Acts 26:1
Outline:
I. \\#Acts 1:1-8:4\\ God’s Work in Jerusalem
A. \\#1:1-3\\ The Introduction
B. \\#1:4-26\\ Jesus’ Departure
C. \\#2:1-8:4\\ The Holy Ghost’s Coming
II. \\#Acts 8:5-12:24\\ God’s Work in Judea and Samaria
III. \\#Acts 13:1-28:31\\ God’s Work in Uttermost Parts of the World
A. \\#13:1-14:28\\ The First Missionary Journey
B. \\#15:1-35\\ Judaism or Grace
C. \\#15:36-18:22\\ Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
D. \\#Acts 18:23-21:17\\ Paul’s Third Missionary Journey
1. \\#18:23\\ Galatia and Phrygia
2. \\#18:24-28\\ Apollos in Ephesus
3. \\#19:1-23\\ Paul Returned to Ephesus
4. \\#20-1-6\\ Paul in Greece
5. \\#20:7-12\\ Paul in Troas
6. \\#20:13-16\\ Paul in the Coastal Cities
7. \\#20:17-38\\ Paul Bids the Elders of Ephesus Farewell
8. \\#21:1-3\\ Paul in more Costal Cities
9. \\#21:3-7\\ Paul in Tyre
10. \\#21:8-14\\ Paul in Caesarea
11. \\#21:15-17\\ Paul arrived in Jerusalem
E. \\#Acts 21:18-28:30\\ Paul’s Arrest and Journey to Rome
1. \\#Acts 21:18-23:32\\ Paul in Jerusalem
a. \\#Acts 21:18-25\\ Paul before the Church
b. \\#Acts 21:26-30\\ Paul in the temple
c. \\#Acts 21:31-22:23\\ Paul on the steps
d. \\#Acts 22:24-30\\ Paul to be examined
(1) \\#Acts 22:24-29\\ By the Whip
(2) \\#Acts 22:30-23:10\\ By the Council
e. \\#Acts 23:11-32\\ An Attempt to Kill Paul
(1) \\#Acts 23:11\\ Paul Vision
(2) \\#Acts 23:12-15\\ The Plot
(3) \\#Acts 23:16-22\\ The Revealing
(4) \\#Acts 23:23-33\\The Relocation
(5) \\#Acts 23:31-33\\ The Transport
2. \\#Acts 23:33-27:2\\ Paul in Caesarea
a. \\#Acts 23:34-24:27\\ Before Felix
b. \\#Acts 25:1-25:12\\ Before Festus
c. \\#Acts 25:13-26:32\\ Before Agrippa and Festus
3. \\#Acts 27:1-28:16\\ Paul’s Journey to Rome
4. \\#Acts 28:17-31\\ Paul in Rome
I. \\#Acts 25:13-26:32\\ Before Agrippa and Festus
A. \\#25:13-23\\ The Arrangements
B. \\#25:24-32\\ Festus’ Account
C. \\#26:1-23\\ Paul’s Defense
1. \\#1-2\\ Permission from the king for a defense is granted
and Paul expresses his gratitude for the opportunity.
2. \\#3\\ "I know thee to be expert …among the Jews" - This
was not a mere flattery. King Agrippa had acquainted
himself with the Jews’ religion, even to the place where
history mentions his name as an active participant and
even a Jewish "brother."
John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible from the Online Bible, electronic
edition, on Acts 25:3.
3. \\#3-5\\ Paul recounts that he was born a Jew and raised
Pharisee.
4. \\#6\\ "am judged for the hope of the promise" - In fact,
he was being judged for holding to such a promise as
Pharisee’ believe.
5. \\#8\\ "Why …incredible with you, that God should raise
the dead" - Paul confirms what he knew Agrippa had
already been told. That the charges against him stemmed
from his belief that Jesus had been raised from the
dead. Yet, Paul stated the fact as a question, "Why is
that so hard to believe?"
6. \\#9\\ "I …thought …I ought to do many things
contrary" - But Paul quickly added that he too first
thought the notion to be something that should be
destroyed.
7. \\#10-11\\ And he shared some of the things he had done
against the Christians.
8. \\#12-18\\ Paul gave his salvation testimony. This is the
third time this is recorded in the book of Acts.
a. Locations:
(1) \\#Acts 9:3-7\\
(2) \\#Acts 22:6-11\\
(3) \\#Acts 26:13-18\\
b. More of Jesus’ words to Paul are recorded here than
in the other texts. In this text, Paul attributes
the calling to go to the Gentiles \\#17-18\\ directly
to Jesus. I wonder if he was summarizing the
account by including the words of Ananias, who was
sent from the Lord, as the words of Jesus.
9. \\#19-20\\ "I was not disobedient unto the heavenly
vision" - Paul affirmed he obeyed what the Lord told him.
a. Paul preached in…
(1) "Damascus"
(2) "Jerusalem"
(3) "all the coasts of Judaea"
(4) "then to the Gentiles"
b. And he preached that they…
(1) "should repent"
(2) "turn to God"
(3) "do works meet for repentance." That is, they
should demonstrate the life they claim to have!
10. \\#21\\ "For these causes the Jews caught me" - Paul
bluntly tells Agrippa that this was the reason he had
been apprehended by the Jews.
11. \\#22-23\\ "I continue unto this day" - And so Paul was at
that very moment witnessing to the power of Jesus Christ!
a. "small and great" - Standing before rulers and kings.
b. "saying none other things" - And he was still
preaching the Jewish message of the "prophets and
Moses—namely…"
c. \\#23\\ "That Christ" - The Messiah, the Anointed One
should do the following:
(1) "should suffer"
(2) "rise from the dead"
(3) "shew light unto the people"
(4) "and to the Gentiles"
D. \\#Acts 26:24-32\\ The Results
1. \\#24\\ Festus thinks Paul mad and attributed his
insanity to "much learning."
a. Indeed, some people do become so full of "book
learning" that they are incapable of living "in the
real world."
(1) An example is anyone who does not believe that
man is a sinner.
(2) Paul was not one of those.
b. Festus’ statement would indicate that they had
verified Paul’s status as a very educated man.
2. \\#25-26\\ Paul affirmed that he was not mad and that he
knew Agrippa, who had studied the Jewish religion
extensively and practiced parts of it, knew about Jesus
and could see the claims that Paul had preached.
3. \\#28-29\\ "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian"
King Agrippa, hearing the message of the Jewish Messiah,
was in fact almost willing to believe—yet not quite.
Paul challenged him to take the last step as he had
done—that is to believe and be saved—but not to be
bound by chains.
4. \\#30-32\\ The Tribunal
a. \\#30\\ They gathered as a group without Paul.
b. \\#31\\ They determine that "This man doeth nothing
worthy of death or of bonds."
c. \\#32\\ They claim ‘This man might have been set at
liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar."
(1) Yet, if Paul had not appealed unto Caesar, he
probably would not have lived until Festus arrived.
(2) The "what if" game is never a fair game for it can
never take all of the variables into consideration.
<Outline
Index> <Close Window>
