Almost persuaded

Notes from a sermon on Sunday 4 November 2012

Acts 26 verses 19 – 32

“Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian”

If you were to read some of the commentators and bible scholars about this passage you might take the attitude of King Agrippa being sarcastic when he comes to the apostle Paul. This lonely is before him, brings the claims of the gospel to him, they would say this is a sarcastic answer to what Paul had to say. He is thinking to himself “the intellect I have do you think for one moment I would lay claims to such a message as this? Almost thou persuades me to be a Christian.” This is a man who was shaken to his very boots. He maybe in all sincerity he was saying “Almost thou persuades me to be a Christian, to trust in Christ who came to seek and saved the lost.” What does it mean to be almost persuaded? I am sure there are many in a lost eternity tonight who sat in gospel meetings and missions and heard the claims of Christ. They sat in all earnestness the appeal being made at the end, didn’t want to make any enquiries yet – almost persuadest but in a lost appeal. The faculty of their minds is working well, they can look back to a time when they sat in a meeting like this – almost persuaded but went out never to hear the claims of the gospel again, never saved. What an awful thing to be almost persuaded and yet to be in a lost eternity.

We need to be confronted with the gospel. In order to be confronted with the gospel Paul had to attire the chains of a lonely prisoner. Imagine how God used such a man, such an occasion. Here was a king coming to preside over his position. He takes the judgement seat and all are seated around him then Paul is brought in and he brought the gospel message to him. We need to be confronted with the gospel message to be saved. We need to hear it upon our lives what God intended for me. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” The claims of the gospel on you. Cornelius was in his own home when an angel appears to him. “Your prayers have been heard in the realms of heaven, you must send for Peter in Joppa, he will come and tell you words whereby you must be saved.” It is wonderful what God would do to bring a man to Christ. The Ethiopian eunuch was travelling back to his own land pondering the scriptures. He was reading from Isaiah 53 about a “lamb being led to the slaughter so he opened not his mouth.” He couldn’t understand it, all of a sudden just at the side of his chariot was Philip. God was moving in the heart of Philip to bring this man to a saving knowledge of Christ. Romans 10 verse 13 “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How do you get to that place where you can call on the Lord? Romans 10 “how shall they call on him on whom they have not believed and how shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard?” We need to be confronted with the gospel. Firstly King Agrippa was confronted with the claims of the gospel and he was almost persuaded. In verse 20 Paul spoke to Agrippa about repentance. When you were born into the world you were like all other men, you were a sinner, you needed a Saviour. God in his mercy and love sent a Saviour on the cross, he died to be your Saviour. Have you ever been persuaded like Agrippa was? You need to be confronted with the claims of the gospel. In Genesis 19 and the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah their sin reached the very heavens above. God said “we are going down to investigate to see if it is true.” The angels came down and they realised everything was exactly as they had heard. Judgement was about to fall. They decided to save Lot and his wife and his children. As they spoke to them it says “they lingered”. Are you still enjoying your sin even though the claims of the gospel have been set forth for you? Have you realised you don’t know your sins forgiven, don’t have eternal life? You are lingering, you haven’t stepped out for God. The angels took hold of Lot’s hand and took them out of the city. Lot’s wife looked back and the moment she did that she was turned into a pillar of salt. She was almost persuaded but lost.

To be almost persuaded means we need to be convicted in our minds. To give it some intellectual thought. Consider the claims of the gospel in the mind, to be convinced you are almost a Christian. Paul turns to the scriptures and asks “do you believe the prophets” verse 27. He asks King Agrippa but it is not really a persuasive argument. Now you can sit down and go through the scriptures to show you need to be saved and how you can be saved and when we can be saved. Paul takes him back to the word of God. No persuasive argument but all based on the evidence of the word of God which brings light to our soul. “King Agrippa do you believe the word of God?” Paul asked. Do you believe God’s word that you will never be in heaven unless you are born again of the Spirit of God. Jesus sat before a religious man and said “except a man be born again he can in no wise enter into the kingdom of God.” “King Agrippa do you believe the prophets, I think that thou believest.” To be confronted is part of it. To be convinced of it is another part of it. Acts 17 Paul preaching to the religious people takes them to the word of God reminds the people of the God they have to deal with, the God who created the heavens and earth, the one who you need a relationship with, he has watched the ignorance for so long he commands every man every where to repent of their sin. Paul tells them of how Jesus died, how one day he rose again and will one day judge the earth, how one day we must stand before him. When Paul preached this message what happened? Some believed in the Lord as their personal Saviour. Some left and mocked Paul but another section walked away and said “we will hear again of this matter.” They were almost persuaded. You can be almost and not saved, almost convinced of truth in your mind but not saved. Almost saved is to be completely lost and lost for all eternity.

To be almost persuaded means confused of what to do. Agrippa thought he was doing the safe thing, taking the middle ground. “Paul” he said “you have set forth the word of God so clearly, plainly and I am almost persuaded.” On the other hand Agrippa was trying to keep in with his own crowd. Chapter 25 verse 24 and chapter 26 verse 30. Agrippa was sitting on the judgement seat, beside his was his partner and governor along with a great crowd. The crowd will keep you back from stepping out for Christ. Elijah in the Old Testament climbed Mount Carmel to face 500 prophets of Baal. Elijah knew the Children of Israel were not sure, they were standing with a leg in each camp, they were in the valley of decision, almost saved but halting. Perhaps you would love to be saved but you don’t know what reaction that will get tomorrow from your family or friends. “How long will ye halt between two opinions?”

To be almost persuaded is to be cheated out of a decision. Out of God’s presence for ever by the god of this world, the devil himself. He blinds your mind to the claims of the gospel. In the parable of the sower some seed fell on hard ground. It doesn’t get covered up, left on the top of the ground and the birds of the air fly down and pick it up. It is likened to someone hearing the word of God, it falls on your heart and you are not willing to act and respond to it. Just like the birds of the air the devil comes right into the gospel meeting and he takes it away. Paul is standing in his chains, he has been faithful to the God of heaven and brought the word of God to Agrippa. Festus stands up and says “much learning doth make thee mad.” He was causing a disturbance in the meeting. The god of this world wants to keep this man Agrippa in the darkness of his sin and damn his soul for ever. Maybe you are like King Agrippa, you are almost persuaded. You have been there before and again you are brought to that place of almost being persuaded. Almost will not suffice when you are called from this scene of time.