Tell Your Story
Notes
Transcript
ME:
ME:
I find it interesting if you watch sports or TV shows,
It is very common to get this long inspirational telling of a person’s background.
And I do not remember it always being this way,
But it now feels like every person has some sort of back story that has motivated them to do this thing they are doing for some sort of cause,
Or for other people who will see them and be inspired by them or something like that.
If I am being honest,
Initially, I was kind of annoyed by it.
I thought that everyone just wanted a platform to talk about themselves.
Or people were leveraging something in their life for attention.
But I have since come to not be so annoyed,
Rather, I now realize the great irony of this.
Because these stories are essentially popular culture’s form of evangelism.
But sadly, they are evangelizing for the wrong things.
Every person’s story is true, authentic, and raw.
But at the end of it,
These people are pointing the hope and purpose of their story in the wrong direction;
Either toward themselves or some other worldly source of inspiration.
But popular culture is modeling the very thing we Christians should be doing,
And that is telling our story.
But unlike the stories of our culture,
Our stories are centered on Christ.
People in our culture tell their stories,
And we should be telling our stories,
Because we humans love a good story.
Whether we are hearing someone from work tell us about something that happened to them over the weekend,
Or we find ourselves emotionally invested in fictional characters in a book or a movie.
Stories hook us,
They captivate us,
They draw us in.
That is part of the reason the book of Acts is so engaging.
Because it is a well told story.
This morning, we are going to be continuing through a large portion of this story in chs. 25-26.
Where we read a great story about Paul,
But also where Paul tells his story.
Modeling how to tell our stories with Christ at the center.
Slide
So, our outline for this morning is...
Disputing Christ (Acts 25)
Before Christ (Acts 26:1-11)
Meeting Christ (Acts 26:12-18)
Since Christ (Acts 26:19-32)
Tell your story and prompt for a response.
WE: Disputing Christ (Acts 25)
WE: Disputing Christ (Acts 25)
Ch. 25 is really a historical narrative that sets the stage for Paul to tell his story.
Because from the Roman authorities perspective,
Paul and the Jews are simply disputing Christ.
Slide
At the end of ch. 24 we were introduced to governor Festus,
As the successor to Felix.
So, our passage this morning picks up with the early days of his reign.
Now, Festus was a savvy politician,
Much like Felix before him,
He sought to earn the favor of the Jews,
Who historically resisted Roman authority.
But unlike Felix,
He managed to avoid perverting justice along the way.
However, Festus does not last very long as governor,
With records showing that he died in Judea only two years after taking office.
So, only three days into the job,
Festus makes a customary visit to Jerusalem,
Which was a logical visit with Jerusalem being the most important Jewish city,
Before even really settling in at Caesarea.
Slide
Remember, by this time,
Paul has been in prison in Caesarea for two years.
Yet, as soon as the new governor gets to Jerusalem,
The chief priests and Jewish leaders once again bring up their case against Paul,
Hoping to take advantage of Festus’ unfamiliarity with the case.
So, the leaders urge him to send Paul to Jerusalem.
Because,
And stop me if you heard this before,
They plan on ambushing and killing Paul on the road from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
Slide
Now, if you remember their ambush attempt failed last time,
Because Lysias the Roman Commander was obligated to protect Paul.
Due to Paul’s Roman citizenship.
Once Lysias brought him to Felix the governor,
Then, Felix was obligated to protect Paul for the same reason.
Now that Felix is no longer the governor,
Festus has inherited this obligation.
He is responsible to protect Paul while Paul is in his custody.
And because he is much more honest and able than Felix was.
Festus refused the Jews’ request in vs. 4,
Replying that Paul is kept in Caesarea,
And he was about to go there shortly.
However, he did not know he was protecting Paul from their ambush.
So, Festus invites the Jewish authorities to come with him,
And he says, if Paul has done anything wrong,
Then they can accuse him formally.
Slide
Vs. 6 says, Festus did not spend more than 8-10 days in Jerusalem before going back to Caesarea.
The day after arriving in Caesarea,
He commands Paul to be brought before him.
When Paul is brought before Festus in vs. 7,
Many of the Jews that came with the governor gathered around,
Bringing some serious charges against Paul.
However, they were not able to prove these charges.
Slide
So, Paul makes his defense in vs. 8,
Saying he has not broken Jewish law, temple customs, nor even the Roman law.
He is an innocent victim of a smear campaign,
Ultimately, hoping to put an end to Christianity by killing Paul.
Slide
But vs. 9 says Festus wanted to do the Jews a favor,
So, he asks Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried for these charges,
Just as the Jews wanted.
Paul likely grew concerned that Festus might actually send him back to Jerusalem,
Knowing that the Jews still want to murder him,
And even after two years, still knowing that Christ had called him to Rome.
Slide
So, in vs. 11, he exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal directly to Caesar.
Now, not all appeals were granted by local governors,
But Paul likely understood that Festus,
Being new to the office,
Still trying to appease the Jews so he would have a long tenure,
Would be happy to pass the case to another jurisdiction,
Freeing himself from the pressure of the Jews.
So, Paul was confident this would get him to where Christ called him, Rome.
At this time in history, the Caesar was Nero,
But it was before he became a hostile force against Christianity.
He was still leading under the influence of the benevolent Stoic philosopher Seneca.
So, Paul was appealing to him to get to Rome.
Slide
Unsurprisingly, Festus agreed in vs. 12.
Several days later,
We are introduced to Agrippa the king in vs. 13,
And his sister-wife Bernice.
Yes, you heard that correctly.
This is Herod Agrippa II,
And both he and Bernice were children of Herod Agrippa I,
And great-grandchildren of Herod the Great.
Bernice had actually been married twice before,
But both of her first two husbands had passed away.
After her second one passed,
She moved into the palace with her brother Agrippa,
And they eventually began an incestuous relationship together,
Which was quite the scandal.
Yet, Agrippa would still frequently present her as his queen on official occasions.
Slide
Since the king was staying in Caesarea for several days,
Festus made the savvy move of bringing Agrippa into this controversy.
Because Agrippa was responsible for the temple,
And for appointing the high priest.
So, he would be interested in these charges that Paul violated the temple.
Of course, as he is retelling the case,
Festus presents himself in the best possible light.
But he tells of how the Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul,
Asking that Paul be condemned.
Slide
Festus says that he upheld the Roman custom of allowing the accused to face their accusers,
Giving Paul an opportunity for a defense against the charges.
So, Festus made sure to make quick work of this,
Immediately assembling the Jewish leaders when they arrived in Caesarea.
Slide
Based off how badly the Jews wanted to kill Paul,
Festus expected some wicked forms of evil to be brought against Paul,
Like an insurrection or a revolution or something like that.
But in vs. 18, he says no such charges came.
Instead, he says in vs. 19,
From his perspective,
They were having a dispute about their own religion.
Specifically, about a guy named Jesus,
Who had died,
But Paul disputes is now alive.
Slide
So, Festus was at a loss that these Jewish leaders and Paul were disputing Christ,
He realized this theological debate was beyond him.
That was why he pushed for Paul to go to Jerusalem for trial.
Then unexpectedly, he says in vs. 21,
Paul appealed to be held for a trial from the Emperor,
Even though he did not have to.
So, Festus agreed.
Slide
It is interesting in vs. 22,
Agrippa immediately says to Festus that he wants to hear Paul himself.
Why?
Perhaps he has heard of Jesus,
And wanted to hear what Paul would say about Him.
Or it is just because of how closely related this is to his Jewish responsibilities.
We really don’t know what his motive was for certain.
All we know is that he immediately asked to hear from Paul,
So, Festus immediately makes it happen.
Slide
Agrippa and Bernice work quickly to make this trial into a spectacle.
Vs. 23 says they entered what was essentially an auditorium with great pomp.
It became quite the occasion with all these honored guests,
And an elaborate entourage.
But once they finally get in and get settled,
Festus commands for Paul to be brought in.
Slide
Festus begins by essentially publically retelling what he had already told Agrippa,
But adding some details.
Like the fact that the whole Jewish community made this appeal,
And that they were shouting that Paul should not live any longer.
Prior to vs. 25, Paul had not made it known publicly that he thought Paul was innocent.
But since Paul made an appeal to Caesar,
Festus was able to admit that he thought the charges did not hold water,
Without fear of repercussion.
Slide
Then Festus concludes in an almost comical way.
Not only did he find the charges were lacking,
But he found the whole thing perplexing.
So, he was hoping that Agrippa would be able to help him think of a way to explain to the emperor the charges against Paul.
Because the only thing that he could tell was that Paul and the Jews were disputing Christ.
GOD: Before Christ (Acts 26:1-11)
GOD: Before Christ (Acts 26:1-11)
In ch. 26, Paul gives his third and final defensive speech in Acts.
But instead of giving a legal defense here,
As would be expected,
He gives a defense of the gospel,
Hoping that Agrippa,
And all the other people listening would become Christians.
So, first, he begins by telling his story Before Christ.
Slide
Paul begins by being respectful to Agrippa.
I mentioned earlier he was the son of Agrippa I.
Agrippa is Herod Agrippa who persecuted the church back in Acts 12.
He killed James and put Peter into prison.
So, this Agrippa has this intimate knowledge of Jewish matters.
However, despite his influence in Jewish religious affairs,
Agrippa was not very popular with the Jews.
Largely because of his incestuous relationship with Bernice.
The Jews saw him as a disgrace.
Yet, Paul respectfully says he is fortunate to be standing before Agrippa,
Acknowledging his familiarity with the Jewish customs and controversies.
Slide
Then, Paul really begins to talk about his life before Christ in vs. 4.
He says the Jews know that since he was a teenager in Jerusalem,
They have have seen and known how he lived.
He was a member of the strictest sect of Judaism,
A Pharisee.
This is who he was before Christ.
A very religious person from a young age.
Look at how he described himself in Phil. 3:5-6, saying he was...
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Slide
Paul repeatedly showed the legitimacy of his Jewish background whenever he talked about his life before Christ.
Knowing Agrippa is familiar with Judaism,
Paul stresses his dependence on the same God as the Jews.
He says this controversy is based upon the hope in the promise made by God to our fathers.
What promise is that?
The promise to raise the dead.
If you remember,
This was what pit the Pharisees and Sadducees against one another back when Paul was still in Jerusalem.
But Paul’s point is that it was more than that,
This is a Jewish complaint against Christianity.
Even though the Jews believed in this promise from God,
And the Pharisees held tightly to this promise,
It is now the basis of the charges being brought against Paul.
Because Paul said the fulfilment of this promise was Jesus Christ.
Who died and rose from the dead.
Slide
But then, Paul says in vs. 9,
Back before Christ,
He too was convinced that it was necessary to do whatever he could to oppose Jesus of Nazareth.
He did so in Jerusalem,
Arresting Christians,
And even agreeing to put them to death.
Slide
Paul describes himself in vs. 11, as being enraged at Christians,
Pursuing them to foreign cities.
Paul is telling his story before Christ,
To show that he was a faithful Jew,
He was a devout religious man,
He did good deeds,
He is what we would call a good person.
YOU: Meeting Christ (Acts 26:12-18)
YOU: Meeting Christ (Acts 26:12-18)
Then, in vs. 12-18,
He tells his story of meeting Christ,
And as a result,
Is now a witness for Christ.
Slide
Paul story on the road to Damascus was originally recorded in Acts 9.
But meeting Christ was so important to Paul and so important to Luke,
The author of Acts,
That this is actually the third time this is recorded in Acts.
The second time was back in ch. 22,
When Paul was before the Jewish crowd that tried to beat him to death in Jerusalem.
Now, he is telling his story before a primarily non-Jewish crows in Caesarea.
He says in vs. 12, that it was in connection to his rage that he was travelling to Damascus.
He had both the authority and a commission from the chief priests to arrest more Christians.
Then, while he was on the road at midday,
A light brighter than the sun,
Shone around him and those traveling with him.
They all fell to the ground,
When they heard the voice of Christ speak to Saul.
This is the only account that says Jesus spoke in Hebrew,
And it is the specific form of Hebrew called Aramaic.
Which was the common language of the first century Jew.
Slide
But what was not common,
Was what Jesus said to Paul in vs. 14,
“It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
What in the world is Jesus saying here?
To put it simply,
He seems to be telling Paul not to resist the new direction that God is sending him in.
Because it would be very difficult for him to resist God.
Slide
This is not the only new details Paul includes as he tells his story of meeting Jesus.
Vs. 16-18 are also not included in the other two accounts in Acts.
Back in ch. 9, Paul’s calling to the Gentiles was communicated through Ananias in Damascus.
But Paul’s retelling here says that Jesus revealed this directly to him,
As well as sending Ananias to affirm this call.
But these verses tell of Paul’s call to the Jews and Gentiles,
In a way that is saturated with OT allusions.
First, Jesus tells him in vs. 16 to get up and stand on his feet.
This echoes God’s words to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 2:1,
And to Daniel in Daniel 10:11,
Just before God commissioned these OT servants.
So, God had Saul stand up for the same reason.
To appoint him as a servant and a witness of what he already has seen and what he will see of Christ.
Then, in vs. 17, Jesus again echoes OT promises when He promises to deliver Paul from his people and the Gentiles.
Just like God had said to Jeremiah in Jer. 1:8 and 19.
Then Jesus commissioned Paul in vs. 18 to be the missionary to the Gentiles.
Jesus says to open their eyes,
So, that they may turn from darkness to light,
Just as Isaiah 35:5 foretold.
And that they may turn from the power of Satan to God,
That they may receive forgiveness of sin,
And that they receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ.
WE: Since Christ (Acts 26:19-32)
WE: Since Christ (Acts 26:19-32)
In vs. 19-32, Paul continues to tell his story Since Christ.
Slide
The first thing Paul says after meeting Christ,
Is that he was not disobedient to that heavenly vision.
Talk about an understatement.
Paul was incredibly faithful to Christ’s calling,
Even through remarkable hardships.
He talks in vs. 20 about preaching in Damascus, then Jerusalem, then Judea,
And also to the Gentiles.
But what does it say he preached to them?
He says that they should repent and turn to God,
And do works worthy of repentance.
Let’s sit for a moment and talk about repentance.
Repentance is one of those words that we hear from Christians a lot, right?
And for good reason.
There are many ways that repentance has been described and illustrated.
But the most simple and literal way to define it is to change your mind,
To change it in such a way that your views, values, goals, and ways are changed,
That your whole life is lived differently.
So, repentance involves the mind and judgment,
Your will and affections,
Your behavior and lifestyle,
Your motives and plans.
To repent is to ultimately start living a new life.
The call the to repent was fundamental in NT preaching.
John the Baptist said to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand in Matt. 3:2.
Jesus said the same thing in Matt. 4:17.
Mark 6:12 says the disciples went out and proclaimed that people should repent.
Back at the beginning of Acts,
To repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
One example of many where Paul preached this message,
Is in Acts 17:30.
He said the times of ignorance God overlooked,
Now He commands all people everywhere to repent.
Then, at the end of the Bible,
Jesus calls five of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 to repent.
The call to repent corresponds with the same message the prophets would preach to God’s people in the OT.
When Israel strayed,
Prophets would tell them to turn back to God.
Likewise, repentance is the path to removing sins and being restored to God.
While refusing to repent is the road to ruin.
Slide
Look how Jesus taught it in Luke 13:3-5,
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
So, because repentance is essentially changing one’s mind about God,
It is turning back toward God after we have strayed.
Therefore, repentance is inseparable from faith.
The way that this seems to balance out is that when we turn away from sin in repentance,
We turn toward Christ in faith.
So, we can’t truly turn toward Christ in faith without also turning from sin in repentance.
Faith and repentance together embraces Christ as both Savior and Lord.
Because it acknowledges that we trust in Christ as our Savior,
And that we submit to Him as our Lord.
So, without repentance,
As Jesus teaches in Luke, we perish.
What this means then is just feeling remorse or sorrow for sin without this sense of resolve to forsake sinning is not the same as repentance.
Thus, being a witness for Christ demands that we prompt a response from those we are witnessing to.
So, tell your story,
And then prompt a response.
Slide
This message is what Paul was preaching.
And this is the reason,
Paul says in vs. 21,
The Jews seized him,
And wanted him dead.
Slide
But Paul did not fear the Jews,
He did not fear death.
So, he emphasized how Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection fulfill the OT teachings.
And the Jews had a really hard time accepting this.
That their Messiah,
Their Savior,
Would suffer and die.
But we know it is true,
For one, Jesus taught this Himself after His resurrection on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24.
And His followers, like Paul, taught this from the OT Scriptures.
Slide
For example, look at 1 Cor. 15:3-4,
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Yet in Acts, the Jews rejected this message,
They arrested Paul,
And repeatedly sought to kill him.
Slide
But the Jews aren’t the only ones who had trouble believing this.
Festus thought it sounded so crazy,
That he yelled that too much studying has driven Paul mad.
It is the only conclusion he could think of to explain all Paul’s talk about resurrection and Messiah.
So, these beliefs seemed foolish to Gentiles too.
Slide
But Paul replies in vs. 25 that he is the opposite of out of his mind,
He is speaking words of truth and good judgment,
Pointing out that the major events of Christianity did not take place in a corner.
In other words, they did not take place out of sight.
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were all public.
These things could not have possibly escaped the king’s notice.
Slide
Therefore, Paul prompts a response from Agrippa in vs. 27,
Asking if he believes the prophets.
This question left the king in a pickle.
One one hand,
If he said no,
He would get all the Jews angry,
Because any good Jew should accept the prophets.
But if he said yes,
He knew that Paul would follow-up asking why he does not believe the prophets point to Christ.
So, the king does not actually answer the question.
Instead, he used a delaying tactic.
Arguing that a half-hour speech is not enough time for him to become a Christian.
Was he saying this out of frustration?
Was he making a joke?
Was he actually close to being persuaded by Paul?
We do not know.
But what we do know,
Is that what he said is not true.
It does not matter how much time a person has spent hearing the gospel,
God can soften a hardened heart.
He can do it in a moment,
And He can do it over a lifetime.
And this is what Paul expresses in vs. 29.
That how much time it take does not matter,
What matters is that,
Not only the king,
But all who hear the message would become just as Paul is,
Except for the chains.
In other words,
Paul wants the king and every other person in the audience to hear his story and trust in Christ.
This is essentially what he is praying to God for as he is speaking to them.
Slide
After Paul finishes telling his story,
A fair judgment is reached at the end of this chapter;
Paul was innocent.
So, when the king, governor, and Bernice left,
They all talked with each other,
Reaching that same conclusion.
Stating that Paul is not doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment.
Slide
There were no grounds for Paul to be charged neither by Roman law nor Jewish law.
But Paul’s appeal to Caesar now kept him from getting dismissed.
In fact, Agrippa says to Festus in vs. 32 that Paul would have been released,
If he did not appeal to Caesar.
Going back to the past several chapters,
There was a bunch of corruption for Paul while he was imprisoned,
But all the corruption was key in sending Paul to Rome to preach the gospel.
What looked like a legal can of worms was actually the unfolding of God’s plan.
And it continues to add to Paul’s story.
Slide
There are seemingly an endless number of applications we can draw from Paul’s example here,
About how we should tell our story in our modern world today.
So, I will try to quickly point out as many as I can
First, be respectful.
Before Paul really begins telling his story,
He speaks generously,
Being courteous to Agrippa.
Remember, when 1 Peter 3:15 says to always be ready to give the reason for the hope that is in you,
It says to do so with gentleness and respect.
What we say is obviously the most important.
But how we say something is also important.
Our tone,
Our posture,
The way we deliver a message matters.
How many times have we hurt someone not by what we say but by how we say it?
So, we should be speaking the truth with tenderness, compassion, and love.
Second, exalt Christ not self.
Paul’s story is ultimately a story about Jesus not Paul.
Jesus is the hero of Paul’s story,
And He is the hero of our stories.
So, we must make it clear that Jesus is the hero of our story.
When we are telling our story we should be talking a lot about Jesus.
Talk about Him again and again as we are talking about our own lives.
Because the personal parts of our stories are the threads that point to Christ.
Third, tell your story to all types of people.
Paul was speaking to all people groups,
Both small and great,
About their need for the gospel,
And the benefits of the gospel.
Likewise, we must speak honestly about our sinful condition,
And about the amazing grace of Jesus toward sinners like us.
Regardless of our stature in this world.
Fourth, stick to the Scriptures.
If you are ever in doubt of what to say when you are being a witness,
Head to the cross,
And Christ’s resurrection from the dead,
Then prompt for a response.
We talked about how the NT is filled with Christ and His witnesses calling people to repent.
The Scriptures are filled with the message of a Savior who suffered, died, and rose from the dead.
That is what we are called to witness to.
So, do not get tired of talking about this gospel message.
Fifth, rely on God’s help.
Paul only makes one brief comment about this in vs. 22,
But it is an important truth to remember.
Our help comes from God.
To be a witness of Christ,
We need the power and grace of Jesus Christ.
The sixth application can be difficult,
But be prepared for rejection.
Festus calls Paul insane,
We should expect similar comments.
We deliver the message,
And God does the work of converting people.
So, we must trust Him with the results,
And we must rest in Him when we are rejected or ridicules.
Eight, pray.
Paul’s comment in vs. 29, “I would to God,”
Expresses the fact that Paul was asking God that all who hear him tell his story would become Christians.
Paul had a prayerful desire for those who hear his story to trust Christ.
So, he had an overarching compassion for his audience.
He did not just see them as projects or numbers or statistics.
He saw them as people made in the image of God,
Who marred that image by sin,
And were in need of God’s salvation.
We should see people the same way,
And we should desire that they come to know the same saving grace that we have come to experience.
So, all these applications add to one final application has to do with this little paper that was with the bulletins this morning.
If you have it, please take it out for a moment.
This little paper is one of many tools meant to help us to share our testimony.
It outlines Paul’s example in ch. 26,
Using prompting questions to help you to write out your testimony,
To help you tell your story.
So, take this piece of paper and set it in the front of your Bible,
Or somewhere else prominent.
Then put it somewhere you will notice it this week.
Maybe on a night stand, in the living room, on the dinner table.
Somewhere that you will see it.
Then, sometime this week,
Take a moment to go through and write out your story using this to help you.
If you would say you already know your story,
Great!
Then it should not take you too long to do this.
Once you have it written out,
Work on being able to tell it in a natural way.
It should not be clunky, it is your story!
So, do not worry so much about making it just so.
Rather, use the guidelines to help you to tell your story well.
Then, tell it to someone this week!
How perfect of an opportunity,
You will likely be gathering with family at some point this week for Thanksgiving.
What an opportunity to tell your story!
Perhaps they might know your story already,
Great!
May that be encouraged to hear it again.
Or perhaps, they did not know how central Christ is to your story.
Regardless, our takeaway from our passage this morning is to tell your story,
And prompt a response.
Please let me pray for us as we seek to go and tell our stories.
Pray