91 Acts 26:24-32 That All May Be Like Me

August 10, 2025

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: That All May Be Like Me Text: Acts 26:24-32 FCF: We often struggle desiring all men to be saved. Prop: Even though people cannot be convinced by man’s wisdom that they need the gospel, we must desire the conversion of everyone. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts chapter 26. In a moment we’ll begin reading from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 24. You can follow along in the pew bible in or whatever version you prefer. Paul is fairly deep into his defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ before Festus and Agrippa. He has made it plain that all men; gentiles, jews, even the most religiously zealous people, all men cannot believe the gospel as they are. But God does a work to open the eyes of Jews and Gentiles alike to understand that they are in spiritual darkness and slavery to Satan and that He has given them gifts of repentance and faith available to them to use. By these gifts they inherit forgiveness from God and a new family among God’s people. The gospel could not have been expressed clearer than Jesus of Nazareth being the Messiah who came to die and be resurrected to provide life for those who believe in Him. Today we will see the response of Festus and Agrippa. Will they believe? What would this do to the Roman world if people like Festus and Agrippa became Christians? Let’s see what happens. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Gracious Father, You are merciful and just. You have made a way for men to be saved from their sin and made right with You. You have provided the payment of Your Son to both take away the curse and the shame of sin and the sting of death. He also gives His infinite righteousness secured by His perfect obedience to Your law and He gives all this to all who believe in Him. All these gifts You give to those whom You, by the power of the Holy Spirit, do awaken and draw to receive them. We praise You Father, Son, and Spirit for Your work in the redemption of Your people and I ask today that You would use the Scriptures to stoke a flame in our hearts to love those who are perishing and earnestly desire their conversion. May we be so desirous of this that we go out from here determined to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus. Help us Lord to see these things. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: Let us conclude this entire episode of Paul before Festus. Let us look at verse 24. I.) Though many will reject the gospel message even if it is clearly spoken, we must earnestly desire the conversion of everyone. (24-29) a. [Slide 2] 24 - Now while Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Great learning is driving you out of your mind.” i. There are a few things implied here as we analyze the text of verse 24. ii. First, that Paul wasn’t quite done defending the gospel. 1. Luke records that while Paul was saying these things, Festus interrupts in a loud voice. 2. He exclaims. 3. And what does he say? 4. Well, he calls Paul crazy. 5. He says you are out of your mind to think that one person could rise from the dead, let alone that that one person rising from the dead would lead others to do the same. 6. Festus obviously has not believed what Paul has said. 7. Festus is your typical Roman who denies the possibility of someone coming back from the realm of the dead. It cannot be done. iii. The next thing Festus says implies to us that Paul has done an excellent job representing himself. 1. He says that Paul’s great learning has driven him mad. 2. Indeed, those who analyze Greek syntax and grammar note that Paul’s Greek style in his defense has been remarkably classic and polished Greek. 3. To the extent that we could say that Paul exceeded even Festus’ abilities and intelligence when it came to the law and being a rhetorician. 4. But Festus believes that all the learning Paul has achieved has only served to drive him mad. 5. He’s gone looney. He’s gone batty. 6. Not that his argument is poorly constructed or rambley… but that he has overthought the matter to drive him to a ridiculous conclusion. iv. Festus’ official position on the gospel… is that it is foolishness. v. Paul himself recently wrote to the Corinthians stating that he preached Christ crucified; a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. vi. Once again, that holds true for Festus. vii. So, what does Paul reply? What is his rebuttal? b. [Slide 3] 25 - But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. i. He refutes the inference entirely. ii. Respectfully of course. The tone here is not defensive or aggressive. iii. But he makes sure to tell Festus in no uncertain terms that not only is he in his right mind, but that what he speaks are the serious words of truth. iv. These are not ravings or imprecise musings but are rather the ancient teachings that the Jews have always believed. v. For this point he turns to Agrippa to testify on his behalf. c. [Slide 4] 26 - “For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. 27 - “King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know you believe.” i. Paul is convinced that King Agrippa, though a Jew of convenience, certainly knew the teachings of the law and the prophets and understood the beliefs he has defended. ii. Being born in the area he certainly would have been aware of the claims of Jesus of Nazareth and his followers because, as Paul points out, it wasn’t concealed in a corner but was done very publicly. iii. Jesus had a very public and miraculous ministry, He was publicly crucified, and was publicly seen risen by 500 people. Not all of which were believers because as we know from Acts 1, the church only had 120 members at the time of Christ’s ascension. iv. Paul then presses Agrippa on the matter. v. Do you believe the prophets? I know you do! vi. Paul lays a trap for Agrippa. vii. You see if Agrippa says he doesn’t believe the prophets, then he is ill fit to be a King of the Jews since the Pharisees and most of the people would be quite displeased with that answer. viii. If Agrippa says yes, then not only does he face the ire of the Sadducees, who reject the Prophets as Scripture, but he also faces the necessary follow up from Paul, that he should believe that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Prophets. ix. Agrippa, having been backed into a logical and political corner, could be quite embarrassed by Paul’s trap. x. In an honor shame culture, this would be quite a predicament to find oneself in. xi. So how will Agrippa reply? d. [Slide 5] 28 - But Agrippa replied to Paul, “In such short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” i. There are two basic ways to interpret Agrippa’s words. ii. First, he could be saying that Paul was almost able to persuade him to become a Christian in such a short time. 1. Basically, this interpretation has Agrippa’s comment saying that Paul was very persuasive, and that the gospel is very believable. 2. The KJV renders the words translated here as “such short time” as “almost” and puts this as a statement and not a question. 3. “Almost thou persuadest me to become a Christian” iii. The second interpretation has Agrippa essentially saying that Paul is pressing for his belief on this prematurely. He would need a lot more time and a lot more evidence to convince Agrippa of the truth of the claims of Christianity. 1. In other words, Herod is saving face by making a joke. 2. You aren’t THAT convincing Paul that you’d convert me so quickly. iv. I tend to favor the latter view. 1. Paul’s response in verse 29 seems to be similar in tone as a truthful but comical comeback to Agrippa’s remark. 2. Agrippa’s use of the word Christian is almost certainly derogatory. a. Although Christians eventually came to embrace this name, throughout the book of Acts Christians never referred to themselves as such. b. Instead we’ve seen them referred to mostly as people of The Way or at least those of the Nazarean sect. c. It is hard to believe that Agrippa would be almost persuaded to become a Christian while simultaneously referring to the group with this derogatory title. 3. Finally, although too technical to explain in a sermon, I have been persuaded that the KJV’s translation of this verse is a good deal inferior to many of the more modern translations. v. In any case – Herod Agrippa, a Jew, cannot quite submit to the truth of the gospel of Christ. vi. It is, as Paul said, a stumbling block to Jews. vii. He will need a lot more convincing if Paul is to overcome that. viii. So, what is Paul’s rebuttal to Herod not being convinced so easily? e. [Slide 6] 29 - And Paul said, “I would pray to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.” i. Ah the heart of an evangelist. ii. Paul truly desires that everyone come to Christ. iii. Short or long, little evidence or lots – it doesn’t matter. iv. Paul wants everyone in the room to be just like him. v. Well, except for his chains. vi. This little comment puts a lighter spin on the matter indicating to us that Agrippa’s comment is probably intended to be a “saving face jest” to lighten the tension in an awkward moment. vii. Paul then reciprocates by expressing his earnest desire but telling a little joke at the end. f. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Building off of what we learned last week, we know that mankind is blind, dead, and lost in sin. We cannot see the light of the truth of the gospel, we cannot breathe in to accept it, we cannot find our way to God – for we are unable. Though He is not far off from us, we can make no progress to get to Him. The demonstration of that is the juxtaposition of Paul and Festus and Agrippa. Neither Festus nor Agrippa are seen as opponents to Christianity. Neither of them are portrayed as persecutors of the followers of The Way. And even though the Jews insisted that Paul was the ringleader of a dangerous Jewish Cult, Festus and Agrippa didn’t see it like that at all. Paul, on the other hand, DOES have a history of illegally killing, hunting down and imprisoning Christians. Nevertheless, Paul saw the Light of the glory of Christ and Festus and Agrippa remain in the dark. This shows us a solemn truth. That no matter how clear our gospel presentation may be, if we speak to the dead, the dead cannot hear. If we shine light on the blind, the blind cannot see. If we sound the call to the lost, they do not know the way to safety. But even though it became clear to Paul that both Festus and Agrippa were not going to receive the gospel that day – Paul earnestly desired the conversion of everyone present. Even Festus and Agrippa. And we should also desire the conversion of all people. Transition: [Slide 8 (blank)] But isn’t it enough to simply desire that these people be law abiding citizens, promote justice and pursue peace? As long as they are nice to us, isn’t that enough? Do we really need to desire them to be converted? II.) Though unbelievers may still treat us favorably, we must earnestly desire the conversion of everyone. (30-32) a. [Slide 9] 30 - And the king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, 31 - and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.” i. With the skill of a master rhetorician Paul successfully defends himself by defending the gospel which he preached. ii. But how can we say this when both judges do not become Christians? iii. There are a couple answers to that. iv. First, Defending the gospel doesn’t necessarily mean that all convert. It simply means that you are able to answer all the accusations and rebuttals to it. v. Second, although Festus and Agrippa did not receive the gospel of Jesus Christ – God still providentially uses their responses as the means to deliver Paul safely to Rome. 1. Their dismissal of Paul’s claims both as foolishness and too difficult to believe in such a short time, chase them both to more earthly and temporal concerns. 2. Specifically - the question they have gathered to answer that day – which is what do they write about this case going to the Emperor? vi. Privately Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice gather to discuss the matter. vii. They all arrive at the same conclusion. viii. Paul hasn’t done anything worthy of death or even imprisonment. ix. Meaning what? x. He should be free to go. xi. But that still leaves the problem right. xii. The problem is… what do they write? xiii. Because Paul still must go to the Emperor. He has appealed Caesar and Festus has agreed to send him. There really is no turning back now. xiv. Agrippa brings the conclusion. b. [Slide 10] 32 - And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” i. Essentially, this is probably the exact words written to the Emperor. ii. This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. iii. Signed… Festus, and Herod Agrippa the Second. iv. Nero seeing this explanation signed by his favorite, Herod Agrippa the Second, would keep him from thinking poorly of Festus. v. And all the blame is shifted upon Paul. vi. The only reason he is going before you is because he appealed to you before we could set him free, and so we have no other recourse. vii. This is certainly not the result that Paul desired. 1. To be sure, he did desire to go to Rome and fulfill what the Lord Jesus commanded of him. 2. Certainly, he would be thankful that these unbelievers would treat him so favorably. 3. But this was a rare opportunity to present the gospel to some incredibly prominent people. 4. And what hope and what potential it could have been to have seen Herod Agrippa or Festus convert to Christ. viii. But they did not receive the gospel. c. [Slide 11] Summary of the Point: Even though Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice did not receive the gospel, they still promoted justice, peace, and tried to govern well. According to the historical accounts for each of these people, they all ruled well, had a history of keeping the peace and pursuing justice, promoted the care of the poor and the destitute, and even have a history free of Christian persecution. These pagans make many of our leaders in a “Christian” nation look quite wicked. In Paul’s case specifically they all stand for what is so obvious. And while we could say that Paul is in this situation because of pollical maneuvers and borderline bribery, it is clear that none of them have any desire to pervert justice in order to gain political advancement. But even though they are what we might refer to as…”good people”… that was not the outcome Paul desired. He didn’t want them to be good people or good rulers. He desired them to be followers of Christ. And that should be our desire for all men… even those who are… good people. Conclusion: So CBC, what can we learn from this text to inform our beliefs and guide our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 12] In the text we see good people who, despite having received a well-reasoned defense, do not receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. Though they are a little egotistical, manipulative, and self-seeking, they do not desire injustice, rebellion, or brutality. Indeed, history records them all as good rulers who cared for those they governed. But to Festus, the gospel was foolish. To Agrippa the gospel was not something easily or quickly believed. To Paul it radically changed his life in a moment. And it wasn’t good enough that these rulers were sensible, excellent, and believed the prophets… Paul desired that each person there that day receive Christ and follow Him. We must be like Paul and earnestly desire the conversion of everyone. This brings us to some points we can take home and strive to implement in our beliefs and our practice. 1.) [Slide 13] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that mankind is more than a convincing argument away from receiving the gospel. a. Although Paul is obviously a practiced and learned rhetorician and was able to clearly and effectively communicate the gospel’s truths in a logical and cogent way, Festus and Agrippa did not believe. b. We shouldn’t be at all surprised by this. c. Paul himself recently wrote about how individuals in the Corinthian church came to understand and believe the gospel and it is NOT by his presentation in eloquence or by persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s Power. (1 Corinthians 2) d. The Puritan Anthony Burgess said, “The Stony heart is not softened by argument but by omnipotence.” e. Why must it be this way? f. Paul answers that question too. g. He says, “So that our faith would not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.” h. People do not receive the gospel because it is a convincing presentation. They receive the gospel when the Holy Spirit opens their eyes and washes them with the water of regeneration. i. When they are given a NEW heart. With that new heart… not of stone cold and hard… but of flesh warm and pliable… then man can receive the gifts of repentance and faith. Then man can confess Christ and follow Him. j. This is why when unbelieving people gather to hear the gospel preached, they do not all receive the gospel or all reject the gospel. Instead, there are some who receive it and some who do not. Why? k. Because it is not the strength of the presentation of the gospel that moves the heart… but the Power of the Holy Spirit on individuals. It is only by the Spirit that anyone can hear and understand what the Word of God teaches. l. Therefore, we must affirm that each lost person is NOT 1 good argument away from getting saved. m. Instead, all men are 1 movement of God away from being brought to life through Christ. We are merely the ones showing forth Christ and Him crucified. n. But what if God doesn’t move on a person but they are a person who stands for justice, peace, and ideals harmonious with God’s law? Is that close enough? 2.) [Slide 14] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that good people who reject Christ are close enough and do not need the gospel. a. Festus was a decent ruler, especially compared to those who preceded him and followed him. b. Agrippa the second was a relatively just King. He and Bernice his sister did much to alleviate tensions among Jews and Romans, they did much to curb the poverty of the land and help their people. c. And both Festus and Agrippa make a just ruling that Paul is not guilty of anything that would require him to be executed or even imprisoned. d. But my friends, if Festus and Agrippa were the perfect leaders and held God’s law before the people and governed them by it… it still would not solve the problem deep in every human’s heart of being blind, dead, and lost. e. The bible describes a thousand-year reign where Christ Himself will rule on earth. f. Although there is some disagreement on whether this millennial kingdom is literal or not – assuming it is… guess what happens at the end of that reign? g. A Satan led uprising against Jesus. h. Jesus Himself will reign for 1000 years. He will govern perfectly and compassionately according to God’s law and He will enforce that law upon all the citizens of the earth… and at the end of that time they will still rebel against Him. i. What does that mean? j. It means that being a good person isn’t enough. Having good laws isn’t enough. Having good leaders isn’t enough. k. If you have not received the gospel of Jesus Christ, then your good deeds will not be enough to cover your infinite acts of treason against a holy God. l. So, when we see our neighbors, our family members, our government leaders and we observe that they are relatively good people who do good things… we should not assume that they don’t need the gospel. m. Because all men need the gospel. Yes, the thieves, the prostitutes, the adulterers, the homosexuals, the transgenders… but so do the kids 100 feet away from us, so do the people sitting in these pews. So does the person standing behind this pulpit. n. Without the saving power of Jesus, we can’t be good enough. Why? Because only Christ was ever good enough. Only of Christ did God ever say “With this one I am most pleased.” o. So, we must have Christ. p. For if we have all else and not Christ, we have nothing at all. 3.) [Slide 15] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must earnestly desire and pursue the conversion of everyone. a. My friends, if you do not earnestly yearn for everyone you come into contact with to know the Lord and receive Jesus… then you need to analyze your heart and see if YOU know Jesus. b. And no, we shouldn’t only want them to come to church, to live right, to not swear, to treat their wives well, to work hard, to give back to society …. c. We should desire them to be exactly as we are. To follow Christ. d. Even if they aren’t our kind of people. Even if they are from the other side of the political spectrum. Even if they are another pigment of skin tone. Even if they are below our social status. Even if they are making lifestyle choices we would never make. e. We must earnestly desire the conversion of everyone. f. We should pray for them. We should share the gospel with them. We should love them as Jesus loved His enemies. g. But as we do this, we must deny a supposed contradiction of belief and practice. 4.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that desiring the conversion of everyone is at odds with God’s Freedom to elect those whom He wishes. a. Some have made the argument against election that if God predestines and elects only some for salvation, the desire Paul expresses here and the commands God gives for us to preach the gospel to all men, seem to conflict with each other. b. It seems as though we are actually acting against God’s will by seeking the salvation of those whom God has not predestined for salvation. c. But by the same logic we could say that it is wrong for us to treat the second coming of Christ as if it could happen any day. Because there is a day and an hour that the Father has set for the Son to return. Are we at odds with the will of God to always treat it as if it could be today? d. Both of these examples have one key commonality. We are dealing with something the Father has willed that He has not revealed to us. e. In the case of the Son’s return, we do not know the day or the hour. In the case of God’s elect, we do not know whom the Lord has foreknown or predestined. f. Think of Christ’s example in the garden of Gethsemane. Did the Divine nature of Jesus not know that His bearing the wrath of sinful people on the cross was the predetermined and only way that redemption could occur? Of course He did. To suggest that Jesus’ Divine nature didn’t know something is to destroy His divine nature. g. So what happened there? Jesus’ human nature expresses and prays for a desire that is not ultimately God the Father’s will. I believe He does this as an example to us to show us that we too can earnestly seek the Lord for things and desire; things that are good and pure but that are not ultimately in His will for us to have. h. Therefore, there is no contradiction between God’s free election and our desire that all would come to know Christ. For we do not know who the Lord will awaken. So, we preach to all so that by all means some might be saved. 5.) [Slide 17] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” Receiving the gospel is not simply a matter of agreement with certain truths nor is it turning over a new leaf. Receiving the gospel is being reborn into a new family. a. Many ministries over the years have had the slogan Head, Heart, Hands. b. In this slogan we emphasize knowing Jesus, trusting Jesus, and obeying Jesus. c. Many have probably heard the dichotomy of having a head knowledge of the gospel and having a heart knowledge of the gospel. d. These word illustrations serve to communicate this basic truth. e. Although the gospel must enter through our minds as it is communicated and considered through our knowledge and understanding – purely agreeing to a list of truths does not make you a Christian. f. And although the gospel does go to actions since Jesus commands that we obey Him if we love Him – simply living as pure as a life as we can also does not make you a Christian. g. Why? h. Because a Christian is someone who has been reborn into a new family. i. Jesus spoke of this rebirth to Nicodemus a man who was a teacher of the law of Moses, a believer in Yahweh, and a man who practiced obedience to God. Jesus told him… even him… you must be born again. j. Nicodemus had a lot of head knowledge and he even lived a pious life… but he was missing the thing that really mattered. He was missing the fact that Neither knowledge nor piety can make up for his father being the devil and being under the authority of sin and death. k. Believing a list of facts does not make us any less blind to the truths of God. Living a life of good deeds doesn’t make up for the sinfulness of our hearts. l. We must be remade, reformed, and adopted into a new family. m. Only those who are in Christ will know eternal life. n. Those in Christ will believe the right things and they will obey Christ… but they must trust Christ if they are to be saved. o. So my plea to you, is to repent of your sin and trust in and submit to Jesus. [Slide 18 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the Puritan Robert Hawker. My prayer is that this would be your prayer. Wonderful Stranger, did you come from a far country, on this gracious, blessed errand to seek and save that which was lost? And did you find every heart firmly shut against you? Jesus, when you traveled in the greatness of your strength, did you open an entrance into the souls of your people, by the sweet influence of your Holy Spirit? Then throw open the street doors of my heart! Make them like the gates of that blessed city, never shut by day or night. And cause my soul, like the prophet on the watchtower, or Abraham in the tent door, to be always on the lookout for my Lord's approach. In this way I may invite you, even beg you to come in and abide with me. Make yourself known to me by the heart-burning discourses of your word, and in breaking of bread and of prayer. Yes, glorious Traveler! I do know you, and I sometimes catch a sweet glimpse of you, and trace the footsteps of your grace-in your word, in your ordinances, and in the ways by which we can discover your presence. Heavenly Stranger, you are not going to sleep in the street; I will take you home to my house, to my heart and soul. As you promised, you will eat with me, and I with you. But Lord, while I share your bounty, help me always to remember where it comes from. And while I eat and drink, Lord, send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared. We pray for your presence to be always in view at every supper, and the savor of your name to be like an ointment poured forth. By your Spirit, direct our conversation to build up others, so we may talk of Jesus, while Jesus draws closer to us. At every supper, remind us of the supper of the Lord. By faith, we will enjoy that marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven-at which we hope, before long, to sit down forever. We earnestly look to this and hope that more whom we know would join us there… we pray this in Jesus’ name… Amen. Benediction: Now to you from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come ... from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth, May Grace and Peace abound. Until we meet again, go in peace.