Almost Persuaded

Text: Acts 26:1–32
Series: Sermons 2001 Rewritten
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the setting of Paul’s defense before Agrippa in Acts 26.
2. Show how Paul preached Christ from Moses and the Prophets.
3. Understand why being “almost persuaded” is still spiritual failure.
4. Refute the false idea that belief alone makes a man a Christian.
5. Press the hearer to obey the gospel without delay.

Thesis

Almost persuaded is still lost, because the gospel does not save the man who merely agrees with truth but refuses to obey Christ.

Introduction.

1. Acts records many conversions, but it also records people who heard truth and did not obey it. a. Some rejected the word openly. b. Some postponed obedience. c. Some were near enough to be troubled, but not humble enough to surrender.
2. Acts 26 brings us before King Agrippa. a. Paul stands in chains. b. Agrippa sits with authority and knowledge. c. The prisoner is spiritually free, and the king is spiritually exposed.
3. The word “almost” is a dangerous word. a. Almost means near, but not there. b. Almost means something remains incomplete. c. Almost may sound hopeful in ordinary things, but in salvation it is failure.
4. Everyday life teaches the point. a. A man who almost scores still has no points on the board. b. A man who almost catches the flight still stays behind. c. A man who almost obeys the gospel still remains outside Christ.
5. The question is not whether Agrippa was interested. a. He heard the gospel. b. He understood enough to feel the pressure. c. He did not become a Christian in the text before us.

I. Paul Preached Christ from the Scriptures, Not from Human Opinion.

A. Paul’s defense was rooted in the hope God had promised Israel.

1. Acts 26:6–7 says Paul was on trial for “the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.” a. Paul did not invent a new religion. b. He preached the fulfillment of God’s promise. c. The gospel of Christ stands in continuity with what God had spoken before.
2. The Old Testament had always pointed forward to God’s saving work. a. Genesis 3:15 promised the seed of woman who would crush the serpent. b. Genesis 12:3 promised blessing for all families of the earth through Abraham’s seed. c. Isaiah 53 spoke of the suffering servant who would bear sin.
3. Paul’s message was not political rebellion. a. He was not preaching against Rome as a revolutionary. b. He was proclaiming the crucified and risen Christ. c. The real issue was whether Agrippa would submit to what God had revealed.

B. Paul preached the suffering and resurrection of Christ.

1. Acts 26:22 says Paul testified “both to small and great.” a. The gospel is not only for the poor. b. The gospel is not only for the powerful. c. Kings and common men both stand under the same Christ.
2. Acts 26:22–23 says Paul stated “nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place.” a. The Christ had to suffer. b. He would rise from the dead. c. He would proclaim light to Jews and Gentiles.
3. This is the gospel Paul pressed before Agrippa. a. Christ suffered for sin. b. Christ rose from the dead. c. Christ brings light to those sitting in darkness.

C. The resurrection was the dividing issue.

1. Acts 26:8 asks, “Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?” a. Paul brings the matter directly to resurrection. b. Christianity stands or falls with the risen Christ. c. Agrippa is not being asked to admire a dead teacher, but to answer to the living Lord.
2. First Corinthians 15:3–4 defines the gospel Paul preached. a. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. b. He was buried. c. He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
3. The application is direct. a. A man does not become a Christian by liking religious ideas. b. A man does not become a Christian by respecting the Bible as literature. c. A man must answer the risen Christ with obedient faith.

II. Agrippa Heard Enough Truth to Be Responsible Before God.

A. Agrippa knew the background of the matter.

1. Acts 26:26 says the king knew about these things. a. Paul spoke with confidence because the events were not hidden. b. The death and resurrection claims about Christ were not done in a corner. c. Agrippa was not hearing a vague rumor disconnected from public reality.
2. Paul knew Agrippa had familiarity with the prophets. a. Acts 26:27 says, “King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” b. Paul pressed the king from the Scriptures he claimed to respect. c. Knowledge increased responsibility.
3. Agrippa could not hide behind ignorance. a. He had heard the message. b. He understood the pressure. c. He knew Paul was calling him to more than curiosity.

B. Believing facts about Scripture was not the same as becoming a Christian.

1. Paul’s question was not about whether prophets once existed. a. He was not asking if Agrippa believed Jeremiah had lived. b. He was not asking if Agrippa knew stories about Hosea or Isaiah. c. He was asking whether Agrippa believed what Moses and the Prophets said about Christ.
2. Agrippa’s answer shows he understood the direction of Paul’s preaching. a. Acts 26:28 says, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” b. Agrippa did not say, “I already am one because I believe the prophets.” c. He knew Paul was pressing him toward becoming something he was not.
3. This exposes faith-only error. a. Agrippa believed enough for Paul to say, “I know that you believe.” b. Agrippa still was not a Christian. c. Belief that refuses gospel obedience is not saving faith.

C. The New Testament never presents faith as disobedient agreement.

1. John 12:42–43 records rulers who believed in Jesus but would not confess Him. a. They loved the approval of men more than the approval of God. b. Their belief was choked by cowardice. c. Scripture does not hold them up as examples of saving obedience.
2. James 2:19 says even the demons believe and shudder. a. Mere acknowledgment of truth is not enough. b. Faith that will not submit is dead. c. True faith obeys the Lord it confesses.
3. Hebrews 5:9 says Christ became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. a. Salvation is not earned by obedience. b. Salvation is not received by rebellion either. c. Grace saves through obedient faith.

III. God Persuades Sinners Through the Gospel, Not Through Miraculous Entertainment.

A. Paul was the messenger, but the power belonged to God.

1. Acts 26 shows Paul preaching, reasoning, and persuading. a. The king was not waiting for a private miracle. b. The king was not told to wait for an emotional shock. c. The king was confronted with the word of God.
2. Second Corinthians 4:5–7 explains the pattern. a. “We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord.” b. The treasure is in earthen vessels. c. The power belongs to God and not to the preacher.
3. The preacher is not the Savior. a. Paul could preach Christ. b. Paul could press Agrippa. c. Paul could not obey for him.

B. Jesus authorized gospel preaching to make disciples.

1. Matthew 28:18–20 begins with Christ’s authority. a. All authority belongs to Him in heaven and on earth. b. The command to make disciples rests on His rule. c. No preacher has authority to offer another plan.
2. The apostles were to make disciples by baptizing and teaching. a. Baptism is not omitted from the commission. b. Teaching obedience is not optional. c. The gospel call includes submission to the Lord’s commands.
3. Romans 10:17 states the ordinary means of faith. a. Faith comes from hearing. b. Hearing comes by the word of Christ. c. A man waiting for something other than the word is waiting in the wrong place.

C. Jesus Himself taught that Scripture is sufficient to warn sinners.

1. Luke 16 records the rich man in torment. a. He wanted Lazarus sent to warn his brothers. b. He thought a messenger from the dead would be more persuasive. c. Abraham pointed back to Moses and the Prophets.
2. Luke 16:31 says, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.” a. God had already given sufficient testimony. b. The problem was not lack of spectacle. c. The problem was refusal to hear God’s word.
3. That warning reaches this room. a. Do not demand a sign when God has given Scripture. b. Do not wait for a feeling when God has given command. c. Do not ask for a miracle while refusing the gospel already preached.

IV. Almost Persuaded Still Leaves the Soul Lost.

A. Agrippa’s response was tragic because it came so close.

1. Acts 26:28 shows a man under pressure from truth. a. He was not bored. b. He was not ignorant. c. He knew Paul was calling him to become a Christian.
2. Paul’s response in Acts 26:29 shows his desire. a. He wanted Agrippa and all who heard him to become as he was, except for the chains. b. Paul did not merely want a better hearing. c. He wanted souls converted to Christ.
3. The scene ends without Agrippa’s obedience. a. The king walks away. b. Paul remains in chains. c. The man in chains leaves the scene faithful, and the king leaves the scene almost persuaded.

B. Almost obedience is not obedience.

1. Israel almost entering Canaan did not enter Canaan. a. Numbers 13–14 records a people who saw God’s power but refused trust. b. Their nearness to the land did not excuse unbelief. c. Hebrews 3 uses that failure to warn Christians not to harden their hearts.
2. The rich young ruler in Matthew 19 came to Jesus with interest. a. He asked a serious question. b. He heard a clear answer. c. He went away grieving because he would not surrender.
3. Felix in Acts 24 trembled but postponed. a. He heard Paul reason about righteousness, self-control, and judgment. b. He became frightened. c. He sent Paul away until a more convenient time.

C. Delay hardens the soul.

1. Almost persuaded today can become fully hardened tomorrow. a. The first refusal makes the next refusal easier. b. The conscience can be trained to sleep through warnings. c. A man can become comfortable near the gospel while remaining outside Christ.
2. Second Corinthians 6:2 says, “Behold, now is the acceptable time.” a. God does not promise tomorrow. b. Opportunity is not ownership. c. The gospel call should be answered while the heart is still able to hear.
3. The application must be faced plainly. a. Almost baptized is still unbaptized. b. Almost repentant is still impenitent. c. Almost Christian is still lost.

Application.

1. For the sinner, do not hide behind respect for the Bible. a. Agrippa respected the prophets. b. He heard Christ preached from the prophets. c. Respect did not save him without obedience.
2. For the believer, do not confuse agreement with faithfulness. a. You may agree that worship matters and still neglect it. b. You may agree that repentance is necessary and still protect your sin. c. You may agree that Christ is Lord and still refuse His rule in practice.
3. For the church, preach to persuade. a. Paul did not preach to entertain Agrippa. b. He did not preach to flatter him. c. He pressed Scripture, Christ, resurrection, repentance, and obedience.
4. For parents and teachers, train children that “almost” is not enough. a. Almost honest is not honest. b. Almost pure is not pure. c. Almost obedient to Christ is not obedience.

Conclusion.

1. Agrippa heard the gospel. a. Paul preached Christ from Moses and the Prophets. b. Paul preached the suffering and resurrection of Christ. c. Paul pressed Agrippa toward becoming a Christian.
2. Agrippa was close, but close did not save him. a. He understood the issue. b. He felt the persuasion. c. He did not obey in the text.
3. Almost is a word of failure in salvation. a. Almost persuaded is still unconverted. b. Almost obedient is still disobedient. c. Almost saved is still lost.
4. The gospel demands a response. a. Not someday. b. Not when life is easier. c. Not after one more convenient season.

Invitation.

1. Hear the word. a. Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
2. Believe Christ. a. John 8:24 says that unless you believe that Jesus is He, you will die in your sins.
3. Repent. a. Acts 17:30 says God commands all people everywhere to repent.
4. Confess Christ. a. Romans 10:9–10 teaches confession with the mouth and belief in the heart.
5. Be baptized for the remission of sins. a. Acts 2:38 commands repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
6. Live faithfully. a. Revelation 2:10 calls the Christian to be faithful until death.

Word Study.

Scripture Interlock Table.