Acts (Sermon)

Acts 26:8
Why Should It Be Thought Incredible?

Last week, I robbed two of our previous sermons – one from Genesis and one from the Doctrine sermons – so that we could revisit some details concerning election and predestination. For today’s sermon, I robbed from Genesis 25:24-34 entitled Heaven’s Riches for a Meal.

Admittedly, doing this saves me a lot of research time, but I have rewritten quite a bit of what was said there while still following the overall message. If you have heard that sermon, this will be a good reminder, and it will be new enough to allow you to enjoy it again.

If you haven’t heard it, then you can decide if the content is exceptional enough for you to say, “I never knew that. Amazing.” If this is your reaction, then I can assure you that its contents are perfectly in accord with all of the Genesis sermons. In other words, you are the one losing out on not taking the time to listen to them. They are all filled with Christ. The sermon today is not an exception; it is the standard.

Text Verse:  ^“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,  ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ ²⁵ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’
²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

What does Paul’s passage about the Lord’s Supper have to do with the verses from Genesis 25 concerning Jacob and Esau? Actually, only in understanding what Christ did for us can we truly appreciate why the Lord placed the story of Jacob and Esau into His word.

The seemingly unimportant details come alive when Christ is seen to be the Subject of the narrative. Otherwise, the story is just a novelty that has no real purpose. For the Jews, it might be a story of why they are so deserving of whatever it is they think they are deserving.

It might be a story that shows why God said he hated Edom to them. From there that can be manipulated into whatever the person’s agenda against one group of people or another may be. But neither of these assumptions is correct.

The details of the story point to God’s work in and through Christ Jesus. To miss this is to miss exactly what the word is conveying to us. It is a story given in pictures and types for us to see His marvelous handiwork in the stream of redemptive history.

It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Jacob and Esau

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Paul, before lunch, you brought some amazing things to my ears concerning my own heritage, as well as the state of man before God. These are things I had never thought of and you almost – I say – persuade me to be a Christian.

Indeed, now that I have eaten, I am ready to ask more concerning Esau, the father of the Edomites. The story of his birth is curious to me. I am certain that God plans all things and the more I hear about your zeal for Scripture, it alerts me to the fact that everything recorded there is for a reason.

Indeed, you being a Christian, I had assumed that your sect had rejected Scripture and simply thrown your allegiance behind Jesus because of some noteworthy trait of His. But I see that you actually have a greater zeal for the sacred writings than any of the most learned in our society.

Whereas the Pharisees add in the commandments of men, you carefully rely on what is already given in the law and the prophets as the basis for your faith! As this is so, maybe you can shed some light on the story of the births of the twins, Jacob and Esau, that is so meticulously recorded in the word. Can you do this for me?

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O King! When lunch was called, I thought my chance to convince you of your need for Jesus was at an end, but how glad I am that there is another chance for me to tell you, and indeed this entire court, of the wonders of God in Christ!

Since becoming a follower of God’s Messiah, King Agrippa, I have considered all of the stories of Scripture that come to my mind in relation to Jesus. And indeed, He alerted the leaders of Israel that we should do so. He said to them, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (John 5:39, 40).

He made that claim, and I have tested it often, O King. And it is certain that everything keeps pointing me to the surety that it is so. In fact, at the same time He said this, He also said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (John 5:46, 47).

Because He said this, and because I am fully convinced it is true, I would ask you to believe Moses, and in believing Moses, I know that you too will believe the words of Jesus.

You have asked, O King, about the story of Jacob and Esau. Indeed the details are both exciting and unusual, and for sure, they are words that tell us about Jesus. Before lunch, we talked about the time before they were born. In that, I told you about doctrines that can be understood based on that account. Let me take a minute and remind you about that passage –

“Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. ²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, ‘If all is well, why am I like this?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord.

²³ And the Lord said to her:
‘Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.’” Genesis 25:20-23

O King, the foreknowledge of God has been relayed to Rebekah, and you know that His plans for the life of these two boys and their posterity will come about just as He has spoken. Our history, King Agrippa, has borne out the prophecy.

As I happen to have a copy of the story of their birth right here in my pocket, O King, I will read the words of that account and explain them to you as I go. Then you will know what is on my mind concerning them, and you will see that Jesus’ words about Scripture being about Him are true. Of this, I am sure. Let me begin…

So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

As we saw, O King, Isaac pleaded with the Lord for Rebekah to have a child. In His grace, the Lord didn’t just bless her with one, but with two. God is abundantly good to His people as He slowly unfolds the future and reveals it in the present.

But more, He has set them in her womb with purpose and intent, as was clearly seen from the prophecy spoken to Rebekah. As for Rebekah, her days were fulfilled. And so, from conception, through the most unusual events occurring in her womb, and now to the time of birth – the moment of delivery has arrived.

Here at this long-awaited moment, Rebekah is ready to meet her boys. As you seem so curious about every detail, King Agrippa, there is an interesting side story concerning the Hebrew word for “twins.” As you know, it is the word thomim, coming from taom, or “twin.” That, in turn, comes from taam, or “to be double.”

If you know the etymology of names, something I always enjoy learning, you may know that the name Thomas, a name of one of Jesus’ disciples, comes from this Hebrew word. He is “Thomas called the Twin” (John 21:2) because he is a twin.

In the Greek, King Agrippa, his friends call him Didymus. As you may know, the word Didymus means the same thing, two-fold or twin. If you play with this word, the way people do, maybe someday there will be a language that shortens it up to say something fun like “ditto.” But that is just how I think, at times, O King. Let me read you more of the story.

And the first came out red.

The Hebrew, King Agrippa, reads v’yetse ha’rishon admoni – “And came out the first ruddy.” It is the word adom, or “red.” This adjective is found only here and in reference to our great king of the past, David. He too was admoni, or ruddy. That was recorded in the book of Samuel the prophet –

“And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking” (1 Samuel 17:42).

Esau is born first, O King, and so – without going any further – we know from the prophecy given to Rebekah that he and his line will serve the next to be born. When he came out, he was red. People debate, King Agrippa, whether the red is from the blood of birth adhering to his hair or if his hair was naturally red. Surely, O King, it was his hair. It is normal for a child to be born bloody. But this is specific about the boy himself.

Some see in this red color that he would be a shedder of blood, fierce, and cruel. As you know, this is borne out by his descendants later in the Bible, but that is not all that the Lord wants us to consider, although the same was true of King David. You know that he could not build the temple because the Lord said he was a man of war and had shed blood (1 Chronicles 28:3).

For now, O King, let me continue with the story…

He was like a hairy garment all over;

He, O King, was born with so much hair on his body that he looked kulo k’adereth sear, or “all over as a hairy garment.” This is a genetic anomaly that we have all seen [hypertrichosis] and the story wants us to think on why this is included. But it will help to know that the word adereth, or “garment” comes from adar, meaning to become glorious or honorable.

Also, King Agrippa, when you read Scripture, you will note that hair always carries a special significance. It reflects a state of awareness, especially an awareness of sin. It is because of this condition in which he is born that the words next tell us…

so they called his name Esau.

Because he is born ruddy and with all of that hair, even like a garment, they called his name Esav. The name comes from the word asah, meaning “to make,” or “to do.” And so, it can mean “doer,” or “maker.” Or it can be passively stated as “made.”

What the parents were implying, O King, is that he was made more like a man than a child because of his development in the womb. As is later seen in his life, because of the early development, his youth was more passionate and precocious than others his age.

What it also means for his future is that he would be more earthly than spiritual. This is perfectly evident as the story progresses. All of this will have a purpose as a picture that will be fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. It is certain, O King. Next…

Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob.

As is so common in Scripture, King Agrippa, there is a play between the word “heel,” aqev, and the name Jacob, Ya’aqov. The name means “Heel catcher,” or “Supplanter,” because one who catches the heel will trip up the other and supplant him. But the name also carries the idea of “He who follows after.”

As the one who will be served comes out last, it indicates the future of the two boys. This is seen in the holding of Esau’s heel. Because of this, he was given the name Ya’aqov or Jacob. As you can see, there are various ideas that are conveyed by the idiom “takes hold by the heel.”

In grabbing someone by the heel, you will trip him up. But there is also the idea of a deceiver, one who supplants, or one who follows closely behind. All of these fit his life and circumstances as Scripture later reveals. But “supplanting” (“replacing”) and “following after,” are the ideas that point, O King, to Jesus.

There is a meaning and a mystery in the name of Jacob which looks forward to much of his life, both as one who deceives and one who gets deceived. But because he follows after Esau, there is also a wonderful pattern concerning him that I will explain to you later, O King.

As you will see, as the story continues, the account of these boys pictures our first, and fallen, father Adam, and also the sinless, risen Christ. Jacob’s first acts in life were remembered by the prophet Hosea many generations later –

“He took his brother by the heel in the womb,
And in his strength he struggled with God.” Hosea 12:3

For now, the story continues to unfold…

Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

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Tell me, Paul, why is this always something that Scripture focuses on? Does it really matter how old people are when things happen? And yet, I have heard such records all throughout the stories in the writings.

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O King, I can tell you that such things are most important. You see, God is giving us a record of the history of the world. I can just see someone someday saying the earth is tens of thousands of years old, or even millions of years old! Think of it!

Who knows why anyone would want to do that except to claim that the record of God’s word is somehow unreliable! But by Scripture giving these ages of the people, we can tell just how old the world is. In fact, I keep a detailed list of it in my pocket… hmm… O! Here it is, King Agrippa. With these words, we can tell that these events occurred in the year 2169 from the creation of the world.

You see, Isaac was born in the year 2109 and he was married at the age of forty. Now, twenty years later his children are born to them in the year 2169. Curiously, although Abraham’s death has already been recorded by Moses, he will actually be alive for fifteen more years and is probably a happy grandpa at this point. Let us go on…

So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

In just a few words, O King, we have skipped over enough years to see the boys old enough to live and work alone. God only includes what is necessary to show us His thoughts and to lead us to understanding what He is doing in Christ.

In this first verse about their adulthood, God is showing us two types, or pictures, in the two men. The first picture is Esau. His name, as I said, means “made” just as Adam was made from the dust of the earth. You see, King Agrippa, the word asah, which is the basis for the name Esav, is found in the very beginning of the Genesis account, concerning the “making” of Adam –

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26

Adam was made as a complete man. This is pictured by Esau in his exceptional birth, having the appearance of a fully developed man. And more, he is described as ish yodea tsayid ish sadeh – “man skillful hunter; man of the field. He is of the ground and one who obtains his living from the ground.

He, King Agrippa, is a picture of Adam who was taken from the ground and who was destined to obtain his sustenance from the ground that he came from. Esau can be summed up in the words of Genesis that the Lord spoke to Adam –

“Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it”:
‘Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.
¹⁹ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.’” Genesis 3:17-19

As a hunter, he is like Nimrod and Ishmael who came before him. Both of them, along with him, are given as a picture of fallen man fighting to live off the toil of the earth; they are earthly and unspiritual.

Jacob, on the other hand, O King, looks to the coming Christ. He is described as ish tam yoshev ohalim – “man perfect dwelling tents.” The word tam, as you know, specifically conveys the idea of “complete,” “blameless,” and “perfect.” I tell you, O King, it is just the perfect description of the Lord Jesus.

But more, Jacob is also said to be one dwelling in tents. Again, this looks to Christ, who “tabernacles” among His people. He is the Lord who dwelled in the tabernacle of Moses among the children of Israel. He later dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem. And then, He came into humanity, and He put on a tabernacle of flesh and dwelt among us.

Our brother John has made this connection for us (he really should write out his thoughts for us someday!). I can quote him, even now, saying of Jesus, “And the Word became flesh, and did dwell in a tent among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of an only begotten from a father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) (CG).

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Paul, I have heard you and the other apostles say things that make me think you believe Jesus is the Lord God. Now I know you believe this. How can this be?

—————
It is true, King Agrippa. But this is not something new. Our Scriptures speak of this time and again. He will be the Mighty God. He will be the Everlasting Father. He will come from eternity itself. And so on. The truth of who the Messiah will be is found all throughout our sacred writings, O King.

I tell you, O King, that someday the tent of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, will dwell with men for all eternity. He will be with us, and He shall be our God (see Revelation 21:3).

Also, O King, unlike Esau who hunted wild animals, Jacob is a shepherd. It is an exact picture of our Lord. When He was among us, He claimed He is the Good Shepherd. And it is so, it is He who came to guide His flock from this fallen world to a heavenly home, a home of restored perfection.

I tell you, O King, Esau was destructive in hunting game; Jacob is constructive in tending sheep. And, thus, we see Adam and Christ. Let me now continue…

And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

The Hebrew here, O King, literally says that Isaac loved Esau because of the venison in his mouth. It is very descriptive and shows his love for the meat as much as the boy. Rebekah, on the other hand, loved Jacob, but no reason is given.

It may be because of the prophecy that she was given before they were born, or it may be because Jacob loved to dwell in tents and so he was always close to mom, unlike Esau who was out hunting all the time. We don’t know for sure, but the words do not say either parent didn’t love the other child.

They merely favored one over the other. Despite many who read these words and find fault in the parents, there is nothing wrong with this. Our Scriptures, O King, simply comment on the facts as they lead us methodically to understand how and why things turned out as they did. Only the relevant details are given.

The words of the prophet Malachi show us that if our thoughts about Isaac and Rebekah are negative, then our thoughts about the Lord’s dealing with these two should be negative as well because the Lord deals much more harshly with Esau.

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; ³ But Esau I have hated” (Malachi 1:2).

King Agrippa, we all seem to understand that opposites attract. Isaac wasn’t an adventurer and Esau was. Rebekah made a great adventure, leaving her home and family to go to the land of promise, and Jacob was the type to dwell in tents. The attitude of the parents is completely acceptable when we understand this.

Adam was made from the red soil
And in his rebellion, he was consigned to work from it
His life would be one of pain and toil
Because he would not to the Lord his trust commit

Esau saw Jacob’s red stew
And he longed for it to fill him up
To get it, he did what he should not do
And like Adam, he drank from a sour cup

Let us remember this divine lesson
And follow the Lord’s will as we live out this life
It is there in His word, no need for guessin’
Follow the Lord and there will be no enmity or strife

II. Heaven’s Riches for a Bowl of Stew

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Paul, I am thoroughly amazed at the insights you have provided. These stories were always a curiosity to me, but nothing more. Now, you are showing me things I never considered. They are here to show me the future. It is amazing!

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So it is, O King! And there is more of that as the story of these two men continues to unfold. As you have just had lunch, I am not worried about making you hungry as I continue with the next lines of Scripture. Let me read them to you…

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.

The words here for “cooked a stew” are yazed nazid. It says to us, King Agrippa, “And boiled Ya’aqov a boiling.” Jacob was in the house making stew. As he is cooking, Esau comes in wearily from the field. But more, the story implicitly tells us that he was unsuccessful in hunting. This is perfectly in line with the curse pronounced upon Adam –

“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17).

Esau was in the field toiling, and he is now hungry and tired. Remember, O King, Esau is a type of Adam in our unfolding story.  Jacob pictures Jesus. As such, we can think of Him, in His tent and cooking up the greatest meal in all of history. Let us continue…

And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.”

In my letter to those in Rome, King Agrippa, there are a couple of people in it, Tertius and Quartus (Romans 16:22, 23). You know the significance of their names, don’t you?

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Yes, Paul, I do. Without even knowing them, I would guess that they either had a very lazy mother, or they were slaves. Their names mean “third” and “fourth.”

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Ha! It is so, O King. We all have names. Sometimes we even have a second name to help define who we are. This is true with Esau. This continuing story tells us about it.

Esau looked at the red stuff in the soup bowl and he may not have even known what it was because he simply says, hal-iteni na min ha’adom ha’adom – “Let me gulp, c’mon, the red the red.”  He’s hungry and tired and he simply wants to eat, but because of the description, he gets a nickname…

Therefore his name was called Edom.

It is the name ascribed to your ancestors on your paternal side, O King, the Edomites. The name is from the same verb, adom, as is the adjective adom, red. And more, this verb is the same root from which comes adam, man, and his name, Adam.

Edom is the hairy red man who lives for his stomach. The name sticks because of his exclamation. And here, O King, we see him again as a picture of Adam. Adam was taken from the red clay of the earth and thus received his name.

Both Adam and Edom, with their connected names, are red. Both are earthly. And both are tied to the red, the red – the ground from which they came and also from which their sustenance comes.

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It is marvelous, Paul. I have never imagined what I am now hearing with my own ears!

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O King, every story of Scripture tells us such wonderful truths. But for now, I shall continue…

But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

Jacob, intending to gain from his quick-willed twin, offers him the red, the red if he will sell his birthright. Under the Law of Moses and as you know, O King, a birthright is a double portion of what the other children are to receive.

If there are six children, then the oldest receives 2/7^th of the estate. This birthright differs from that. It included being the chief of the clan and the son to receive all authority and all title to the estate. Just as Isaac got everything from Abraham, this same birthright was to pass to Esau. Jacob wanted this.

If obtained, he would be next in the family to follow the father as the chief of the clan. But more, having this birthright would mean that the promises of the inheritance of the land of Canaan would belong to his descendants. And more, it would mean that the Messiah would also come through him.

Ultimately, O King, you see that these things – the position and the status – belong to the Messiah. Jacob cunningly lets Edom know that if there was to be a meal, it would involve a transfer of these rights to him and his posterity.

Jacob is looking for an exchange, from that which is immediately earthly and perishing for that which is ultimately spiritual. Edom like Adam was willing to give up his spiritual inheritance for that which is immediately earthly and perishing.

In the same manner, King Agrippa, Jesus was willing to give up His earthly life to provide that which is heavenly. In what is happening, we can see where Jacob first finds a fulfillment in his name – heel grabber, supplanter, he who comes after.

He is looking to grab the position of the older by obtaining the birthright. This takes us back to the play on words concerning the soup. The word boil is yazed, coming from the word zud, to boil in a literal sense, but it figuratively means to “act proudly or presumptuously.”

Jacob is taking advantage of the situation which has presented itself to obtain the deed to the estate and all that goes along with it. And I tell you, O King, that Jesus took advantage of another situation to obtain fallen man’s title deed and all that goes along with it.

And so, in the story before us, Jacob tells Esau to sell him the birthright “this day.” In other words, in the open and in complete and full terms. If that is agreed on, then Esau gets his soup.

King Agrippa, let me tell you about what we Christians observe called “The Lord’s Supper.” It is a memorial of Christ’s death until He comes. Jesus came to retrieve the promises that would have belonged to Adam. His red blood is the item of transfer.

We humans are all born of Adam. If we accept what Christ’s cup offers, we must give up any attempt at obtaining those things ourselves. We cede our right to Him to be our priest, to having claim on our estate, to all the promises of the Messiah and the rightful ownership of the heavenly land promised to God’s people.

If we accept His offer, His blood, we cede our rights to Him, and the transfer is made. But, O King, what we cede is gained in being granted life. This is seen in the next words of our ongoing story…

And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”

Anokhi holekh lamut – “I am going to die.” It is a truth concerning all men. We are going to die. The words of Esau are given to express a spiritual truth. In this, there is a real occurrence that Esau does, and which is to be condemned.

He gave up his birthright with all that it signified, including the treasures of heaven, for a mere bowl of soup. Because of this, he is remembered as a profane person (Hebrews 12:16).

To Esau, the prospect of his physical life was of more value than the spiritual things he would have received. In his simple and unclear thinking, he may have thought, “Well, if I die, Jacob will get the birthright anyhow.” He lived for his stomach, and he gave up his right to paradise, just like Adam did.

The birthright is as much a spiritual thing as it is an earthly inheritance. As this is true, O King, it would only be of value to someone with faith to understand it. It is like reading our Scriptures. Unless the spiritual aspect of the book is understood it is of little value. It just becomes a book of laws that are impossible to live up to, curious stories, and words of people that claim they know the future.

And yet, King Agrippa, it is the place where all of heaven’s treasures are revealed. I tell you it is so. But our people have ignored what it says, they rejected the One it spoke of, and they crucified Him. The most glorious heavenly treasure has been sold for soup.

But, O King, what I must tell you – please do not miss what I am saying – is that the spiritual aspect of this story is exactly the opposite of the earthly aspect. Esau said, anokhi holekh lamut – “I am going to die.”

King Agrippa, we are all destined to die. We are all Esau, walking in and looking for soup. When we die, none of our treasures, none of our wealth, and none of our high and exalted positions will matter. Like Esau probably figured, someone else will get them anyway. Solomon explained this to us in Ecclesiastes. I think I have that with me… Yes, here it is –

“Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. ²⁰ Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. ²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-21).

The question each must ask, O King, is, “Am I willing to give up everything for one meal?” If that meal will give us life, then isn’t the exchange worthwhile? And there is only one meal that will satisfy. You see, in this meal we move from Esau to Jacob; from the authority of our father Adam to the authority of the One who comes after, the Supplanter, Jesus.

Just as Edom became subservient to Jacob in order to have life, we too, sons of Adam, must cede our present inheritance – meaning this earthly life with all of its rights, honor, and authority – to Jesus. In this, we gain the life that is truly life.

The last time I was with our brother, the apostle John, he spoke to me of Jesus’ words to His disciples. I really hope he will take the time to write all his thoughts down someday! Quoting Jesus, John said these words to me –

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6:53-55).

Jesus has prepared a meal, O King. It is one we must dine on by faith in the promises of God. This is why we take the Lord’s Supper. It is the memory of His death, that we participate in, as we wait upon His return. We have died with Christ in His death and yet we anticipate eternal life through Him.

O King, consider my words and reflect on what I am telling you. The purpose of our Scriptures is to reveal Christ. As an apostle, it is my duty to explain these things so that men may be saved. Now, let us continue to consider the story before us…

Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

Think of what Esau did, King Agrippa! He mirrors what happened with our first father, Adam. Adam sold the riches of paradise for a piece of fruit. In just the same manner, this is what Esau did. The Lord chose this story to show what happened at the beginning and how He would correct that terrible mistake.

What Esau sold away, Jacob took possession of. What Adam lost through disobedience, Jesus has obtained through His perfect obedience. He, O King, never sinned. He performed that which the Father sent Him to do, and He has obtained the inheritance which He now offers to any who will come to Him through a simple act of faith. And now, let me take you to the last words of the story we have before us…

And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

For nothing more, O King, than a stew that was probably as much water as it was lentils, all of Esau’s treasures were sworn away. And for the same soup, Jacob inherited many glories in the years ahead. And each one of them, O King, is still remembered today. This wasn’t just a short walk of life that ended when he did.

Instead, it was a story that we still read today, and which is now even being read among the Gentiles. The question that should come up in our own minds, O King, is, “What will I most be remembered for?” We put a heavy stress on what others think about us, but what is most important is how God considers us.

King Agrippa, throughout the story, nothing has been said of bread, but now it is suddenly added in. Esau gave up his birthright for bread and the red, the red that would keep him alive for a few more hours. We have been asked to give up our earthly birthright for Bread and the Red that will give eternal life.

You see, at the same time that Jesus spoke to the people concerning His flesh and His blood, He explained to us what that meant. John repeated those words to me as well (he really needs to write all this down!). Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:25).

Esau ate his bread and his red stew, and he got hungry again. But Jesus offers Himself, His body and His blood, as a spiritual meal. When we partake of it, we will never hunger or thirst again because of what it provides.

In the story of Jacob and Esau, there is a physical aspect and there is a spiritual aspect. Although the two are diametrically opposed in how we handle them, they come from the same account. We can be like Esau and live for our stomachs, trading away that which is of infinite value, or we can live like Jacob and trade away a meal of no value for one that will fill us forever.

I would warn you against the former and ask you to accept the latter. If I may precisely say it to you, O King –

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright” (Hebrews 12:14-16).

Esau is like the person I described to my brethren in Philippi –

“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Philippians 3:17-19).

On the other hand, O King, in the spiritual aspect of what we see in this story, we actually do have to be willing to sell everything for a single meal – a spiritual meal. In the same letter that I wrote to those at Philippi, I also told them this –

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20, 21).

In trading our claim on this world for the offer of Jesus Christ, we who believe now have a new citizenship and a new hope. I mentioned, O King, that being the firstborn granted the birthright. This would make that person chief of the clan and he would receive all authority and all title to the estate.

In this passage, the authority was passed from Esau to Jacob. The transfer is a picture of the transfer from Adam to Christ. As sons of Adam, we have a right to this fallen world – it is our inheritance. Adam had the title to Eden and gave it up for a bite of fruit. Edom did the same thing for a bowl of soup. Both meals were temporary and, ultimately, unsatisfying.

Jacob received the birthright through a vow sworn by Esau. It was irrevocable. Likewise, Jesus asks each of us to give up our inheritance here in the earthly realm under Adam and submit to His rule and authority. Jacob replaced the firstborn Esau, and I, O King, in my first letter to those at Corinth explain that Jesus replaces the first man, Adam –

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:46-49).

O King, the question for each of us in Adam is, “Do we want to live an ungodly and profane life like Esau and give up heaven’s riches for what is earthly and temporary, or do we want to sell our earthly riches for a spiritual meal that will grant us eternity in heaven?” O King, remember the prophecy about these two –

“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23).

King Agrippa, there are two people groups on earth right now. One is serving the older and one is serving the younger. Now, remember the words of Malachi –

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved;
³ But Esau I have hated” (Malachi 1:3).

We are children of wrath by nature (Ephesians 2:3), O King. We are earthly and serving the first man, who is Adam, but we can become heavenly and serve the second, who is Christ. When we make that choice, which is symbolized in the Lord’s Supper, we go from being children of wrath to adopted sons of God and beloved.

Let me tell you how you too can partake of this heavenly meal. Believe this gospel, O King. Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Believe, O King, to the saving of Your soul.

Why should it be thought incredible that God raises the dead? He raised Jesus in His perfection, and He will raise us in the perfection of Jesus. Believe, O King!

Closing Verse: “‘In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation, I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 (see Genesis 25:33 – “Swear to me as of this day”).

Next Week: Acts 26:9 Some won’t even utter this Name, even under their breath… (This Jesus of Nazareth)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. But you must first believe by faith in what He has done. Once you do, then that plan can come about in you as it will in all of His redeemed. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Heaven’s Riches for a Meal (A Double Entendre)

When Rebekah’s days were fulfilled to give birth
Indeed there were twins in her womb
The first came out red, like the clay of the earth
He was hairy as a garment, like mohair, I presume

So they called his name Esau because like a man he was made
I wonder if those who saw him stood back and were dismayed?

After Esau his younger brother then came out
And his hand took hold of Esau’s heel
So his name was Jacob because with no doubt
He was a heel grabber and supplanting was his deal

When Rebekah bore them, Isaac was sixty years of age
And his life was now turning a brand-new page

So the boys grew and Esau was a skillful hunter
A man of the field was his type of life
But Jacob was a mild man and not a physical grunter
He dwelt in tents; instead of arrows he used a butter knife

And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game
But Rebekah loved Jacob and the man he became

Now Jacob cooked a stew
And Esau came in weary from the field
And Esau said to Jacob, “I’m famished through and through
Please feed me some of that red stew before my life I yield

Therefore Edom was called his name
Both his color and the color of the soup were the same

But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day
And Esau said, “Look I’m about to die.”
So what is this birthright to me, tell me I pray?
Then Jacob said, Swear as of this day between you and I

So he swore to him and to Jacob he sold his birthright
And Jacob gave Esau bread and some lentil stew
Then he ate and drank, arose, and went out of sight
Thus, Esau despised his birthright; he told it “Adieu!”

Here we are pictured by these boys
And we have choices in this world to make
Will we pursue all the earthly toys?
Or will we give them up for heaven’s sake?

We can sell our birthright for that which perishes
Or we can sell it for the thing that God most cherishes

If we sell it for a bowl of soup that Adam did make
Then it is a sad choice that we have made
But if we sell it for the heavenly cake
Then by God above it was a glorious trade

Eat of the bread and drink of the blood
Of the Lord Jesus provided freely to all
And when you, do it shall be understood
That through this act Christ in you has reversed Adam’s fall

Great and glorious, splendid God above
Let us shout out to You with praises and love

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson

Acts 26:7
For This Hope’s Sake

The person named King Agrippa (Agrippa II) in Acts 26 is the son of the elder King Agrippa who is recorded in Acts 12. It is Agrippa I who had James, the brother of John put to death with the sword (Acts 12:2). He is the same king who failed to give glory to God and thus met a gruesome end, being eaten by worms (Acts 12:23).

This makes Agrippa of Acts 26 the great-grandson of Herod I, also known as Herod the Great. Herod’s father was a descendant of Esau, meaning he was of Edomite origin, something people to this day have trouble with. His ancestors, however, had converted to Judaism.

Without going into all of the detail of this, it made him a Jew. Scripture outlines what is required for a person to convert and be considered as a Jew. When those requirements are met, they are accepted as such. Flavius Josephus records this in his writings. He says that about 129 BC John Hyrcanus –

“…subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time therefore this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.”

This is both a historical testament to the fact, and it is something that is also biblically supported by the manner in which one was to be accepted into the assembly. This, however, doesn’t stop people from making unwarranted accusations against those who were converts, nor does it end the unceasing stream of bad theology that has developed within the church concerning the Edomites.

Text Verse: “‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.
Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the Lord.
‘Yet Jacob I have loved;
³ But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.’” Malachi 1:2, 3

Because of the words of Malachi, and other words taken out of context, many jump to the conclusion that Herod was an illegitimate figure within Israel. But that ignores the fact that his people had converted to Judaism and were reckoned as Jews.

If Herod was hated by the people, it was because of who he was as a person. And if God did not approve of Herod, it wasn’t because of his Edomite origin. It’s rather clear that God didn’t approve of the actions of the other Jews either, regardless of their ancestry.

What is the word of the Lord through Malachi saying concerning Esau? It’s important because in getting this wrong, ten thousand other little points of doctrine will be wrong as well. Pretty soon, you can start making up all kinds of nutty things simply because a couple of words are improperly analyzed.

The loving of Israel and the hating of Esau points us to the doctrine of Divine Election. It is a complicated doctrine that needs to be returned to and considered from time to time just so that we can be reminded of the love of God which is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. It is a love that extends to any and to all, but it can only be appropriated through an act of faith.

King Agrippa has a question for Paul, and it is one that Paul is ready to answer because he was trained in proper theology. How do we know this? It’s because we get our theology from what he says to us in his epistles. God selected him because of who he was and what he understood, as a Jew and as a Pharisee, concerning redemptive history.

His background made him the ideal person to convey to us those things we need to know in order to understand the marvel of what God has done for the people of the world. Such wonderful wisdom of God is to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

An Explanation of Predestination and Election

—————
Paul, your words concerning the promise made by God to our fathers were most convincing and it has me excited to know more. The day has hardly started and there is a part of Scripture’s recorded history that personally affects me and to which I have been, and continue to be, most curious.

In your earlier discourse, you said, “The Messiah was promised before Israel existed. Israel just happens to be the people through whom He would come.” During our short break to stretch our legs, I requested that a copy of the Scriptures be brought to this assembly so that you might shed light on its words for me.

Paul, you know that I am a Jew, but that my ancestral line also goes back to the Edomites. This makes things perplexing to me at times. I may not be very well versed in Scripture, but I know the story of how both Israel and Esau began. I have asked the court recorder to read that passage –

“This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. ²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, ‘If all is well, why am I like this?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord.
²³ And the Lord said to her:
‘Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.’” Genesis 25:19-23

—————
So, Paul, can you shed any light on all of this for me? You believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and you are known to many as the Apostle to the Gentiles, and yet, it appears that God is showing favoritism. Is that a God that people should want to follow? Or is there a misunderstanding?

—————
O King, this is a beautiful passage from our history, and it is actually something I have written about to the church at Rome. I can tell you, as my beloved friend Peter discovered, that God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34), and I repeated this same thought to the congregation at Rome in my letter to them (Romans 2:1-11).

God does nothing arbitrarily nor vindictively. He is perfectly fair and just in all He does and there is no favoritism with Him.

—————
But Paul, explain to me what it means when the Lord said to Rebekah that one people shall be stronger than the other, and that the older would serve the younger. And then explain the words of Malachi that say that the Lord has loved Jacob, but He has hated Esau. I have heard that many times over the years.

How does this affect me? I am descended from both Esau and Jacob, and I am Jew by birth. Am I loved or am I hated? And what is it that makes it one way or the other to God?

—————
King Agrippa, there is a lot involved in what you are asking. What I suggest is that you get a copy of my letter to the Romans where I speak of exactly these things. In fact, I think I have a full copy of it here. Before the day ends, I shall give it to you. It is not that being of Israel by birth makes a person truly of Israel. Only when their actions align with what is expected of them are they truly of Israel.

What I must first do is explain to you the doctrine of election. I happen to have a portion of my letter to the Romans here in my pocket. I had my scribe, Tertius, make an extract of this for when I am asked exactly this question. Here is what I said to them –

“But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, ⁷ nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ ⁸ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: ‘At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.’
¹⁰ And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac ¹¹ (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), ¹² it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ ¹³ As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’” Romans 9:6-13

—————
Paul, I may be even more confused now than before I asked. Can you simplify what you are saying for me?

—————

O King, I will do my best to do so. I wrote of election, but that is something that is tied in with God’s predestination as well. In the same letter to the Romans, I wrote these words –

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Romans 8:29, 30

O King you know that the word, proorizó, “predestined,” means “to mark out beforehand.” God has “predetermined” those who will be saved. These are the elect.

But what does it mean that they are predetermined? Does He actively choose each before creation as in, “I will make a Paul of Tarsus, and I will save him”? If this is so, does He then say, “I will make a Judas Iscariot and I will condemn him”?

Or perhaps God means, “I will make a path to salvation. This is the predetermined boundary, and any who accept that path will be saved.”? Or, maybe, is there some variation between these that God will use to save man?

When I spoke to you earlier today, I said to you, “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). I myself believe that I had, and still have, free will.

I have said, O King, that those whom God “foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Those who are a part of God’s plans and purposes will be conformed. It is already done in God’s mind.

How this comes about is what I will explain to you. But so that you can more fully understand what is correct, I will also tell you of things that are incorrect. What I will say is based upon the fall of man, our first father Adam, and how God has worked from that event to determine His elect.

One teaching among our scholars says that election, or predestination, is logically prior to the decree to permit the fall of man. In other words, O King, even before sin entered into the picture, election was made for all people.

If one were to use a phrase to explain this, he might say double-predestination. This is because its effects actively go in two directions. This is held by many among us, O King. This is why there are so many judgmental egoists who feel God loves them and hates everyone else.

Their assumption is that God predestined humanity before He permitted the fall of man. What they think is that He actively elected some for salvation and actively elected others for condemnation. The fall hadn’t even happened, and yet God had made His choice.

In His act of creation, it would mean He purposefully created with the intent that His people would either be saved or condemned. That is their state, and they have no choice in it. A Jew may say, “I am the elect and saved because God loves me. Edomites are not elect, and they are damned. God hates them.”

What they believe is that God provides and applies salvation only for the elect. If that is so, then when Jesus came to provide salvation, what He did was limited only to them. You might call that, O King, limited atonement.

Such people will say, King Agrippa, that Christ’s atonement is limited only to those who were elected, and it applies – both potentially and actually – only to certain people. This is a noxious heresy, O King. It speaks of forced salvation to the saved, and purposeful condemnation to the unsaved.

To explain this in a simple manner, as you asked of me, we can think about the Garden of Eden where God placed man. God created both the garden and the man. But even before the man had done anything wrong, God has already chosen which of his descendants He will love and which He will hate.

It is only after this decision that Adam and his wife disobey. In this, the catastrophe of sin entered the world. Man was forced from the garden into a stream of existence of one generation leading to the next. However, that stream leads away from the garden to the abyss of hell – complete, total, and eternal separation from God.

But, during the course of time, God actively came along and initiated a process of salvation for those He chose to save even before any wrong had been committed. When He saves them, He gives them his Spirit and seals them for future glory.

They had no choice in it because the choice was made even before the fall. That is when they were saved. The work of Jesus may be a part of this process, but it is just an afterthought in the stream of events. As for the ones created for condemnation, whenever they are born, He actively withholds His saving of them, forcing them into hell because He chose them to be created that way.

—————
Paul! If this was true, that would mean God is an angry God who really hates some of His creation!

—————
It is true, O King. Those would be the non-elect. It would mean He hated them even before He created them. This begs the question though. If this was true, then why am I standing before you now? Why have I gone to all of the effort in my life to proclaim Christ? And why should I bother continuing to even talk to you now, answering your questions about Jesus?

If God has already chosen who will be saved, and His will cannot be thwarted, then all of my efforts mean nothing. If this was true, I would be better off doing anything but what I do! But this is a great lie, and a great misrepresentation of what God is doing.

And more, O King, this teaching ascribes evil to God because the evil that exists is not corrected by Him when it could have been, even by those who may have desired it through salvation. But God is neither the author of evil, nor will He allow it to continue forever.

People who teach this will use what the Lord says of Jacob and Esau in Malachi and incorrectly come to their conclusion. They misread what is said there and fail to consider everything we need to know.

You yourself, O King, have noted that you are descended from both Jews and Edomites. This teaching does nothing to answer the issue of election in regard to Jacob and Esau because it does not reflect what God has done in Christ.

—————
I could tell it smelled rotten, Paul. But if this is taught concerning election, and it is not correct, then what is?

—————
O King, I shall again refrain from telling you what is correct and continue to tell you what is incorrect. This will help you to see more clearly when the truth of what God has done is explained.

Another teaching is that the decree of election, meaning to call someone to salvation, comes logically after God’s decree to permit the fall. This is technically not double-predestination, but it is still tainted with falsity.

Teachers of this doctrine say that God created everything and then He permitted the fall of man. Since then, He has and will continue to elect some while simply passing by others. In this view, God provides and applies salvation only for the elect. He chooses who will be saved and they have no choice in the matter.

This teaching, like the first, says that the atonement of Jesus Christ is limited only to those who were elected, and it applies – both potentially and actually – only to certain people who will be saved. To the saved, it is forced salvation, and to the unsaved, there is a state of uncaring condemnation.

O King, I will take you back to the Garden of Eden to understand. In this thinking, God created the Garden and the man. After this, man disobeyed, and the catastrophe of sin entered into the world. It is at this time that God next decides who He will save and who He will simply ignore.

In the meantime, man is forced from the garden into a stream of existence, one generation leading to the next. But that stream leads away from the garden to the abyss of hell – complete and total separation from God.

During the course of time, as the people are born, God comes along and initiates the process of salvation for some. He gives them his Spirit and seals them for future glory whether they want it or not. The rest, He simply ignores. He does nothing to secure their salvation.

They are simply not a part of His plan. One might argue that this isn’t a hateful God, but that is incorrect. He is uncaring about those He didn’t elect, and to not care about their eternal state is an unloving act.

He made the choice for salvation or condemnation after the fall, but He also did so before He took any action to correct the matter at hand, which is the sin that now abides in man.

You can see that to them the cross of the Lord Jesus which I have told you about is simply an afterthought in God’s redemptive plans and purposes. In His mind, the saved were saved before His decree to correct their state. Like the first view I spoke to you of, O King, the work of Jesus may be a part of this process, but it is actually a secondary thought in the stream of events.

O King, there is an implicit problem with this view that brings it to the same heretical level as the first. God is all-knowing. The order of the occurrences as I stand here and present them to you are for our benefit and understanding, but they are not actually how God’s mind see things. He knows all things at all times. God would already know who was created for salvation or for condemnation.

In both views so far, God loves only the elect in terms of salvation. The others, He either actively hates or He just doesn’t care about them. This, by default, is a hateful act. This is not the God presented in Scripture, nor the God I continue to proclaim in my epistles to those churches I correspond with.

A problem with what these people teach is that God is love, as my friend John often notes (1 John 4:16). God loves everyone equally. There is no increase or decrease in His love for us from His perspective. But, King Agrippa, to pass over some while choosing others, especially after finally providing the means of salvation to the world, is actually no different than actively condemning them. This, like the other view I spoke about, presents an unloving God towards the non-elect.

This “passing by” someone, when He knew before creating them that He would “pass them by,” is more than uncaring. It shows a disdain for a certain portion of His creatures. Such teachers like to say that those who are not elect are “simply not a part of His plan,” and that may be true, but it is He – not the poor soul who might want to be – who determines it is so.

—————
Paul, that doesn’t sound at all like the God who saved Rahab the harlot, or who accepted Ruth from Moab, bringing them into our people.

—————
Indeed, it is not, O King! But in order to justify this, such teachers pick and choose verses from our Scriptures, taking them out of context. Entire doctrines which are, in fact, taught in Scripture – such as free will – are to be dismissed. By denying free will in the process of salvation, these people supposedly remove this stain from God, as they view Him.

But this is incorrect. Even my own writings, as my fellow apostle Peter will tell you, are twisted by various people to come to such erroneous conclusions (2 Peter 2:16).

Just like the first view I spoke about, O King, if this conclusion were correct, there would be no reason why I should even bother standing before you to tell you about Jesus. Why have I fought beasts in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15:32) if this is true? What advantage was that to me?

Teachers of this will dispute that, but this is the logical result of what they teach. If God chose us for salvation apart from our will – and even before He has initiated the plan for man’s salvation – then honestly, what is the point, O King? Are God’s plans going to be thwarted by us somehow?

But such teachers (Watch out for such teachers, King Agrippa!) will cunningly say that if it was intended for all to be saved, then all would be saved – because God’s sovereign intentions must come about. Therefore, if it was not intended for all to be saved, then it was only intended for some, meaning the elect!

—————
But Paul, that sounds reasonable to me. How do you respond?

—————
King Agrippa, I submit to you that this is a fallacy of thinking known as a false dilemma. The atonement of Jesus is an offering, and it is – in fact – intended to save all, but it only applies salvation to those who believe.

Peter also teaches this. He says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

These teachers wrongly assume, and therefore assert, that the atonement of Jesus has only one purpose, which is to secure the salvation of the elect. In other words, Jesus died so that we can be saved. Our people have thought this all along. That Messiah would come to save Israel. But that is not all He came to do.

Jesus’ sacrifice, as I wrote in my epistle to those in Rome, O King, (Romans 1:32), reveals the righteousness of God in judgment. God sent His Son to die in the place of man; if you turn down such a great salvation, then how great is judgment deserved! Even without the cross of Jesus, we are condemned (John 3:18). How much more just is God in judgment because of it!

The result of the idea of a limited atonement, King Agrippa, is that it denies that God really desires all to be saved. This is contrary to His omni-benevolence and also to what Peter wrote in his letter.

O King, to understand this view more clearly, I would like to deviate a bit in order to consider the concept of free will. My fellow apostle, John, tells us that Jesus said to a man named Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

I have also written time and again to the churches about believing. To those in Rome, I said that the gospel “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). I have told those in Ephesus that when a person believes the gospel of his salvation, he is “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). And so, King Agrippa, I would ask, “Do we freely choose Christ, or does God choose us apart from our will?”

—————
I will refrain from answering Paul. It seems that every time I do, you astound me with an insight I had never considered. So, please continue to speak while I enjoy this cluster of grapes.

—————
King Agrippa, I will explain two options to you. I will call them monergism and synergism.

**Monergism, or Unconditional Election, means that regeneration is completely the result of God’s work and man has no part or cooperation in it. It is salvation by irresistible grace leading to regeneration and then to faith.

In other words, O King, if thought through logically, a person would then be saved before he is saved. This falls in line with the two views of which I have already spoken.

To justify this, teachers say that a person is born again by the Spirit. After that, they then choose the offer of God in Christ, and then they are saved. In other words, being “born again” is not salvation, but rather an intermediate step on the road to salvation.

One could paraphrase that by saying, “Nobody has free will unto salvation, but God chooses a person to be saved, gives them free will to choose by being born again, and then that person uses the free will of choice to be saved.

—————
That sure sounds like a lot of bar-bar talk to me Paul.

—————
Indeed, King Agrippa, it is nonsensical hooey! Think of it, O King! If a person has free will to choose after being born again, and if he cannot use it to reject Christ, then it really isn’t free will! No, O King, that is “forced will.” It is convoluted and it involves very unclear thinking and a twisting of the intent of Scripture.

And more, O King, this view actually usurps God. If you have no choice in your salvation, then how do you know you are saved? Indeed, how can anyone make a claim that he is saved when he didn’t have anything to do with his salvation? O King, people who teach this would then be speaking for God by claiming salvation!

Of course, these teachers may cunningly answer with, “I believed after regeneration; therefore, I am saved.” But, O King, there are false gospels and people believe them. I will have a copy of my letter to the Galatians also set aside for you so that you can understand more fully.

When a person believes a false gospel, he has believed wrongly and yet claims he is saved. If a person finds out he is wrong, he will hopefully change his belief in order to be saved. So, when was he saved, O King? When he believed correctly!

But such teachers say they were saved by God’s predetermined will, even before they were created. If that is so, then why did they go through the times of falsely believing they were saved?

What exactly was God doing with them at that time? If He wasn’t doing something with them at that time, then they had to have been freely choosing to do what they were doing by wrongly believing. As this is so, then they had free will in the matter!

False gospels, King Agrippa, imply there is a true gospel, and the spirit of the antichrist which the Apostle John speaks of from time to time implies that there is a true Spirit. Belief, O King, must precede regeneration. And it does. This is what I and the other apostles teach. Faith in our Lord Jesus alone brings salvation. O King, I appeal to you to have faith in Jesus Christ today!

—————
Your words move me, Paul. Speak to me more. You said there is another view, synergism. Tell me about that.

—————
Indeed, O King, I shall. But first let me explain one more thing about monergism. Yes, it denies free will in fallen man, but free will is necessary for love because forced love isn’t love at all. And if you are forced to will, then you are not freely loving.

—————
I see that clearly, Paul. This monergism sounds like a lot of goo to me.

—————
Indeed, King Agrippa, it is! Now let me tell you what I and the other apostles teach.

**Synergism, or we may call it Conditional Election, means that we freely choose Christ and then are made alive. This is what Jesus said when I quoted him a moment ago (John 3:16). It is also what I have written which I told you about. Let me quote the entire thought I sent to the church at Ephesus –

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13,14

A silly argument used against this is a twisting of other words of mine where I note we are dead in our trespasses and sins and that it is Jesus who restores us to life (Ephesians 2:1).

By twisting my words, O King, the argument is, “How can a dead person choose life?” I can just see someone someday saying, “You have as much power to awaken yourself from spiritual death as a corpse has the power to awaken himself from physical death” (RC Sproul, Tabletalk magazine).

That would be a fallacy, O King, known as a category mistake. It is true, humans are spiritually dead in their sins. But humans are not dead beings. God made man with the ability to reason, to choose, and to decline. In fact, this is exactly what the words of Genesis imply –

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…’” Genesis 3:22

Just because humans are depraved and incapable of saving themselves does not mean that they cannot see what is good and receive it. You, O King, have asked what is good in asking about the faith I possess. You have done this voluntarily, and you will make a choice based on the evidence I present.

People are known to strive towards what they perceive is good. And this is what Jesus came to do for us. He is as a beacon lighting our way back to God. Jesus said this Himself. The apostle John also speaks of this. (He really should write it down someday!). He will at times cite Jesus, saying –

“He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. ⁴⁵ And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. ⁴⁶ I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:44-46

Christ is the Beacon, and man comes to God through Him. Nobody in his right mind should assume that he can restore himself to life. It didn’t work for our first parents, and it hasn’t worked for anyone else. Only Christ can do that, and it is why God sent Him. He has done all that we need for that to happen. We simply receive it, and He accomplishes the rest. Peter speaks of this synergistic model –

“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 3:21

Peter uses the word suneidésis, “conscience.” You know, O King, that it is a compound of sýn, meaning “together with” and eídō, meaning “to know or see.” It provides a look into the idea of synergism. It is a word I frequently have used in my own letters. It is “joint-knowing.” This is a part of the divine image in us, King Agrippa. We have a spiritual and moral conscience given by God so that we can know right from wrong. We are morally free agents.

In essence, Peter says that man uses this God-given capacity, acknowledges what God has done in Christ, and he is saved.  As man is a moral free agent, and as his conscience must work out an acceptable faith in the work of Christ – a work which culminated in His resurrection – then it shows that man has free will.

It is in using that free will that we actively reason out our state before God. We can see that we are lost in a world of moral unrighteousness, and come into the Ark of Safety, which is the Person and work of Jesus Christ in order to be saved.

—————
Paul, are you telling me that the story of Noah and the ark is telling us about Jesus?

—————

Indeed, I am, as is the Apostle Peter. I can explain that to you someday if you wish. For now, please know that faith in Christ leads to the “baptism” which is the demand, or question, by which God answers – “Am I right before God?” The answer is, O King, “Yes.” It is Christ who allows this to occur.

King Agrippa, mixing categories, and rejecting core doctrines of the faith, leads to bad theology, such as monergism. For now, I will say to you that man is a soul/body unity. The spirit of man is dead, but the spirit of man is tied to the soul. When I wrote to the church at Corinth some time ago, I explained that the soul without a body is naked (2 Corinthians 5:1-3). The spirit of man is made alive when we call on Christ, even if the body later dies.

O King, this is eternal life! And it occurs the moment we believe. Adam’s spirit died, and we have all inherited that state. But faith in Christ now regenerates the spirit. As I said, King Agrippa, the spirit of antichrist which John speaks of confirms this. The spirit is not a separate entity. It is a reconnection of the soul to God.

—————
Your words are filled with great insights, Paul. Now, will you tell me the correct answer to the matter?

—————
O King, let me tell you of one more false teaching. Some might say that God’s election is based on His foreknowledge but not necessarily in accord with it. In other words, God’s decrees are conditional; He changes His mind.

Like the previous view, such thinking says that God created all and then permitted the fall. But then God provides salvation for all people. God knows who the elect are based on the foreseen faith of those who believe. Because of this faith, He applies salvation only to believers, but believers can lose their salvation. We might call this the doctrine of “Eternal Insecurity.”

Going back to Eden, King Agrippa, this doctrine says that God created the garden and the man. The man disobeyed God and the catastrophe of sin entered into the world. Man is forced from the garden into a stream of existence, one generation leading to the next. However, that stream leads away from the garden to the abyss of hell – complete and total separation from God.

God, however, offers the corrective measure for man – He sent His Son to die for sin. From that point, the testimony of the Son calls out, “Come to Me and be saved.” Some never hear the message and continue through life without Christ. Some respond and come to Him. Others like the existence they are living and have no care about where their end will be, or they simply fail to believe what they hear. They reject what God has offered.

For those who come to His Son, however, they can never know if they have upset God enough for Him to take away the salvation He has provided. They must keep doing things, or not doing things, in order to continue to be saved. If they fail in the doing, or not doing, God removes His salvation from them, and they are returned to the highway to hell.

But it is taught by the apostles that those who believe have entered God’s rest (Hebrews 4:3). To such teachers, though, that is only conditional. When I wrote to the Ephesians that the seal of His Holy Spirit is a guarantee, they say it is in name only. But a guarantee in name only is not a guarantee. As such, they say that what I have written about God, O King, cannot be trusted.

Jesus taught that hearing His word and believing in Him who sent Him results in 1) everlasting life, 2) that they will not come into judgment, and 3) that they have passed from death to life. But these teachers call Him a liar by teaching otherwise.

To them, one must earn his salvation through continued obedience. Thus, salvation is not by grace through faith. This is not what I have said in my epistles. Their teaching is a failed system of deceit that would come from a God who vacillates and changes. To them, His decrees are conditional.

To simply and logically refute this, we can know that there is actually no chronological order in the decrees of God. We put them in an understandable order for our benefit, but in God, there is no chronology.

As He exists outside of time, He does not think in time or in sequence. Rather, God knows everything immediately and intuitively. All thoughts in God are simultaneous, and so chronological thinking is excluded. However, there is an operational order in what God has done.

He has willed all things to occur in the temporal sequence of time. One thing happens and then another, O King. We know that God first created. Only after creation came the fall of man. Only after the fall did God then begin to explain His plan of redemption. That plan slowly unfolded in the stream of time, and it occurs for our benefit. But what God has decreed is eternal.

King Agrippa, if you get sick, a plan is made to bring you back to health. The doctor devises a treatment plan, and if you follow what has been prescribed, you will get well.

God provides salvation. Man accepts the prescription which has been filled out for him. The man is saved. The man is sealed with the Holy Spirit. The salvation is eternal. Each decree is eternal, none is taken out of the whole, but is in accord with the whole, and man is saved.

In understanding this, I will now tell you, O King, why this is correct. First, it makes sense from a philosophic standpoint. Second, it makes sense from a moral standpoint. And third, it is that which is in accord with Scripture. And, King Agrippa, it answers the question of why we fell in the first place.

It also answers where evil came from without ascribing it to God. Without this, one is forever searching for where evil came from. This is a question that many ask, but they can never find an answer to it because their belief about God leaves no room for it.

If God created everything in perfection, and if man fell, then their mistaken idea is that God must have blown it by creating a being that could fall. This is because if intent to sin is evil (as both the Tenth Commandment implies and which Jesus clearly taught), then Adam fell before the fall because he lusted after the fruit before he ate it. But such teachers know God didn’t create evil. And so, they have no answer to the question “Whence comes evil?”

It is obvious that what Adam did in the garden involved self-determination. That Adam sinned can be taken as an axiom. But was it 1) caused by another, meaning it was determined; 2) was it uncaused, meaning it is undetermined; or 3) was it caused by himself, meaning self-determined?

We know that God did not cause him to sin, and the serpent did not force him to sin. So, it was not determined.

As far as Adam himself, there was no lack in him concerning the matter at hand. What he possessed in himself as created by God was perfect. Though he did not possess the knowledge of good and evil, that was not an imperfection. A lack does not necessarily correlate to, or imply, imperfection.

Adam was given a command which he could obey. He simply did not. As there is no such thing as an uncaused action, the action was not undetermined. The answer to “Whence comes evil?” is that it was self-determined by Adam.

The correct thinking concerning this, O King, is that in order of decrees, God’s order to provide salvation came before His order to elect the people of the world – “I will send My Son to die, and then all who call on Him will be saved.” The death of Jesus provides unlimited atonement for everyone potentially, but only for God’s people who choose Christ actually.

God created all and then permitted the fall of man before election. He provides salvation for all people, but the elect of God are those who believe. God passes by those who do not believe based on their rejecting His offer of Jesus. It isn’t that He doesn’t care about them, King Agrippa, it is that they don’t care about Him.

God applies salvation only to believers who are eternally saved. This is what God offers. There is security, eternal security, in the arms of Christ. God loves all of the people of the world because He is love, as our beloved Apostle John reminds us (he really needs to write these things down!).

There is no hatred of the person willing to come to Him, and no active passing by people. He offers to all who hear the message, and the elect respond. He desires all to come to Him, O King, for His unmerited salvation and favor. This doesn’t mean there is good in us, it means we see the good in Him and we come to it.

Let’s go back to the garden again, O King. God creates the garden and the man. The man disobeys God, and the catastrophe of sin enters the world. God, at this time, reveals that He will provide salvation for man – before He elects anyone to that salvation.

This is the order which is revealed in the Genesis account. Man fell, God’s curse came, but even during the curse, He promises a Redeemer. After that, Adam demonstrates faith in the promise by naming his wife Khavah, or life. And because of that act, God covers the man and the woman – a picture of man’s atonement.

After expulsion from the garden, one generation leads to the next, with all people destined for total separation from God. Jesus said this when He spoke to Nicodemus –

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18

But God offers the corrective measure for man – He first promises a Redeemer, and those who believe are rewarded for their faith, such as Abraham. Eventually, He sends His Son to die for sin. The Son calls out, “Come to Me and be saved.”

Some hear and respond, while others hear but have no care about where their end will be. Some reject Him out of disbelief. Some are never told the good news message because those who should be telling it say that God’s plans in salvation cannot be thwarted – and so it isn’t necessary to share the gospel. O King, condemnation is our default position. What we need is Jesus to change that.

For those who come to Him, they move from condemnation to salvation. They move from hell to heaven. They move from mortality to immortality. And O King, they are protected from their own failing because God has covenanted with them in Christ and God will never renege on His guarantee.

They are clothed in Christ’s perfection (Revelation 3:5) and they are no longer imputed sin (2 Corinthians 5:19). Their salvation is eternal, O King, because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), but death comes through sin. If sin is not imputed, death no longer reigns.

You asked, O King, about Jacob and Esau. I tell you that God foresaw their futures and proclaimed what would happen, as it is with us. According to His wisdom, without regard to our merits, He bestows upon us life, time, and place.

Some have been created for noble purposes and some for ignoble purposes according to that placement. All who have the opportunity to hear the message are given the opportunity to respond to it.

All we need to do is look at the history of these people – the Israelites and the Edomites, whose destinies were stated in Genesis, who are named in Malachi, and who I wrote about in my letter to the Romans. After being subject to the Israelites, the Edomites were eventually assimilated into the Jewish society.

This same group, comprised of both cultures, will either accept Christ and enter into His kingdom, or they will reject Him and be cut off from God’s favor for rejecting Jesus. If the latter, which is exactly what Jesus prophesied would happen, they will come under the curses of the Law of Moses.

That will continue, King Agrippa, until the day prophesied when they will be restored and exalted among the nations. Our Scriptures, O King, as well as the words of Jesus, say that someday Israel will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And when that occurs, it will include the Edomite people that were assimilated into, exiled with, and returned again as Israel.

For now, O King, there are Jews who have accepted Christ Jesus since the beginning; more continue to do so today. I am the apostle to the Gentiles, but I always go to the Jews first. They receive the same salvation based on the same promises that I proclaim to all of the nations from any line of the sons of Adam.

O King, if the word of the Lord to Rebekah were to have said, “Two babies are in your womb, and two children shall be separated from your body. One child will be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger” then people might have some type of argument for a different view. But Scripture doesn’t say that. Instead, it says –

“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”

O King, I have presented to you what Scripture says along with my own arguments that I believe to be true. My letters, and the words and letters of the other apostles, bear out what I convey to you now. You are descended from both Edom and Jacob, and you are presented with a choice concerning the Messiah of both.

God has set forth a plan for the redemption of man. He has sent His Son into the world as the fulfillment of that plan, and He has graciously offered Him to all men. Any who receive Him will be saved. King Agrippa, my appeal to you today is that you will believe unto the saving of your soul.

Closing Verse: “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:40

Next Week: Acts 26:8 Like words that are seemingly inedible… (Why Should It Be Thought Incredible)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. But you must first believe by faith in what He has done. Once you do, then that plan can come about in you as it will in all of His redeemed. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

God’s Grace, Our Choice

Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife
Because she was barren, and the Lord granted his plea
And Rebekah conceived bearing in her womb new life
But after a while in her womb there was difficulty

The children struggled together within her and she said
If all is well, why am I like this?
So, she went to inquire of the Lord and there she pled
Because she knew something was amiss

And the Lord said to her in a striking prophecy
Words that proved He is in control of all history

Two nations are in your womb as a mother
Two peoples shall be separated from your body
One people shall be stronger than the other
And the older shall serve the younger, you see.

And so, we have the doctrine of divine election
And we can see that God predestines all according to His will
In each person He understands their future selection
Of whether we will choose heaven, or if we will choose hell

He allows us the choice and yet in advance
He knows what we will do about His Son Jesus
But once the choice is made if, we have wisely used our chance
Then His grace is poured out on undeserving us

What a great and awesome Lord
Who came to save us from a certain pit of hell
And to understand His truth we have His word
And in it, of His grace and love and mercy it does tell

Thank You God for our Lord and Savior Jesus
Thank You for the saving grace He bestows on us

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artwork by Doug Kallerson

Acts 26:6
The Promise Made by God to Our Fathers

With Deuteronomy completed, I had hoped to go directly into Joshua. However, like being pestered by my friend Mike about doing a series on Doctrine after completing Numbers, I was pestered by someone here in the church to do a series on an imagined evangelization of King Agrippa by the Apostle Paul.

I don’t want to give away the name of the person who was behind this without permission, so after I ask Ron Bahra if I can use his name in the sermon, I’ll let you know if he says it’s OK.

His suggestions were – The character would be the Apostle Paul. The topic would be found in Acts 26: Paul’s defense before King Agrippa. Paul understands that King Agrippa knows and believes the prophets. King Agrippa responds to Paul’s words by saying;
“You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

So, from the pulpit, you will be the Apostle Paul, your audience will be King Agrippa and his court. Your task will be to convince the king that Jesus Christ is the Son of God by use of the Old Testament prophets.

The question is, “Can you possibly reconstruct the argument Paul might have used in his defense of Christ using only the prophets of old?” If you can, you might just hear these words from the audience, “You have convinced me to become a Christian!”

I told Ron that this is not my style of doing sermons. He didn’t seem to care about my opinion. I told him that because this isn’t the kind of thing I feel I’m good at, this series may not be very good. Again, he was disinterested in my point of view.

I tried other avenues of getting out of this, including moving to Uganda, but he wouldn’t hear any of it. And so, for the next few weeks, we will attempt to evangelize King Agrippa in a manner that Paul may have done.

Text Verse: “For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’ ⁶ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) ⁷ or, “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’ ⁸ But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:5-10

How do you convince someone who only has the Old Testament that Jesus is the answer to everything the prophets said? Well, technically, you can’t. The reason why is because the only way we know about Jesus is by reading the New Testament that tells us about Him.

At the time of the Apostles, they testified to what they saw and heard. We cannot do that apart from what has now been recorded in the pages of Scripture. As this is so, and as the apostles spoke about Jesus in words that are now recorded in the New Testament, I have not withheld verses from the New Testament.

But I have used them as if they are from a dialogue that Paul presents to the king. The majority of what Paul will present, though, is found in verses from the Old Testament along with reasoning that is based upon those verses. Or, in one sermon, I have used a logical analysis of things to come to a conclusion about why certain doctrines concerning Jesus are true or not.

If you really enjoy these sermons, I will be happy to take the credit for what is presented. If you don’t, then I will be pleased to pass on your comments to Ron, blaming him for having come up with this idea in the first place. J

Actually, I do hope you will enjoy them. They are less formal than what you may be used to, but they are still based upon God’s superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again and… May God speak to us through His word today and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. How Shall I Take Your Words, O King?

—————
Most excellent king, I understand your words, but your intonation leaves me wondering as to the meaning of them. If I heard you rightly, you said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

Unless I know the intent of your words, I cannot be sure how to continue my defense. It is a defense that includes an appeal to you concerning Jesus, and how can I properly appeal to you unless I understand the intent of your words?

Do you mean “…you almost you persuade me?” (NKJV). If so, then I must speak on with convincing arguments to settle your doubt. Are you saying, “Do you think in such a short time you can persuade me…?” (NIV).

Good king, it doesn’t matter to me if it takes a short amount of time or long, I am willing to go to any length to persuade you. The Lord has placed me before you, and so to you the rights to my time now belong.

King Agrippa, if you mean, “In brief, you are doing your best to persuade me…” (Weymouth NT), it is only because I respect your time and wish nothing but to convince you with that in mind.

But I am a patient man, and I will expend my time according to your schedule. If you will just settle comfortably into your throne, I will stand before you until the day is expired (if need be) to convince you of your need for calling on the Savior of mankind.

If your words speak of a glimmer of hope that has now become established within you, which I certainly would love to be the case, then you must have meant, “…you are making short work of my conversion: you are persuading me to become a Christian as suddenly as you yourself did” (via Pulpit Commentary).

If this is so, and if I heard rightly, then the glimmer of hope concerning eternal life – that spark of belief – may already be lighting within you. And if this be the case, then ask of me clarification upon some point, and I will happily provide it.

Ask from me an explanation, and I will speak it forth. Ask me to alleviate some confusion, and I will untie the knot and return to you the line. With it, you can measure the borders of my words and determine if they stand within the boundaries of the promises of God to our fathers. Ask of me, and I shall answer accordingly.

But, King Agrippa, if your words speak of the derision of the title I bear, then maybe you meant to say, “Thou wilt soon have me one of that despised sect” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown).

If this was your intent, and indeed I would rejoice at such a noble and exalted thought, then speak forth that it is so, and I will continue to bring you closer to being included in that despised title that brings man the highest of honor before God.

But my dear king, I almost believe you may have conveyed to me that you were saying, “By your appeal to the prophets you press me hard; you have got me into a corner. I am in a στενοχωρία [stenochória], a ‘narrow room;’ I hardly know how to get out of it” (via Pulpit Commentary).

If that be the true meaning of what you have said, I am willing to stand here before you as long as you wish, happily presenting to you a fuller and more detailed explanation of the words of the prophets that have so pressed you in. In this, what you have heard can lead you with joy from that narrow room, even to the wide expanses of heaven itself.

As you can see, King Agrippa, I am at a loss as to the true intent of your words, and I long to know what you meant so that I can properly adjust my footing as I continue my appeal to your mind, your reason, your logic, and – indeed – to your heart.

I honestly don’t know if your words “are to be taken ironically, or sarcastically, or jestingly, or whether they are to be taken seriously, as the words of a man shaken in his convictions and seriously impressed by what he had heard” (via Pulpit Commentary).

Finally, King Agrippa, it may possibly be that you “used the words in one sense” and I “(mistakenly or advisedly) took them in another” (Chrysostom via Pulpit Commentary). I stand here unsure, and so I would like to know what the intent of the words you have spoken actually is.

As I now have your ear, it is my greatest hope and desire that even while before you in these chains that can only restrain my body, I will be able to help break you from those chains which bind your soul. Tell me your answer, and I will respond again with words of life concerning the Author of life. Tell me, good king, I pray.

—————
Paul, the words of my mouth were clear, but the sound of my voice was not. God Himself and none other knows what I meant because my words were a challenge to you, an opportunity for you to respond with wisdom. And, indeed, your answer revealed just that.

Because you have spoken as you have, and because the day is young, and because I have all that I need to allow you to continue, I yield the conversation to you once again. Speak forth with your convincing arguments concerning this Man who has so profoundly changed your life.

You spoke of “the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.” You then explained that hope by saying “that God raises the dead.” Start there, Paul. Tell me more about this … this hope. I have heard of it, but I am neither a Pharisee nor a rabbi – and to tell you the truth, I trust neither.

But you, Paul, you have gone beyond both. What they claim, and what they proclaim, is so mixed with rites and rituals that nothing they say ever makes sense to me. But my curiosity is piqued by your words. Explain this “raising the dead” to me first. Depending on what you say, I may order a meal and prod you further afterwards. Yes, tell me about the raising of the dead.

­—————
King Agrippa, many centuries ago, King Solomon said, while speaking of God, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

If God has put eternity in our hearts, what would the purpose of that be if we were to simply die and return to the dust without any possible fulfillment of that desire? I know you feel this longing. We all do. What would that say of God if He were to create us this way and not allow us to realize the hope within us?

What would it say if God created man with thirst, but He made no water for him to drink? What would it say of God if He created us with the desire to be loved, but we could only convey hate? Such thoughts are contradictory to logic, King Agrippa. And we can look around at the world and see both logic and tender care.

He has made everything beautiful in its season and He has ordered everything to be reasonable and understandable. King Agrippa, if you let go of the fig in your hand, it will fall to the ground. Things happen reasonably, consistently, and purposefully.

Should God make an exception and give us an inner urge that has no purpose and no final way of being expressed? No! The eternity we yearn for that is seated deep within our hearts is there for a reason and God has given us a plan by which it can be realized.

You have heard the stories of creation. You know of how things once were. Right at the beginning, in Genesis, we are told that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. They had every possible delight that they could imagine. Nothing was withheld from them except the fruit of one tree; just one.

Eternity was set before them, and all they had to do was to obey God’s spoken word, simply and faithfully. But of all of the wonderful delights that they could have had, they instead had their eyes directed to the one thing that was forbidden to them.

This is because they believed the lies of the serpent. They disobeyed the Creator, and each was justly sentenced for what had been done. But in the sentencing of the serpent came a promise. It was something that both Adam and Eve will later respond to in their own way. The words there are what I would call, King Agrippa, “the first gospel.” Scripture says –

“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15

King Agrippa, a promise was made that One would come to destroy the serpent. You know that is our hoped-for Messiah. I say He is Jesus. If you can see, what is implied in the word of the Lord is that if the serpent is destroyed, then the enmity between God and man would end.

What is explicitly stated in our Scriptures is that it would be the Seed of the woman who would bring this about. This is good news indeed, O King.

And, King Agrippa, what you surely know is that after the sentencing of the serpent, the Lord sentenced the woman and then Adam. After the sentencing, the first thing that is recorded is –

“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Genesis 3:20

It seems odd that this would be the first thing that man would do after being sentenced for his crimes, but Scripture is showing us what was at the forefront of his mind. You know that Eve in Hebrew is Khavah. It means “Life.”

What are we being told then? Why did God put these words there? I say to you that Adam was just sentenced to death, and yet he names her Life. The Lord is telling us that the man had paid attention to His words.

Eve was told that her husband would rule over her. By naming the woman, he claimed dominion and authority over her, just as when he had named the animals, and just as when you name your children and your servants born into your house.

In choosing the name Khavah, “Life,” the man – our first father – was demonstrating faith in God’s promise that He would provide a Redeemer. Adam died spiritually, the state we are all born into. He was sentenced to a physical death because of his spiritually dead state, and yet, he looked forward to life! O King! This is the beginning of the most wonderful story of all.

The man knew that through this Redeemer would come restoration of life, and with it fellowship with God. He knew also that this coming One would be the Seed of the woman. He just didn’t know what seed or when. He just believed that He would, in fact, come.

The Lord had spoken, and the man believed the word. What was dead would be made alive. It was just after Adam showed this faith in the Lord’s promises that we read the next words of Scripture –

“Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21

O King, I tell you that by an act of faith in the promises of God, Adam was clothed by Him. His shame was covered over. This is the pattern that our Scriptures have revealed ever since: demonstrate faith and then receive a suitable covering. Once the man and his wife were covered, the final, tragic words of life in the garden were written for us to consider –

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22-24

For the man and his wife, it was the end of the garden of God. Paradise was lost and the way of access to the tree of life was guarded. All they had left was the hope of regaining that access somehow, some way … some day. The Seed would make it possible. This is where their hope rested. Surely a better day was yet ahead.

Until then, they could only carry the memory of the perfection they once knew. O King, think of it! This is the eternity that is set in our hearts. A return to this now lost perfection, a return to complete shalom, a return to the presence of God!

That memory must have been the most cherished and yet most painful part of their existence. No matter how good each day was, and even if ten thousand times ten thousand days lay ahead, each better than the one before, it would never compare to that longed-for day they had left behind.

This is what the Lord is showing us in His word, O King. It is this sad state that leads us into the next story in Genesis. But the next story seems like misery added to misery. It is the story of Cain and Abel that you surely have heard. What prompted the Lord to tell us of such things, especially with a story of such pitiful words? There must be a reason. The story begins with –

“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man from the Lord.’ ² Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel.” Genesis 4:1, 2

At some point after being cast from the garden, the very first thing we are told concerns the birth of Cain. In victory, Eve cried out, qaniti ish eth Yehovah – “I have acquired man with Yehovah.”

O King, if we just remember where they were, we can see what was on her mind. You see, King Agrippa, Eve was taking credit for what she thought would be the delivery of her Deliverer!

You say you are not a rabbi. Well, this is what rabbis do. We study and teach each word that is being conveyed in the original tongue of our father Moses. The Lord spoke out these things to him, and he carefully recorded them for us.

Instead of using the word im for “with,” she used the word eth. She was claiming that she was responsible for what had come about. O King, if I say that I am building a house with wood, the wood is not really doing anything except as I work with it.

But if I say that I am building a house with my brother Ethan, then Ethan and I are working together to build the house. Eve was crying out that she was an active part of bringing forth a man. But more, we can infer that her delight and her boast was that she was bringing the Seed into the world who would restore her to the Garden. “Look at me! I have done it! I have created a man just like the Lord did!”

But the pity of the story is seen in the very next words –

“Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel.” Genesis 4:2

O King, there is no note of victory, no hint of joy, nothing like that with the birth of this son. It doesn’t even say why he is named Abel. She just bore another son who was Abel. Why would anyone name him this unless that person was truly miserable? You know his name in Hebrew is hevel. Tell me its meaning, O King.

—————
Yes, it means “Breath.”

—————
You are right, O King. It is passing vapor, the kind of breath that one sees on a cold morning, just for a moment, and then it is gone. It is the vanity that King Solomon spoke of concerning our very existence –

havel havelim amar qohelet havel havelim ha’kol havel

“‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher;
‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” Ecclesiastes 1:2

Our first mother felt victorious at the birth of her first son. She thought that she had merited Paradise once again. She thought that through her efforts in the pain of childbirth, that she was giving birth to her Messiah. She thought she was responsible for making a man who would redeem her and return her to the paradise she had lost.

But with the second agony of childbirth, she realized that there was just another mouth to feed, another time of sleepless nights of tending to him until he could, hopefully, fend for himself. She only saw the woeful chores of being a mother and the prospect of even more children ahead.

Eve was under the authority of her husband, and she was subservient to the responsibilities she had for the children she bore. Her life under the sun was tedious, toilsome, and trying. It wasn’t at all like the life that she once knew.

For her, paradise was gone. She apparently misunderstood the Promise. For her, and for all who have followed her, everything is vanity. It is all meaningless. It is simply a life of chasing after the wind. What a sad end to the story of her life. She is never mentioned by name again in our Scripture, O King. She is simply referred to, one last time, as the wife of Adam.

And, O King, you know the rest of the story. As a final, tormenting disgrace for her, her first child – the first male ever born – turned out to be a murderer. He killed his little brother, and he was sentenced by the Lord to be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth.

Cain moved to the east, even further from that wondrous spot of delight, both he and his seed living as enemies of God.

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,” says the Preacher
What a woeful, mournful life we lead
It is even tedious to be a renowned teacher
But that is no excuse students, so pay heed

Life under the heavens was grand indeed
But life under the sun is wearisome at best
Sit up straight and be sure to take heed
This life we have been given involves a test

Do you want to live out your life under the sun?
Chasing the wind, with never enough speed?
Or do you want to live life under the heavens with the Holy One
Sit up straight and listen, it is time to pay heed

II. He Has Borne Our Sufferings

————–
Paul, your words intrigue me. I have never really thought about why the Scriptures say what they say. I have heard them and listened, like any other story. But now, I am seeing that you believe there is more than just a history lesson here. Instead, there is a larger story being told where every word, every name, and every detail has a purpose.

I am intrigued by your thoughts. So please continue…

————–
O King, in order to tell you more, I must go back in the story. I appreciate you allowing me to consult my scroll so that I can read you what it said about these two sons of Adam. Here is what is recorded in our Scriptures concerning them –

“Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. ⁴ Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, ⁵ but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
⁶ So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.’” Genesis 4:2-7

It is a story of faith and of faithlessness, O King.

—————
What do you mean, Paul? I have heard this story and have wondered why it is recorded. But more, I have always been curious why one offering was accepted and the other wasn’t. Please explain this to me.

—————
O King, it is a story that leaves many, even most, guessing. The variety of opinions on why God respected one offering and didn’t respect the other are numerous, and they are highly argued over. As a Pharisee, I have studied some of the most noted scholars in our history. But between all of them, there is no happy resolution.

The proper way to determine why Abel’s offering was accepted is to consider what is said in relation to what has already been stated. The Lord is slowly and progressively revealing His thoughts to us in a methodical manner so that we can learn what is pleasing to Him and what is not.

As I said, there are many views on the “why” of what is said here. Let me tell you a couple of opinions. One is to be inferred from what is in the verse. It says that “Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD,” whereas “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.”

The words concerning Abel’s offering being the “firstborn of his flock” have led some to believe that Cain’s offering wasn’t of the firstfruits of the harvest and therefore it wasn’t the first and best. Because of this, Abel’s offering was accepted as a good offering, and Cain’s wasn’t because it wasn’t a good offering.

This isn’t a bad thought, but it must be inferred out of the verse itself. And more, it would have to be inferred that this was the time of the firstfruit of the harvest, something we can’t know from the story. If it wasn’t, then there is no way we can come to this conclusion. As such, this really can’t be what was on the Lord’s mind, or He surely would have said so.

For all we know, they made the offering in the middle of the harvest season. All that it says is that he “brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.” The rest must be inferred. 

Another idea about why one offering was accepted and the other wasn’t says that Abel’s offering was a blood sacrifice, one for atonement of sins. As such, it was accepted by God, but Cain’s wasn’t. Because of this, God found his offering unacceptable.

To support this idea, our rabbis who favor it have noted that God killed an animal to clothe Adam and Eve before they were expelled from Eden. As such, the precedent was made at that time. O King, this reads more into the story than is given. When the text is reviewed it becomes a view that cannot be substantiated.

God provided the atonement, the covering, for Adam and Eve, but nothing more was told us in that story. To claim that this was to be the precedent for future generations is, again, inserting too much into the story.

Secondly, you may have noted that in both offerings, the word minkhah, a gift or tribute, is used. In the Law of Moses, as we know, a minkhah is a non-blood sacrifice, but the offering of both Cain and Abel are called minkhah.

One thing we cannot do is to insert our law, which comes from Moses, into a date prior to the law itself. And even if we could, because the word minkhah is used for both offerings, they are both to be considered equally acceptable.

Grain offerings are not only acceptable under Moses, but you yourself know that they are mandated. If God accepted them, and they have the same term applied here, then one being a blood sacrifice and one not being a blood sacrifice is irrelevant.

And finally, each offering came from the livelihood of the individual. There is no other direction given to them in the account, or even before it, that tells us that they had to cross the lines of their profession in order to make an offering. If this was the case, then surely something important would have been left out of the story.

—————
What you are saying, Paul, it all makes sense. But enough of the technical details! What are we being told in this story?

—————
Oh King, I shall tell you, but it is the technical details that tell us more than anything else. The Lord gives us a story that is understandable on one level, but you have already seen that there is an underlying story – a story of pictures and types that are telling us much more. And the details will bring it out to its fullest measure.

King Agrippa, you have heard me speak about the garden. You yourself were intrigued with what you heard. But tell me about what you heard. Remember and remind me what it was that God found pleasing when Adam named his wife.

—————
Paul, you said it was because he had faith. Adam believed the words of the Lord God, and God was pleased with that.

—————
That is correct, O King. The man could offer him nothing but that. Everything else came from the Lord directly, but the faith came from the man. But more, what happened after he showed his faith?

—————
Well, Paul, the Lord God made tunics of skin, and He clothed them.

—————
Why would He do that? O King? Weren’t they already wearing fig leaves? Think on what you know, and tell me what happened?

­—————
I remember, Paul, that they disobeyed God, they realized they were naked, and then they covered themselves with figs.

—————
It is correct, King Agrippa. They had committed a faithless act, and then they (THEY!) tried to cover themselves. And so, explain to me what you think it all means.

—————
Paul, I am not a teacher like you, but I think we are being told that what we do is not what is pleasing to the Lord. Instead, He wants us to have faith in His word and in what He offers. The Lord God rejected their futile fig leaves by which they covered themselves, and He replaced their works with His own covering for them. But He only did it after they believed in His word.

—————
You are right, O King, this is exactly right. But before we return to the offerings of Cain and Abel, tell me what you think – your own thoughts – about the words we have already looked at, “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). Tell me the things you can deduce from those few words.

—————
Paul, you challenge me, but I am a king, and it is my honor to accept your challenge as a king (Proverbs 25:2). Here is what I can think of. It is the Lord God who made the tunics. He did not accept what they had made, but instead made their coverings Himself.

Also, because they were made of skin, it means that something died in order to provide the skins. The Lord Himself was behind the act, it was from Him, and the man and the woman simply received what He clothed them with – He clothed them. And this covering was given to them only after they showed faith in His word.

—————
Oh King! You are indeed insightful, and you are correct. And I tell you, King Agrippa, that this is the pattern for the covering of God’s people throughout God’s workings from this point on. Think of Moses and the tabernacle! Think of our temple!

The high priest, who comes before the Lord and who represents Him to his people and who presents his people to Him, takes an animal, slaughters it, and sprinkles its blood for a covering each year.

The animal is the Lord’s; the Lord – through His representative – slays the animal. The Lord covers His people, and it is only effectual – as our Scriptures convey to us – for those who have faith in the offering.

Now, in understanding this, let us return to the story of Cain and Abel. The two offerings are both noted as minkhah, tributes, to the Lord. It must have been understood that these were required, and so they were offered.

Regardless of what type of offering they were, what is the one thing that has already been noted as being pleasing to the Lord? It is faith, O King. These two are offering what already has come from the Lord.

Their works may have been included in their preparation, but it is the faith behind the offerings by which the Lord is pleased. As we know from Habakkuk, a man born under the law, our law –

“Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4

I tell you, O King, that it was “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).

The offering was an offering of faith, and it is the faith that made the offering more excellent. It wasn’t faith that made Abel bring a more excellent sacrifice. Rather, it was faith that made the sacrifice more excellent. If you, O King, understand the difference, then you are starting out on a right road that leads to a wholesome and friendly walk with your Creator.

—————
I am seeing this, Paul. Whether I believe it or not, I do see that this is what Scripture is certainly telling us. But I still do not understand how this tells us anything about my first petition, which is to explain the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers which is “that God raises the dead.” Tell me how they connect.

—————
O King, only in understanding the first premise, a proper sacrifice and faith in God, can we then understand how being raised from the dead is possible.

You see, King Agrippa, that the law is not of faith. But this is the law that we were given, and it is the law that says, “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 18:5).

The Lord has spoken, the man who does the things of the law will live!

—————
But Paul! You just said that the law is not of faith, but that it is faith that pleases God! Your learning is great, but you are confused.

—————
No, King Agrippa. Both of these are true, but they must be understood from what God is doing. Tell me, O King, why do we observe the Day of Atonement?

—————
It is to cover our sins.

—————
You are correct, O King. But if we need to have our sins covered, and we all must observe the day, then it means that all of us have sin that needs to be covered. But sin comes from transgressing the law. This means that none of us are without guilt before God, even the high priest, who must first sacrifice for his own sins! Not one of us has done the things of the law, and we are destined to die.

And so, O King, what do we need in order to live? What is it that will get us through the holy place, past the cherubim, and return us to the presence of God? If the animals of sacrifice only remind us year by year of our sins, but they actually do not remove our sins, then what is it that we need? **Blank stare from Agrippa**

It is, O King, to be made sinless and also to be freed from the law of sin and death! The Messiah was promised by God. All of Scripture then testifies to His coming. This is more than a man who was to come and conquer our enemies in Israel.

The Messiah was promised before Israel existed. Israel just happens to be the people through whom He would come. But what do the prophets say of Him? He would be of the seed of David, He would be born of a virgin. He would be born in Bethlehem. He would be the Mighty God. That salvation is of the Lord. That He would be a light even to the Gentiles. And yes, even that He – the Messiah Himself – would be an offering for our sins, dying for them. But that He would also prevail over death. Let me read you what Isaiah says from the scroll, O King –

“Surely he has borne our sufferings
and carried our sorrows;
yet we considered him stricken,
and struck down by God,
and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions,
and he was crushed for our iniquities,
and the punishment that made us whole was upon him,
and by his bruises we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray,
we have turned, each of us, to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
⁷ He was oppressed and he was afflicted,
yet he didn’t open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ “From detention and judgment he was taken away—
and who can even think about his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
he was stricken for the transgression of my people.
⁹ Then they made his grave with the wicked,
and with rich people in his death,
although he had committed no violence,
nor was there any deceit in his mouth.”
¹⁰ “Yet the Lord was willing to crush him,
and he made him suffer.
Although you make his soul an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring,
and he will prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will triumph in his hand.
¹¹ Out of the suffering of his soul he will see light
and find satisfaction.
And through his knowledge his servant, the righteous one,
will make many righteous,
and he will bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:4-11 (ISV)

Oh King, this (THIS!) is the word of the prophet, and it is the word of God. The Offering comes from the Lord not from the hands of man, because He is the Lord God. The Offering died in order to provide the covering. The Lord Himself is behind the act because, as Jesus said when He was with us, “I lay down My life that I may take it again” (John 10:17).

Understanding this, King Agrippa, what is the last part of the equation concerning such an offering?

—————
Its acceptance or rejection must be accompanied by faith.

—————
That is correct, O King. God has made the offering, but the offering becomes ours when it is received by faith. Adam believed, and the Lord covered him and his wife. Abel had faith, and the Lord accepted his offering. We are told that those who afflict themselves, an act of faith, on the Day of Atonement are covered. Those who do not are to be cut off.

King Agrippa, God has made His offering. He has sent His Messiah. His Messiah died for the sins of God’s people. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

But after that, His soul saw light again because no sin was found in Him. He is the Man who has done the things of the law and who lives. He is the sin-Bearer for those who believe. He is the Substitutionary Sacrifice that makes this possible. He is our Propitiation, our Covering, and the Establisher of the New Covenant in His blood.

God, in His wisdom, offered His perfect Son to do these things for us. He made the hardest part the easiest of all. We should not try to go around that. And because life is found in Him, that life is granted to any and to all who will simply believe. It is faith in God’s provision through the giving of Christ Jesus, King Agrippa, and nothing more, that can restore man’s soul to God.

If you will only believe, you too will be raised to eternal life, and you too will be restored to the paradise lost by our first parents, and to which they longed to return. God has fulfilled His promise, He has sent His Messiah, and His Messiah is JESUS. Believe, O King, and you will be saved.

I tell you, O King, that the Lord looks for faith in His faithless creatures, so even a little bit will do.

Closing Verse: “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” Romans 3:21, 22

Next Week: Acts 26:7 In sharing the gospel, much may be at stake… (For This Hope’s Sake)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. But you must first believe by faith in what He has done. Once you do, then that plan can come about in you as it will in all of His redeemed. So, follow Him and trust Him and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Tragedy in the Garden

The woman was enticed, and she ate of the fruit
She passed it on to Adam and he ate as well
He became the second willing recruit
And together they left a sad story to tell

Their eyes were opened to their exposed state
They realized that life in sin just ain’t so great

They sewed together fig leaves to hide their shame
And made coverings that just wouldn’t suffice
The Lord questioned them about their hiding game
And they realized that sin just ain’t so nice.

“Where are you?” called the LORD. (Though he already knew)
“I was hiding because I realized something wasn’t right
I was afraid to answer, I’m naked … yes, it’s true
And so, I hid myself, like a shadow in the night.”

“Who told you that you were naked? What is this you did do?
Have you taken of the fruit which I told you not to eat?”
“It was the women who did it… the one made by You
She told me of its yumminess, and how it was so sweet.”

I thought it would be so good, but I guess I paid the price
I’m beginning to see that sin really ain’t so nice

“Woman, what is this thing that you have done?
Traded life under the heaven’s for life under the sun.”
“Oh, my LORD, it was the serpent. He deceived me and I ate
And now I’m seeing that sin just ain’t so great.”

Oh God that we could take it back and undo what we have done
Life was wonderful under the heavens
But it’s terrible under the sun

What can we do make things right?
Where can we turn to be healed?
How long will we be cast from Your sight?
How long until the grave is unsealed?

I have a plan, children, but you’ll have to wait
Many years under the sun toiling in the heat
But I will someday open wide heaven’s gate
When my own Son, the devil He will defeat.

I will send my own Son, the devil to defeat.

Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord
The fulfillment of the promise given in Your word

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”

So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: ² “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, ³ especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

⁴ “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. ⁵ They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. ⁶ And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. ⁷ To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. ⁸ Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

⁹ “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

¹² “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. ¹⁴ And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. ¹⁷ I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. ²¹ For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. ²² Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— ²³ that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

²⁵ But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. ²⁶ For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

²⁹ And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”