The Acts of the Apostles ch26 vs1 – 32.
Paul’s absolutely solid conviction was that Jesus Christ
rose from the dead.
Those who know this awesome truth are compelled to share it!
Jesus Christ rose again because His Father fully accepted
the sacrifice of His Sons sinless body and shed blood on The Cross to pay the
terrible price of all our sins.
Previously, Paul was the arch – enemy of Christians, going
to great lengths to persecute them before he met Jesus Christ in that amazing
personal encounter on the road to Damascus. He was addressed by the living God!
He testifies that having met Jesus Christ, He then
transformed his life.
This is what Jesus Christ does – millions of Christians all
over the world – and myself included –
can say “HE CHANGES LIVES!”, by personally asking Him into your heart and life.
Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, stepped into time and came
to us to be our Saviour – the Saviour of sinners. He was the only one never to
have sinned on this Earth – He couldn’t, as He was Holy God in the flesh! Our
Emmanuel (God with us!), voluntarily laid down His life at Calvary ,
taking our punishment upon Himself.
Friend, if you do not know this one and only Saviour yet,
please come to Him this day in faith and in repentance of your sinful way of life.
His precious shed blood will cleanse you of all sin, and be made fit to enter
Heaven for eternal life.
He is the most wonderful Man to know!
So Paul gave his testimony to the King and explained that
God now had this job for him to do – preaching the Gospel (good news) to the
Gentile people.
Though in chains and suffering many things Paul was not
ashamed and loved preaching the Gospel.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek.”
- Romans ch1 vs16.
Paul then went on to explain this Gospel and the scriptures
to the King.
There is only one message, one Gospel!
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”.
- Paul speaking, from 1st Timothy ch1 vs15.
vs18 in tonight’s reading tells us that we need to move from
darkness into light, in order to move ourselves from certain death into certain
life.
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” – Jesus Christ speaking,
from John’s Gospel ch8 vs12.
Why do so many people prefer the darkness? …
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved”
- Jesus Christ speaking, from John’s Gospel ch3 vs19 – 20.
People everywhere desperately need to have their eyes opened
to these great truths in the Word of God!
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them”
- Paul speaking, from 2nd Corinthians ch4 vs4
Do you believe there is a real devil deceiving as many
people as he can?
Friend, beware, he is still so very active in our world
today!
Forget the false pictures of horns and prong – he
deceptively appears “as an angel of light”! (2nd Corinthians ch11
vs14).
You can be delivered from his power by accepting the Gospel
of The Lord Jesus Christ.
Festus was having none of it, rudely answering Paul, but
Paul responded graciously – a good lesson for all we who are Christians having
conversation with the unsaved.
Having been accused of “losing it”, Paul had “found truth”
rather!
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you for the hope that you have.
But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that
those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be
ashamed of their slander”
- Peter speaking from 1st Peter ch3 vs15 -16.
Jesus Christ convicts us that we are sinners, desperately in
need of the Saviour, and many people still do not like to accept this absolute
truth.
People all around us
say they are good and not living bad lives, but the Word of God says different…
“All have turned away, they have together become worthless,;
there is no one who does good, not even one” – Paul speaking from Romans ch3
vs12.
King Agrippa also rejected Jesus Christ – despite knowing
these things - what a tragedy that he “almost” had his sins forgiven, and
“almost” escaped an eternal Hell!
He chose darkness, having come so close to the light.
Was he perhaps embarrassed at what Caeser or his own family
might have thought, had he bowed the knee and given his heart and life to The
Lord Jesus Christ?
Friend, I sincerely hope that nothing will hold you back
today from asking Jesus Christ to be your Saviour. Nothing is worth choosing
the darkness and its eternal consequences over the light, forgiveness and life
eternal with this wonderful Man!
Nothing and no one is worth rejecting Christ for!
“The preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” – Paul
speaking from 1st Corinthians ch1 vs18.
No comments:
Post a Comment