Defense before an expert

Well, congratulations to all you brave folks who made it through the snow, and so welcome. So we're in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 26, 1 through 18. I did, however, want to start by answering a question. This was a question I received this last week from someone who doesn't go to Holly Hills, as a matter of fact, lives in Southern California. But it has to do with the question, how do we conclude that Christ personally taught Paul new truths during his two years in the palace prison in Caesarea? I won't go through this in every bit of detail.

You're certainly welcome to do that. But we start with this, that Paul wrote Romans about three to five months before he arrived in Jerusalem, and then was sent to Caesarea. So in Romans, we read that we are identified with Christ and His, what? His death, His burial, and His resurrection, and that's it. So that's chapters 6 and 7. We also read in Galatians chapters 2 and 3 that we see that Jesus spent personal time with Paul, revealing truth to him.

And that starts in Galatians 1.12. But in Romans and Paul's letters written before that time, We don't hear about our identification with Christ's ascension and seeding. So that we find only in what are sometimes called the prison epistles, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.

We find that in this book of Acts, Jesus appears personally to Paul at the time when he's just ready to leave Jerusalem and head towards Caesarea, Acts 23.11.

Paul then traveled with about 270, or if you read it, as many as 470 Roman soldiers to Caesarea, where of course he was not alone during that time. Paul spent two years in the palace prison. Most of that time was under the governor Felix, who liked to keep Paul just strung along. Acts 23 through 26 records that. Then, after that time, Paul was aboard ship and he was with others constantly. until they arrived in Italy, and that was recorded, the travel in his arrival in chapters 27 and 28.

We'll be getting there. So what it amounts to is then the letters from Paul that have to do with our heavenly blessing, heavenly seating, heavenly citizenship, setting our minds on things above. Those are things that we read only in these letters that he wrote from Rome, and the time when he would have had an opportunity to spend personal time with the Lord would have been during this two-year period of time in the prison in Caesarea. So that's the quick summary there, and again you're welcome to look at the details.

So now back to Acts 26, 1 through 18. Here's the Apostle Paul. He is in Caesarea. He has been there for a period of two years under Felix and now the new governor, Festus, is there for a short period of time before we see the things in Acts 25 and now 26 recorded there. He is in the prison palace at Herod's Palace in Caesarea. We call it Herod's Palace because it was built under Herod the Not-So-Great.

And this would be a picture of the courtyard, or at least a reconstruction of the courtyard, so you get an idea. As prisons go, it was about as nice as you could get. It was still a prison, however. A couple of things we pointed out, as we pointed out last week.

Here are things from Acts 9, 15, and 16, which provide insights from back. This is Acts 9, is the chapter where Paul is met by Christ and confronted on the road to Damascus, and it says there, But the Lord said to him, Go, speaking to Ananias, for he, Paul, is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel, for I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake. So three points we observe from this.

One is Jesus chose Saul, who later became Paul, as his instrument to bear his name. He was chosen, as a matter of fact, Paul writes in Galatians, from the womb he was chosen. Isn't that something? Number two, Paul will bear Jesus' name before Gentiles, so that's non-Jews, kings, and that's used not just with those with the title kings, but as a figure of speech for all those who are in authority. And then finally, the sons of Israel, that is more simply put, Jews. So we have Jews, Gentiles, and rulers, those in authority of various kinds.

And number three, Jesus will show, that means he will warn and instruct Paul about how much Paul would suffer for Christ's name. So that's exactly what he does in the book of Acts, is Paul gets warnings He even tells the elders from Ephesus, I've been warned in every city about what's coming in Jerusalem. And he also gets instruction along the way as well as we see much instruction in Paul's letters about the meaning and purpose of suffering. He has unique insights into suffering.

The other thing that we pointed out in last week's passage is Acts 25-23 is What we see in today's passage and will include next week's passage as well are some special words which are used only in this verse in the book of Acts and nowhere else in the New Testament.

One of them we see is the people who are brought in are brought in with great pomp and fanfare. And so we'll point that out in a minute. The word auditorium is also only used here. And so there was a large meeting area where they were all gathered together. Apparently a group large enough gathered together that it took a special place to do so.

And so then we find also that their commanders, not a unique word, but there are five commanders in Caesarea. And then the prominent men means those who are the leaders of the city. So what we have here, great pomp here likely included a military parade, including these five commanders and those under their charge. It also included the civilian leaders who are brought into this gathering there at the auditorium. and also likely musicians of Roman style that came along.

So this was all this great introduction that the Apostle Paul had to what ended up being an evangelistic crusade, which is really just great to ponder. So Paul is given a golden opportunity here. We brought out last Sunday, the Lord had set all this up.

Here is the Apostle Paul who will gather together in front of everybody who is anybody in Caesarea, plus King Agrippa and his sister Bernice and all their entourage who came along with them, the very special guests. Those gathered then included Festus and his wife and his court, Agrippa and his sister Bernice and all their court, five commanders and all the military entourage that went along with them, and then civic leaders of every kind and station in the city of Caesarea. All these people gathered in this auditorium for what? For Paul's opportunity to have an evangelistic crusade in front of these people.

I think one of the things for us to look at here, the Lord had set up this opportunity for them. The Lord had arranged for Paul to gather in front of all these leaders, and many of them were Romans, Gentiles, as we saw before, but many of them were also Jews, and particularly Agrippa and Bernice were of Jewish background, and they would have brought other Jews with them. And then you had all the civic leaders. So this was a great gathering. The Apostle Paul gets this fantastic evangelistic opportunity. in front of all of them.

We get a perspective from Colossians 4, 2-6, and he writes to the church at Colossae, he says, Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving, praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open for us a door for the Word. He finally tells them in verse 5, conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. And one of the things as we look at this, the Lord had set up the opportunity for Paul, hadn't he? So that brings us to a question. What spiritual opportunities do we have? Do we just happen upon spiritual opportunities just by chance, or does God prepare them in advance for us? Well, that's a very good question that you have, so we'll get to it shortly.

Here's Acts 26, 1-3. Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense. It begins, In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today. Especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews, therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

We pointed out previously this King Agrippa is the king over what? Unlike many kings we think of, king over some land and area, this guy Agrippa was the king over the temple. He had approval authority over who was going to be the high priest. He had supervisory authority over everything that happened around the temple. That's what he was the king of.

So here's Agrippa saying, you can go ahead and speak. Paul begins, and he recognizes Agrippa as this expert. He begins his evangelistic appeal, which he called a defense, by recognizing Agrippa for his expertise in all things Jewish. Paul knew he could express everything in a Jewish context, and Agrippa would understand. Many of those present, even the Romans, would understand. having not just a Roman background, but also having had significant exposure to the Jews, many of them even being God-fearing Gentiles.

Here's Acts 26, 4-8, So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem, since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. But now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers, the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. For this hope, O King, I am being accused by the Jews. Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?

So one of the things that Paul points out, as all the Jews know, Paul was known in some degree by Jews all over the place. They had heard about Paul. They understood this was a disciple of Gamaliel. He had gone about into foreign places, but he'd also spent a lot of time in his earlier time in Jerusalem and in Israel. So many Jews knew that Paul had been a disciple of this premier rabbi of the first century, Gamaliel, and he'd begun with the most overt and violently aggressive stance against the believers in Christ. He was infamous for that point.

So one of the things we say here, Paul was a fulfilled Pharisee. Get all your Ph's lined up there. So as a Pharisee, even before he believed in Christ, and as all Pharisees would, they would believe in a future resurrection. So as a Pharisee that would have been standard belief.

He saw and believed that he was resurrected, that Christ was resurrected. This was Paul's observation. Everyone knew that Christ had died. It was a Roman verified fact. It was in the records. It was well known. Jesus' identification, however, as the Messiah required that he be resurrected. You can't have a dead Messiah. You must have a resurrected Messiah. Absolutely required. So while the Pharisees believed in a future resurrection of the dead, that Christ had been raised in Israel just 26 years earlier, it was a harder thing for them to believe.

So Paul's question here, why is that so hard for you? Is God who made everything and will raise the dead, can He raise Christ? And Paul's thought is, of course. So, it brings to the question here, what spiritual opportunities do we have, as Paul had the opportunity to talk about Christ resurrected? Do we happen upon spiritual opportunities just by chance, or does God prepare them? Well, that's a very good question, and we'll get there shortly. Okay. Acts 26, 9 through 11.

So then I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." Imagine, he felt compelled not just to oppose them in some sort of statement, but to do vigorous, aggressive things to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He felt compelled to do that.

And this is just what I did in Jerusalem. Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against them. The Apostle Paul actually was not a voter on the Sanhedrin, but he favored And with his influence, he favored death whenever he could. Verse 11, And as I punished them often in all synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme. So what would he do?

In the synagogues, we sometimes think a synagogue is just a Jewish church. No, not really. Because in the synagogues of the day, one could receive punishments. It was possible under the Jewish synagogue to have fines, and those fines would sometimes be increased. And when the fines got to their maximum level, then they would begin whippings. And in the synagogue, you could receive up to 39 whippings every day that you were out of compliance. So you'd be really glad that the church is not like the synagogue, right? As I punished them often in all the synagogues, opting for whippings, up to 39 lashes at a time.

I tried to force them to blaspheme." What does he mean by that? He means, I tried to force them to deny Christ. Yeah, I tried to make them deny Christ. Now notice, he says, I tried to force them. Was it successful? Apparently not. And being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities." Now this is one thing we've got to keep in mind.

The Bible talks about him going to Damascus and not arriving there before the Lord encounters him on the road. But is that the only foreign city he went to? No. This tells us multiple foreign cities, plural. So he had gone to other foreign cities before his trip to Damascus that got cut short by the Lord meeting him on the road.

So his approach? Lock them up. Kill them dead. Punish them all. Pursue them. That was it. Paul says he felt compelled to oppose anything having to do with Jesus of Nazareth. He locked up saints, voted for death, punished them all as much as he could, and his motivation was not mild irritation. He was furiously enraged. That's maxed out total, pedal to the metal rage. He was livid.

Paul pursued Christians to foreign cities, plural, not just Damascus. Damascus is the one that we read about in Acts, but there were other cities before Damascus. Damascus was the last of the cities, plural, that he'd gone to to find the Christians and to draw them out. Acts 26, 12-15, so while I was so engaged As I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, at midday, O King, King Agrippa, king of the temple, I saw in a way a light from heaven brighter than the sun shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.

And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads." And I said, who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am. By the way, this is I am, a statement like Jesus had when He said, I am the bread of life. I am the good shepherd. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

One of the things to explain here is a kick against the goads. Goads were sharp, hard, strong sticks that the person kind of training up the oxen would use, and the oxen would head off or veer off track, or they would resist doing what they were assigned to do, the oxen would be poked with these hard, sharp sticks. That's what goads are, right? And so the oxen would learn, no, you don't kick against those because it'll hurt, right? And so that's what is used as a word picture here.

You're kicking against the goads and this is getting painful for you, isn't it, Paul? Right? So, this is the third time in Acts, we saw in chapter 9, and we saw again in chapter 22. when Paul tells about his road of Damascus event, and in each case what we find is that Jesus says, you're persecuting Me. The persecution is against Christ. He tells the story, oh, I put people in prison. I had them whipped. I had them killed if I could. I pursued them all. Christ did not say, how come you're persecuting my saints? He said, why are you persecuting me?

The first account given in Acts chapter 9 and the account then in the second time in Acts chapter 22 is said to the Jewish leaders and this one is now the third and final accounting of this Acts chapter 9. This account is particularly brief compared to the other two.

It still adds some details we haven't had. Three points. One is the Lord spoke to him in this Hebrew dialect that was very likely the Aramaic the language that Jews commonly spoke. Next, the kicking against the goads is here in this particular instance, so that figure of speech used. And then thirdly, but mostly in 2616 through 18, those are unique things that are brought out in this account.

So one of the questions that this helps us answer, have you ever come across in Colossians 124, let me read it, Now, I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church." Now, this is the part people go, huh?

In filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. What? How can there be anything lacking in Christ's afflictions? What? Is that even possible? Something lacking in Christ's afflictions? Well, here it explains it. Three points I want to make, real simple. When we suffer, especially for Christ, He takes it personally. Paul, you've been severely persecuting all these saints. But Paul, why are you persecuting me? Why are you persecuting me? Jesus takes it personally.

The sufferings of Christ's body, the church, will continue until the day of the rapture. Until then, the sufferings of the body are not Complete. The sufferings of the saints will be the filling up to complete the sufferings of Christ until the day He calls us home. So the sufferings of Christ includes the sufferings of His church body, and that's you and me, and particularly focused on suffering for Christ.

But that's not done. That's not done until the day when He calls us all home, when the Father says to the Son, go get your bride. And the Lord takes us all home. Then the sufferings will be complete. And until those sufferings are complete, it is filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Not that Christ didn't suffer sufficiently on the cross. He did.

But all the sufferings include all the sufferings of all the saints until the day He calls us home. Here's Acts 26, 16 through 18, plus some bracketed references we have in there. But get up and stand on your feet, the Lord told Saul. later called Paul, for this purpose I have appeared to you to appoint you a minister and a witness, not only to the things which you have seen, that is, the things you've seen here on this road, but also the things to which I will appear to you, events and revelation, things yet to come.

And verse 17, rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, and we've seen that in earlier instances and including recent times in the book of Acts. to whom I am sending you, so that's Acts 9.15, to open their eyes, that would be similar to Ephesians 1.18, so that they may turn from darkness to light, similar to 2 Corinthians 4.6, and from the dominion of Satan to God.

And the Ephesians elective encountered that in Ephesians 2.1-7, that they may receive forgiveness of sins.

Forgiveness of sins is received by those who believe, Acts 10.43, and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified.

This is a word that says sanctified, and it's a completed action. It's a done deal. You and I have sanctification. One is something that is already done and complete in our position. We as believers are always catching up to what God has already accomplished. And that's what it refers to here. And how are we sanctified? By faith in Christ. By faith in Christ. That's how God says, okay, you believe, that's it, I'll take it from there. And He accomplishes everything.

So we have the Apostle Paul, he is at this point in the middle of an opportunity. What's the characteristic of that opportunity? He's going to tell them, or has told them so far, here's how I became a Christian. That's what he's going to tell them. In next week's passage, he's going to tell them, here's how you can become a Christian.

And the response to that will be fascinating to see. We'll see again that Festus is frightened and alarmed by what Paul has to say. Have you ever known anybody who is frightened by the gospel? Who holds the gospel at bay? That's a response we're going to see in next week's passage.

But the Lord has prepared for Paul a huge, massive opportunity here, a fulfillment of answer to prayer. It is a fulfillment of what the Lord assigned to Paul from the very beginning. It is a fulfillment of what Paul had been chosen for from his mother's womb. So Paul is taking up an opportunity here.

And so that does lead us to the question, what spiritual opportunities do we have? And do we just happen upon spiritual opportunities just by chance, or does God prepare them? So the question for you is, what spiritual opportunities has the Lord given you?

Do you have opportunities with your family? Do you have opportunities with Do you have opportunities with children? Maybe even an extended family? And what opportunities do you have? Do you have opportunities to pray? Do you have opportunities to pray for them? Do you have opportunities to pray for those that the Lord has put us in contact with? Here in the church body, there's not many of us here this morning because of weather and other things, but the Lord has given us opportunities among each other, right?

And so those opportunities have been opened up. What spiritual opportunities are there for each of us? Here are three biblical principles of spiritual opportunity that grow out of this passage and then with other passages. Number one, God has prepared good works that we might walk in them.

This is the Ephesians 2.10. And we're called to walk in dependence upon and fellowship with Christ. This is a primary spiritual opportunity. The Lord has prepared everything out there that he desires and has designed for us to walk in.

We have no place of stepping into anything he has not already prepared. Isn't that great? You don't have to make any opportunity. Who has done the preparing of opportunities? God. God has prepared the opportunities. So ours is not to make the opportunities, but to take advantage of the opportunities that God has already made. We do that by beginning with dependence upon the Lord and fellowship with Him. The Lord has not prepared any opportunities that He has just delegated to us. It begins with our dependence upon Him and fellowship with Him.

Principle number two, praying and giving thanks and everything, also praying that God will open doors of spiritual opportunity. We see plenty of that in an example in not only the book of Acts, but many of Paul's letters. He talks about opening doors. Pray that there be open doors of opportunity before us. And so we can pray in anticipation of those opportunities, pray for everything, including praying that the Lord will open doors of opportunity for us. And the Lord opens many, and He's the one who's done the preparation for it. The third principle, when God opens the door of spiritual opportunity, go through the door.

Is that tough? I know that We have Yogi Berra who said, if you find a fork in the road, take it. But that's not quite what this is talking about. Instead, what you have here is when God opens the door of spiritual opportunity, go through the door, look for them, having prayed that the Lord would open the door, and when He answers it, do it. Now, sometimes it will be very evident.

Let me tell you a story. Years ago, Nancy was with a friend who didn't know the Lord. And so, as the friend went into another room, Nancy was praying that the Lord would open up the opportunity to talk to this lady about the Lord. And when she came back in the room, the lady says, Hey, what's all this stuff about Jesus?

So, at any rate, this is a great deal. So when the Lord opens the door of spiritual opportunity, go through the door, based on all the other things that He has done and the praying for the door being opened, just as the Apostle Paul asked that people pray. These are simple, and there's only three of them, you know, principles of biblical opportunity. They are doors that the Apostle Paul is carrying out right here in this passage. We're going to see again as he turns it around to them, to those that are gathered, to everybody who is anybody in the city of Caesarea at the time. As he turns around to them, he says, I've told you how I became a believer in Christ. Now I'm going to tell you how you can become a believer in Christ.

The Lord Answers prayer and will open up the doors of opportunity the things that he wants us to walk in let's pray Lord, thank you that you have Indeed prepared good works that we might walk in them pray we pray for open doors of opportunity and we might have eyes to see them and that walking by faith we can walk through those doors of opportunity that you prepared and and made clear to us. We pray that we would have understanding and walk by faith through those doors. Thank you for these things, the principles you've laid out, and for this fantastic opportunity you've given the Apostle Paul that we can learn from. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.