule and mockery – sometimes it takes the form of legal action – sometimes it takes the form of persecution and imprisonment or even death

-- but be aware it is a reality of being a follower of Jesus – as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:12, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” – persecution and opposition are not strange, but normal for the people of God

-- third, Paul’s story reminds us that God redeems our trials and tribulations and uses them for His glory – Paul did not intend on getting arrested when he went to Jerusalem, but it happened – and God allowed it to happen and used it to get Paul before kings and queens and Gentile rulers, eventually Nero himself

-- no matter what trial or tribulation you face, know that God has not abandoned you – God is with you and God will take care of you – and He will use your trials to bring glory to His name

-- Christ calls us to carry His message to the world, regardless of the cost – and He promises to be with us – to never leave us or forsake us – but to empower us through His Spirit to be who He has called us to be and to do what He has called us to do

-- so, take heart in the name of Christ – stand firm in the faith – and carry His message of life and hope to this world – for that is our calling

-- let us pray