WEBVTT 00:00:02.219 --> 00:00:08.720 Hephus, almost persuaded. Not forced, convinced. 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:18.620 Well, this morning we step into a courtroom where 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:22.170 power wears perfume and calls it order. Festus 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:24.649 sits with the governor's impatience, Agrippa 00:00:24.649 --> 00:00:27.390 with a king's smile. Bernice sits beside him 00:00:27.390 --> 00:00:29.690 and the principal men of the city watching for 00:00:29.690 --> 00:00:32.689 a way in which the wind's going to blow. Then 00:00:32.689 --> 00:00:35.770 Paul enters, chained, unbothered, eyes bright 00:00:35.770 --> 00:00:37.789 like a man who's already died and come back. 00:00:38.350 --> 00:00:41.710 He raises his hand, he tells the Damascus road, 00:00:41.929 --> 00:00:44.509 the blinding light, the risen Christ, and he 00:00:44.509 --> 00:00:48.950 looks past the crown into a conscience. Now, 00:00:48.950 --> 00:00:51.609 church, normally we'd be tucked in our sanctuary 00:00:51.609 --> 00:00:54.149 hearing the furnace hum and the hymnals rustle, 00:00:54.170 --> 00:00:57.090 but this week the snow came hard. Roads went 00:00:57.090 --> 00:00:59.969 slick and we're gathering online, scattered around 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:02.829 kitchens and couches, listening through screens 00:01:02.829 --> 00:01:06.030 while the storm keeps snowing. Same family, same 00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:09.650 word, different room. So draw close, turn the 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:12.950 volume up, and let the spirit get near. And friend, 00:01:12.989 --> 00:01:20.780 I'll see you on the other side. Before I begin, 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.799 I want to make sure everybody, I hope at least 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:27.019 you're in a place where you're warm and you're 00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:32.640 safe and enjoying. You're able to enjoy the beautiful 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:38.640 view out the window. And also, we've had some 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:42.879 ongoing prayer requests. Please continue to pray 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:45.400 for Susan and her son, Justin, that Justin's 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:49.599 making improvement. slowly but surely and so 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:53.219 please continue to pray for them remembering 00:01:53.219 --> 00:01:56.359 of course we've got Marcia and her friend dealing 00:01:56.359 --> 00:02:01.040 with her situation so please keep Marcia and 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:05.920 her friend in your thoughts and prayers and And 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.259 yeah, so we're glad that you're able to join 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:11.979 us here today. And we certainly look forward 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:13.939 to being back together Sunday. This morning, 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:17.780 I'm going to talk about a story from the Acts 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:20.919 of the Apostles. And it's a story about the Apostle 00:02:20.919 --> 00:02:23.500 Paul. And Paul is one of these guys that goes 00:02:23.500 --> 00:02:27.979 around the Mediterranean basin, and he tries 00:02:27.979 --> 00:02:31.479 to convert people to Christianity. And he starts 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:34.949 churches. And that's what he's doing in our story 00:02:34.949 --> 00:02:40.550 today. He has encountered this king who is of 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:44.229 Herod's line, a king by the name of Agrippa. 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:49.060 And it's a very interesting kind of story in 00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:51.979 the way that he interacts with King Agrippa. 00:02:52.020 --> 00:02:53.659 And I thought this would be a good one to tell 00:02:53.659 --> 00:02:56.719 on a snow day. So we're just going to jump right 00:02:56.719 --> 00:02:59.360 in and start. Now, you guys know that there are 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.680 stories in the Bible that sometimes they feel 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:07.400 like courtroom dramas. There are moments that 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:12.550 feel. Like a person is standing on the edge of 00:03:12.550 --> 00:03:16.810 a bridge, looking down and knowing exactly what 00:03:16.810 --> 00:03:20.129 it's going to cost to jump. The story today in 00:03:20.129 --> 00:03:24.090 Acts 26 is one of those stories. Picture the 00:03:24.090 --> 00:03:27.050 room. It's not like a church fellowship hall 00:03:27.050 --> 00:03:30.189 with metal chairs and burnt coffee. This is a 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:36.110 room with power. This is polished stones. The 00:03:36.110 --> 00:03:40.180 smell of... of money and iron and that particular 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:43.939 perfume that only, it seems, success can wear. 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:48.419 This, where our story finds us today, this is 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:53.360 Rome's world. Marble columns, banners catching 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.699 light, guards who don't blink, who don't fidget, 00:03:56.699 --> 00:03:59.860 who stand there like they've never needed to 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:05.439 even breathe. And King Agrippa is there. From 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:08.539 Herod's line. And he's Jewish enough to know 00:04:08.539 --> 00:04:12.520 the scriptures. He's also political enough to 00:04:12.520 --> 00:04:16.759 know how to survive. He's got the weight of royal 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:21.060 dynasty in his bones. He knows what it costs 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:26.089 to keep a throne warm. And... Bernice is there 00:04:26.089 --> 00:04:30.430 too, his sister. History says their relationship 00:04:30.430 --> 00:04:33.709 raised eyebrows in ways that powerful people 00:04:33.709 --> 00:04:37.750 only whisper about late at night. Room is thick 00:04:37.750 --> 00:04:40.949 with that unspoken kind of scandal that never 00:04:40.949 --> 00:04:44.889 quite gets named out loud. And then there's Festus. 00:04:44.889 --> 00:04:48.269 Festus is a Roman governor, a man trying to do 00:04:48.269 --> 00:04:50.930 paperwork on a case that he does not understand. 00:04:51.069 --> 00:04:54.839 A bureaucrat. who wants a problem that he can 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:59.339 solve. They're surrounding them the principal 00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:03.439 men of the city, folks who always seem to show 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:06.540 up and are seated near the front when something 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:10.480 important in public is happening, ones that seem 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:14.560 like they probably have skin in the game, ones 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:17.680 who watch to see which way the wind blows. And 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:21.939 in comes Paul. but not as a celebrity, not as 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:24.459 a guest preacher who's been invited to inspire 00:05:24.459 --> 00:05:29.079 the crowds. Paul comes in in chains. And this 00:05:29.079 --> 00:05:32.540 matters. It matters more than anything else in 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:35.720 the moment because he is not delivering a lecture. 00:05:35.779 --> 00:05:40.899 He's delivering testimony under pressure. He's 00:05:40.899 --> 00:05:45.720 not sharing ideas he's thought about. He's fighting 00:05:45.720 --> 00:05:50.550 for his life. And yet, here he is. Standing like 00:05:50.550 --> 00:05:54.230 a man who's already died once and came back with 00:05:54.230 --> 00:05:58.110 nothing left to lose. You can see it in the way 00:05:58.110 --> 00:06:01.110 that he moves. There is a lightness in him that 00:06:01.110 --> 00:06:03.949 shouldn't be possible. There is a freedom in 00:06:03.949 --> 00:06:09.350 Paul that chains just can't seem to touch. Paul 00:06:09.350 --> 00:06:12.769 lifts his hands to speak and the whole room gets 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:15.629 quiet. Not because they love Paul. That's not 00:06:15.629 --> 00:06:18.829 what's going on here. But because they're curious 00:06:18.829 --> 00:06:22.569 about what he's going to say. And curious is 00:06:22.569 --> 00:06:25.290 what happens when people don't know what to do 00:06:25.290 --> 00:06:28.050 about what you're going to say. Curious is what 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:34.750 happens when truth shows up uninvited. They are 00:06:34.750 --> 00:06:39.730 watching a man in chains who looks like he's 00:06:39.730 --> 00:06:44.649 won something. And Paul starts telling his story. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:49.199 The zeal, the violence, the Damascus road, the 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:53.980 light, he calls it light. And you can tell he 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:57.220 is still seeing his conversion moments in his 00:06:57.220 --> 00:07:00.139 mind's eye, the voice that stopped him dead, 00:07:00.519 --> 00:07:04.600 the calling that turned him inside out, the mercy 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:08.100 that interrupted his whole operating system. 00:07:08.939 --> 00:07:12.100 He quotes Moses and the prophets. He says it 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:16.360 wasn't a new religion. This was the hope Israel 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:21.040 had always been carrying, even when they didn't 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:24.899 know how to carry it. He says the resurrection 00:07:24.899 --> 00:07:30.160 is the deal maker, the proof, the hinge on which 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:34.540 everything turns. And he looks at Agrippa like 00:07:34.540 --> 00:07:38.079 he's not talking to a king. He looks at him like 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:44.259 he is talking to a soul. Now here's what's interesting. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:50.459 Some folks don't slam the door on Jesus. They 00:07:50.459 --> 00:07:56.100 keep him in our maybe later drawer. Right next 00:07:56.100 --> 00:07:58.699 to the old batteries that might work if you find 00:07:58.699 --> 00:08:02.220 the right flashlight. The expired coupons you 00:08:02.220 --> 00:08:05.879 swear you'll use someday. The broken thing you 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.879 are absolutely going to fix when you get time. 00:08:10.029 --> 00:08:12.250 The letter you've been meaning to answer for 00:08:12.250 --> 00:08:15.949 three years. The apology you have practiced but 00:08:15.949 --> 00:08:21.110 never delivered. But you and I both know what 00:08:21.110 --> 00:08:24.329 that drawer really is. The drawer is a graveyard 00:08:24.329 --> 00:08:30.310 for unfinished obediences. That drawer is where 00:08:30.310 --> 00:08:34.730 good intentions go to die slowly. Without fanfare. 00:08:36.049 --> 00:08:40.809 Without even noticing they're gone. And that 00:08:40.809 --> 00:08:44.750 drawer, my dear friends, is the most dangerous 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:49.529 place in a Christian life. Not because it's hostile, 00:08:49.750 --> 00:08:55.009 but because it's comfortable. You can open it 00:08:55.009 --> 00:08:57.549 whenever you want. You can look at what's inside. 00:08:57.610 --> 00:09:00.649 You can even dust it off and feel like you're 00:09:00.649 --> 00:09:04.389 thinking about it. You can keep Jesus in reach 00:09:04.389 --> 00:09:12.639 without ever having to reach. So friends, attune 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:15.100 your ears to the reading of Holy Scripture this 00:09:15.100 --> 00:09:18.019 morning. Our word comes to us from the Acts of 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:21.480 the Apostles, the 26th chapter of that book, 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:26.240 beginning in verse 24. And thus he made his defense. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:30.720 Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you're mad. 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:39.149 All of your learning has turned you mad. But 00:09:39.149 --> 00:09:43.169 Paul says, I'm not mad, most excellent Festus, 00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:46.769 but speak forth words of truth and soberness. 00:09:47.870 --> 00:09:51.549 For the king knows of these things of whom I 00:09:51.549 --> 00:09:55.750 speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of 00:09:55.750 --> 00:09:59.490 these things are hidden from him. For this has 00:09:59.490 --> 00:10:04.529 not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, you 00:10:04.529 --> 00:10:10.759 believe the prophets. I know you do. And Agrippa 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:16.559 says to Paul, With but little persuasion thou 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:20.600 wouldst made me a Christian. And Paul says, I 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:23.659 would to God that whether with little or with 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:28.559 much, not thou only, but also all that hear me 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:32.820 this day might become such as I, except these 00:10:32.820 --> 00:10:36.860 bonds. And the king rose up, and the governor, 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:40.639 and Bernice, and they sat with him. And when 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:42.879 they had withdrawn, they spake to one another, 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:46.399 saying, This man does nothing worthy of death 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:51.919 or bonds. And Agrippa said unto Festus, This 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:54.559 man might have been set at liberty if he had 00:10:54.559 --> 00:11:00.580 not appealed unto Caesar. Thus ends the reading 00:11:00.580 --> 00:11:04.639 of the word this morning. And that's the text. 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:09.220 A man tells the truth. Heaven shows up in the 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:12.100 room through his mouth. The spirit gets so close 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:15.960 you can feel it. And the response is not hatred, 00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:24.500 not anger, not violence. Polite distance. A chuckle. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:30.200 A dodge. With but little persuasion. Translation, 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:33.840 you're getting close, Paul. Maybe, maybe too 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:41.000 close. Back up. Let's not get crazy here. And 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:45.539 let's be honest. Almost is a respectable place 00:11:45.539 --> 00:11:49.919 to live. Almost still lets you sit in church 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.639 without sweating through your shirt. Almost still 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:55.879 lets you pray when you're scared or lonely or 00:11:55.879 --> 00:12:00.830 lost. Almost still lets you cry during your third 00:12:00.830 --> 00:12:04.929 verse of the hymn and then go right back to the 00:12:04.929 --> 00:12:08.210 same patterns on Monday morning, just like nothing 00:12:08.210 --> 00:12:12.149 had changed. Almost still lets you nod along 00:12:12.149 --> 00:12:15.330 with the sermon, check your phone during the 00:12:15.330 --> 00:12:20.370 altar call. Almost is the spiritual equivalent, 00:12:20.409 --> 00:12:25.090 standing at the threshold and insisting you are 00:12:25.090 --> 00:12:30.289 here only to observe. And some of us, whether 00:12:30.289 --> 00:12:34.509 we realize it or not, we have mastered almost. 00:12:35.750 --> 00:12:39.009 We do it so well with scripture open in our lap, 00:12:39.049 --> 00:12:41.909 and I mean looking real spiritual while keeping 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:47.309 everything really at a safe distance. And here 00:12:47.309 --> 00:12:51.309 is the genius of Agrippa in this moment. He's 00:12:51.309 --> 00:12:56.029 not ignorant. That's the twist. He's not some... 00:12:56.590 --> 00:12:59.309 Pagan kid who never heard of Moses or the prophets 00:12:59.309 --> 00:13:02.149 or the promises Israel had been carrying around 00:13:02.149 --> 00:13:06.929 for a thousand years. He's a Herod, raised around 00:13:06.929 --> 00:13:11.629 Jewish law, steeped in Jewish prophecy, soaked 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:15.549 in Jewish expectation. His whole life is built 00:13:15.549 --> 00:13:19.429 on knowing the scriptures. So Paul doesn't ask, 00:13:19.490 --> 00:13:23.090 have you heard of God? Paul asks the dangerous 00:13:23.090 --> 00:13:26.960 question, King Agrippa. Don't you believe the 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:32.919 prophets? I know you do. Right? Translation here. 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:36.379 You already know this is true, Agrippa. The question 00:13:36.379 --> 00:13:40.519 is not whether you believe. It's whether you'll 00:13:40.519 --> 00:13:45.799 obey. It's the kind of way to make a room go 00:13:45.799 --> 00:13:50.440 quiet in a way that you can hear. Because it 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:53.820 corners you without raising its voice. Exposes 00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:59.320 you without accusation. It makes you own what 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:03.980 you already know. Now watch the defense mechanisms 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:08.799 in the room. They are old as dust. They are modern 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:12.419 as this morning. They're sitting in our pews 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:14.899 every week wearing cologne and church perfume 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:19.019 and emotional armor. And we don't even see them 00:14:19.019 --> 00:14:21.139 because we're too busy using them ourselves. 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:26.889 Paul is testifying. To the power of the resurrection. 00:14:27.210 --> 00:14:32.029 And Festus blurts out loud, Paul, you are mad. 00:14:33.710 --> 00:14:37.690 That's not an argument. It's a label. It's a 00:14:37.690 --> 00:14:40.070 way of making something go away without actually 00:14:40.070 --> 00:14:44.490 having to address it. Ridicule. It's what people 00:14:44.490 --> 00:14:48.090 do when truth gets too hot to hold. If you can 00:14:48.090 --> 00:14:51.990 make the person look crazy, you don't actually 00:14:51.990 --> 00:14:56.200 have to deal with what they said. You can dismiss 00:14:56.200 --> 00:15:02.139 the message by dismissing the messenger. Paul 00:15:02.139 --> 00:15:05.259 doesn't crumble. He doesn't swing back with his 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:09.000 own insults. He doesn't get defensive. He says, 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:13.679 I'm not mad. I'm not crazy. But speak forth words 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:18.080 of truth and soberness. I'm not unstable. I'm 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:21.480 not emotionally compromised. I am awake and I 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:24.659 am seeing clearly and I'm speaking to what I 00:15:24.659 --> 00:15:29.379 see. And that's scarier to power than madness 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:35.919 could ever be. Agrippa doesn't say no. He doesn't 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:41.759 say yes. He does something slick. Something I 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:45.019 think only the powerful can pull off. With but 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:47.559 little persuasion, thou wouldst feign to make 00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:51.259 me a Christian. Depending on the tone, that's 00:15:51.259 --> 00:15:57.559 either a joke or a deflection. Maybe both. Either 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:00.740 way, it functions like a shield for Agrippa. 00:16:01.179 --> 00:16:05.799 Look how reasonable I am. Look how I'm not taking 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:09.929 this too seriously. Look how I can hold on to 00:16:09.929 --> 00:16:13.830 this tightly. Agrippa keeps it light so he can 00:16:13.830 --> 00:16:17.590 keep it safe. And hear me, friends, humor is 00:16:17.590 --> 00:16:21.090 a gift. I love humor. Oklahomans, we survive 00:16:21.090 --> 00:16:24.269 on humor. Our grandmothers taught us that laughter 00:16:24.269 --> 00:16:26.090 is the only thing that keeps you sane when the 00:16:26.090 --> 00:16:29.580 world gets hard. But humor can also be a trap 00:16:29.580 --> 00:16:32.500 door, a way so you don't have to stand still 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:35.259 long enough to let conviction land. So if you 00:16:35.259 --> 00:16:38.240 turn something sacred into something manageable, 00:16:38.980 --> 00:16:43.980 Agrippa is doing that. And he's doing what many 00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:48.100 of us do when the sermon starts sounding personal. 00:16:48.860 --> 00:16:55.879 He turns revelation into entertainment. Afterwards, 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:58.360 they step aside and they say, this man doesn't 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:01.759 do anything wrong, worthy of death or bonds. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:07.440 Very fair, very reasonable, very judicial. They 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:11.000 call it reasonableness, but it's really avoidance 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:15.839 with good manners. Look at this line here. He 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:20.460 might have been set at liberty if he had not 00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:25.069 appealed unto Caesar. They reduce Paul's witness 00:17:25.069 --> 00:17:29.430 to legal technicalities, trying to solve grace 00:17:29.430 --> 00:17:33.069 like a case file. They want to make Paul and, 00:17:33.190 --> 00:17:36.490 well, Christianity a problem that they can manage. 00:17:38.029 --> 00:17:42.509 But the gospel account isn't a case file. It's 00:17:42.509 --> 00:17:45.069 not a problem to be managed. It's a crossroads. 00:17:46.109 --> 00:17:50.369 It's a summons. It is an interruption in your 00:17:50.369 --> 00:17:53.980 life that requires an answer from you. And you 00:17:53.980 --> 00:17:57.000 cannot intellectualize your way out of being 00:17:57.000 --> 00:18:02.500 called. You can't analyze yourself out of a decision 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:08.000 you've already made in your bones. So what's 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:10.880 actually happening in this courtroom? Paul is 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:13.519 doing something both holy and dangerous at the 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:17.480 same time. He's aiming past the crown and into 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:20.819 the conscience of Agrippa. He's not trying to 00:18:20.819 --> 00:18:23.940 impress him. He's not trying to win a debate. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:27.720 He's trying to awaken something in the man's 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:32.420 soul that the crown has put to sleep. And he 00:18:32.420 --> 00:18:35.099 says to Festus, these things aren't hidden. Everybody 00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:38.960 knows what I'm talking about. He says to Agrippa, 00:18:39.119 --> 00:18:43.369 you know the prophets. You've read them. You 00:18:43.369 --> 00:18:46.970 understand the promises. And then he tightens 00:18:46.970 --> 00:18:50.269 the circle with that question. Do you believe 00:18:50.269 --> 00:18:54.230 the prophets? You can almost hear the chains 00:18:54.230 --> 00:18:57.109 stop moving because Paul just turned the courtroom 00:18:57.109 --> 00:19:03.230 into a mirror. Because Paul knows something we 00:19:03.230 --> 00:19:06.809 forget in our age of information and options. 00:19:07.349 --> 00:19:10.549 You don't get saved by agreeing that scripture 00:19:10.549 --> 00:19:15.420 is true. You get saved when scripture becomes 00:19:15.420 --> 00:19:19.859 a mirror in your life and you stop flinching. 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:25.819 Agrippa has belief, but not surrender. Agrippa 00:19:25.819 --> 00:19:29.920 has information, but not conversion. Agrippa 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:34.339 has proximity, but not repentance. And here's 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:37.880 the haunted part. It can keep you up at night. 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:43.259 You could be that close. and still walk away 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:47.920 unchanged. You can have truth so near you, you 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:52.319 can reach out and touch it and still choose the 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:57.839 drawer. With but little persuasion is Agrippa 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:02.299 admitting the gospel is working on him. It means 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:05.380 the spirit is near. It means the door is cracked. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:09.660 It means the light is in the room and he can 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:15.910 see it. But he doesn't step through. Why? Because 00:20:15.910 --> 00:20:19.349 becoming a Christian doesn't change your Sunday. 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:28.410 It changes all of your allegiances in life. If 00:20:28.410 --> 00:20:32.569 Agrippa says yes in that room, he risks everything 00:20:32.569 --> 00:20:36.269 he had built in his lifetime. Reputation, power, 00:20:36.509 --> 00:20:39.849 control, the whole architecture of looking like 00:20:39.849 --> 00:20:42.549 you've got it all put together. He risks being 00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:47.150 seen as weak. He risks losing the people who 00:20:47.150 --> 00:20:52.410 depend on him and staying in charge. Friends, 00:20:52.410 --> 00:21:00.609 grace is free, but it's not weightless. It lands 00:21:00.609 --> 00:21:04.450 heavy. It rearranges your furniture. It knocks 00:21:04.450 --> 00:21:07.849 your little kingdom off the table. It tells you 00:21:07.849 --> 00:21:10.849 that things you thought proved your worth, your 00:21:10.849 --> 00:21:13.710 title, your money, your ability to manage people, 00:21:13.809 --> 00:21:18.089 those things are not your worth at all. Some 00:21:18.089 --> 00:21:21.589 folks would simply rather keep their crown than 00:21:21.589 --> 00:21:28.599 Christ. So they choose almost. And almost feels 00:21:28.599 --> 00:21:33.279 harmless until you realize that almost is how 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:36.700 people miss trains. Almost is how people miss 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:40.960 their exit. Almost is how people die with the 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:45.099 truth in their ears but not in their bones. Now, 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:48.660 let me bring this down into our gravel and our 00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:51.539 kitchen table lives because this isn't just about 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:54.160 first century politics. Oh, I love talking about 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:58.440 first century politics. This is about you and 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:02.440 about me. This is about what we do when grace 00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:07.880 gets too close. I want to name three modern Agrippa 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:11.000 moves. And I say this with love because I've 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:15.099 done all three of those before breakfast. One, 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:19.920 the not now move. You don't reject Jesus, you 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:23.299 delay him. I'm not ready yet. Let me get my life 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:25.759 together first. When I'm older, when I'm more 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:30.220 stable, when I've got this figured out. But delay 00:22:30.220 --> 00:22:36.859 is not neutral. Delay is a decision. It's just 00:22:36.859 --> 00:22:41.740 wearing a polite hat. Every time you say, not 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:46.000 now, you're saying yes to one more day of running 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:50.009 the show yourself. One more day of holding on 00:22:50.009 --> 00:22:52.650 to the steering wheel. One more day of looking 00:22:52.650 --> 00:22:55.710 over your shoulder instead of looking for the 00:22:55.710 --> 00:23:01.150 cross. Another Agrippa move, making it intellectual. 00:23:01.289 --> 00:23:06.430 You keep the gospel in the realm of ideas. History, 00:23:06.450 --> 00:23:09.730 translation debates, philosophy, church politics, 00:23:10.150 --> 00:23:13.289 theological purity tests, whatever you call it. 00:23:13.660 --> 00:23:15.880 Now, all of that stuff can matter to some degree, 00:23:15.940 --> 00:23:20.700 but sometimes we hide in that stuff so we don't 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:24.680 have to obey the gospel message. You could spend 00:23:24.680 --> 00:23:27.140 your whole life arguing about Greek verb tenses 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:29.299 while your marriage is dying three rooms over. 00:23:31.819 --> 00:23:35.619 You can handle a debate on the finer points of 00:23:35.619 --> 00:23:38.680 atonement theology while you're staying silent. 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:41.599 Someone you know is being treated like trash. 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:46.660 You can keep it epidemic so you don't have to 00:23:46.660 --> 00:23:50.880 let it be personal. Another Agrippa move, keep 00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:54.940 it funny. You turn conviction into a quip. You 00:23:54.940 --> 00:23:58.200 make a joke out of grace. You laugh so hard everyone 00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:02.619 else laughs and you stay safe. The room stays 00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:06.039 light. Nothing gets heavy. Nothing gets real. 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:10.970 I'm such a sinner, laugh. I'll probably screw 00:24:10.970 --> 00:24:14.549 this up anyway. Laugh. Jesus probably shakes 00:24:14.549 --> 00:24:17.890 his head at me. Laugh. And everybody laughs. 00:24:18.130 --> 00:24:21.509 And the moment passes, and you've kept your distance 00:24:21.509 --> 00:24:25.710 without anybody actually noticing. But Paul, 00:24:25.910 --> 00:24:31.250 in this story, Paul's the man in chains who's 00:24:31.250 --> 00:24:35.599 refusing to let this room stay comfortable. When 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:38.779 Agrippa tries to dodge, Paul answers with one 00:24:38.779 --> 00:24:41.599 of the most stunning lines in Acts. I warn to 00:24:41.599 --> 00:24:47.079 God that not that thou holy, but also that all, 00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:50.079 everyone in this room he's saying, hear me this 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:54.539 day, and they might come to be like I am, except 00:24:54.539 --> 00:24:58.920 in these bonds. And I hope you can hear the tenderness 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:01.400 in Paul's voice there. Paul's basically saying, 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:05.259 I want you free the way Christ made me free. 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:09.299 I don't want you chained up the way that Rome 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:14.140 has chained me. I want you to have what I have, 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:18.079 peace, purpose, a reason to wake up, a reason 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:23.059 to die. If it comes to that, that's a preacher's 00:25:23.059 --> 00:25:27.400 heart right there. He's not trying to win. He's 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:29.819 not trying to score points or prove that he's 00:25:29.819 --> 00:25:34.150 right. He's trying. To rescue. He's trying to 00:25:34.150 --> 00:25:36.430 pry open a door he sees is cracked and says, 00:25:36.490 --> 00:25:40.650 come through. Come through to the light. Stop 00:25:40.650 --> 00:25:42.450 managing yourself. Stop protecting yourself. 00:25:42.809 --> 00:25:50.089 Stop being almost and become. And here's the 00:25:50.089 --> 00:25:54.049 moment, church. This is the point where it stops 00:25:54.049 --> 00:25:57.450 being about Agrippa and starts being about us. 00:25:58.630 --> 00:26:02.420 Because once you've heard it. You don't go back 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:04.180 to innocence. You go back to responsibility. 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:08.559 If you're listening to me right now on a screen 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:10.900 alone in your home while snow piles up outside, 00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:14.599 while the world gets quiet, something in you 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:19.200 is squirming. Not shame, not self -hatred, but 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:22.920 that holy discomfort that says, this is for me, 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:26.940 this is about my life. This isn't me being clever. 00:26:27.549 --> 00:26:31.029 It's not me manipulating you with my words. That's 00:26:31.029 --> 00:26:35.170 the spirit getting close. Question is not, did 00:26:35.170 --> 00:26:39.470 you enjoy the sermon? The question is, will you 00:26:39.470 --> 00:26:45.109 keep living in your almost? And some of you are 00:26:45.109 --> 00:26:48.730 almost ready to forgive someone. And I mean really 00:26:48.730 --> 00:26:51.069 forgive, not just pretend it didn't happen, forgive. 00:26:52.410 --> 00:26:58.710 Some of you are almost ready. To stop that addiction 00:26:58.710 --> 00:27:04.329 that's turning your grief into numbness. Some 00:27:04.329 --> 00:27:09.509 of you are almost ready to tell the truth to 00:27:09.509 --> 00:27:15.650 your spouse, to your friend, to yourself. Some 00:27:15.650 --> 00:27:20.460 of you... are almost ready to come home to God 00:27:20.460 --> 00:27:24.000 without negotiating terms, without promising 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:27.259 you have to be better first, without waiting 00:27:27.259 --> 00:27:30.759 for the perfect moment. And I am not telling 00:27:30.759 --> 00:27:34.519 you, the gospel is not asking you to perform. 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:41.519 It's asking you to turn, not into a better you. 00:27:42.730 --> 00:27:45.250 Better is a direction that never ends. Better 00:27:45.250 --> 00:27:48.970 is a hamster wheel. Better is that drawer. The 00:27:48.970 --> 00:27:53.670 gospel is asking you to turn into a truer you. 00:27:55.170 --> 00:27:59.329 Because you don't have to come and clean up before 00:27:59.329 --> 00:28:03.130 you come to Jesus. Your life can be a wreck. 00:28:04.369 --> 00:28:08.950 Your choices can be disasters. Your secrets can 00:28:08.950 --> 00:28:12.930 be dark as coal. Jesus doesn't need you fixed 00:28:12.930 --> 00:28:16.730 first. But you do have to stop pretending you 00:28:16.730 --> 00:28:20.450 can hold him at arm's length. Because sooner 00:28:20.450 --> 00:28:24.390 or later, we all learn the truth in the dark. 00:28:25.990 --> 00:28:30.609 You can't keep Jesus as a maybe later without 00:28:30.609 --> 00:28:36.690 eventually making him a no. And the drawer gets 00:28:36.690 --> 00:28:41.990 deeper and the distance gets easier. The excuses 00:28:41.990 --> 00:28:44.970 get smoother. And one day you look back and realize 00:28:44.970 --> 00:28:50.089 you have spent your whole life in the almost. 00:28:52.450 --> 00:28:55.150 Because the drawer doesn't stay neutral. It turns 00:28:55.150 --> 00:29:00.210 into a habit. Habits turn into a life. And a 00:29:00.210 --> 00:29:03.289 life turns into a story somebody tells at your 00:29:03.289 --> 00:29:09.279 funeral. The question is, Will it be a story 00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:11.380 about a person who finally stepped into the light? 00:29:12.119 --> 00:29:15.559 Or somebody who stayed polite, stayed safe, and 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:22.259 stayed almost? So, here's my altar call, and 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:28.619 it isn't flashy. Don't be almost. Don't be with 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:32.539 but little persuasion. Tell the truth in plain 00:29:32.539 --> 00:29:36.099 language. Jesus, I believe. Help my unbelief. 00:29:37.170 --> 00:29:40.289 Jesus, I am tired of feeling like I am split 00:29:40.289 --> 00:29:44.789 into. Jesus, I'm done living with the door cracked 00:29:44.789 --> 00:29:47.069 but never walking through. And if you can't say 00:29:47.069 --> 00:29:50.789 some pretty prayer, say the kind of prayer Paul 00:29:50.789 --> 00:29:56.849 himself once needed. Lord, I was wrong. That's 00:29:56.849 --> 00:30:00.950 enough. That's all he needs. Heaven can work 00:30:00.950 --> 00:30:07.229 with that. In fact, heaven prefers that. So, 00:30:07.229 --> 00:30:10.690 may the God who refuses to be kept in a drawer, 00:30:10.890 --> 00:30:13.750 the Christ who walks into courtrooms and kitchens 00:30:13.750 --> 00:30:16.730 alike, into our loneliness and our pride, the 00:30:16.730 --> 00:30:19.470 Spirit who gets close enough to make you honest, 00:30:19.509 --> 00:30:22.829 who whispers in the quiet moments, give you courage 00:30:22.829 --> 00:30:29.009 to do more than almost. May you step out of the 00:30:29.009 --> 00:30:32.730 polite distance. May you stop managing appearances. 00:30:34.170 --> 00:30:37.130 May you stop negotiating the truth. And may you 00:30:37.130 --> 00:30:39.769 step through that door that's already cracked 00:30:39.769 --> 00:30:44.089 open. And may you become with little or with 00:30:44.089 --> 00:30:51.970 much free except for these bonds. Amen? Amen. 00:30:53.069 --> 00:31:00.450 See you next time, guys. Friend, if you felt 00:31:00.450 --> 00:31:02.309 that little ache in your chest this morning, 00:31:02.329 --> 00:31:05.369 that quiet pressure behind the ribs, don't rush 00:31:05.369 --> 00:31:08.069 to shake it off. Sometimes that's not guilt. 00:31:08.130 --> 00:31:11.569 Sometimes that's grace getting close. Lord isn't 00:31:11.569 --> 00:31:13.650 trying to humiliate you. He's trying to bring 00:31:13.650 --> 00:31:17.089 you home. Almost can look respectable, but it's 00:31:17.089 --> 00:31:19.390 still distance. And distance over time turns 00:31:19.390 --> 00:31:22.569 into habit. So let the question linger a minute. 00:31:23.069 --> 00:31:26.720 What drawer have you been keeping Jesus in? What 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:30.180 truth have you heard that you can't unhear? You 00:31:30.180 --> 00:31:32.460 don't have to perform your way back to God. You 00:31:32.460 --> 00:31:36.319 just have to turn plain, honest, and unhidden. 00:31:36.779 --> 00:31:39.759 And if something you heard today landed differently, 00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:43.200 if it taught you something new, or if you heard 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:45.559 an old story like it was the first time, go on 00:31:45.559 --> 00:31:47.660 and toss that old like in the offering plate. 00:31:47.779 --> 00:31:50.180 Doesn't cost you a thing. It's just a little 00:31:50.180 --> 00:31:52.220 bit of witness saying, I hear what you're saying. 00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:55.680 And if you want to walk with us through the new 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:58.059 year, make sure you tithe your subscribe. That 00:31:58.059 --> 00:32:00.940 way you don't miss what's coming next. All right, 00:32:00.940 --> 00:32:05.019 friend. Until next week, be warm, be safe, and 00:32:05.019 --> 00:32:05.480 be blessed.