Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180038A
|
00:31 We do welcome you to our 3ABN Sabbath School Panel,
00:35 and we are today looking at the 12th lesson in our Quarterly. 00:41 Only one more lesson left after this and ladies and gentlemen, 00:45 hasn't this study on the Book of Acts just been riveting? 00:48 It has been such an encouragement to all of us, 00:51 and we just want to encourage you to study along with us. 00:55 What we would like to encourage you to do is to get a copy 00:59 of the Sabbath School Study Guide. 01:01 It just is encouraging and surly encouraging to our learning 01:06 process when we have the material before us. 01:09 And the way you can receive this study guide is to go 01:13 to your computer and just download it from online, 01:16 and you would go to: ABSG.Adventist.org 01:21 Now I know that's on your screen, but for you who are 01:24 listening on 3ABN radio, let me give it to you again... 01:27 ABSG.Adventist.org 01:31 Download it and study along with us. 01:33 And there is another way for you to get these study guides, 01:37 and that's for you to go to your local Seventh-day Adventist 01:40 Church - just go in and say, "You know, I've been studying 01:44 along with 3ABN in your Sabbath School Lesson Study Guide, 01:49 and I would like a copy of that and they would be so happy 01:52 to provide it to you, they will also 01:54 invite you to attend their Sabbath School on Sabbath 01:59 morning and if you're really lucky as C.A. reminds us 02:02 quite often - you may go on a day when they're having 02:05 a POTLUCK! That is some of the best food! 02:08 We have found that Seventh-day Adventist ladies are some 02:12 of the best cooks in the world, and so they will invite you 02:15 also to have a meal with them. 02:16 So, again, we're in Lesson 12, and we are studying 02:21 out of the Book of Acts. 02:22 And here are the ladies and gentlemen that will be 02:26 your teachers today... 02:27 To my left is Pastor C.A. Murray, our on staff theologian, 02:31 next to him is our general manager here at 3ABN, 02:35 and a wonderful Bible teacher, Jill Morikone, next to her 02:41 world renown Bible teacher, Shelley Quinn, 02:45 and next to Shelley is Pastor John Dinzey, who is 02:49 the general manager of 3ABN Latino and has 02:53 spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth 02:56 in the Spanish-speaking world, and I appreciate 02:58 all of you so much! 03:00 Now before we go into our lesson study, it's so vitally 03:05 important that we open with prayer... 03:07 Shelley, will you open in prayer for us, please. Certainly. 03:10 Heavenly Father, We come before you once 03:12 again in the name of Jesus, thanking You, Lord, for 03:14 who You are and how You love us... thanking You for Your 03:17 plan of grace and, Lord, we are 03:20 so very grateful for Your word. 03:22 We know that in this word, every Scripture is inspired 03:26 by the Holy Spirit and we need the Holy Spirit to discern 03:30 these spiritual words, so please send Him, 03:33 let Him speak through us, give us all ears to hear 03:37 what the Holy Spirit has to say and, Lord, work in 03:40 us to will and to do Your good pleasure. 03:43 In Jesus name... Amen, Amen, Amen 03:45 So as we have been studying in the Book of Acts, 03:49 one of the main people that we've studied about is 03:53 the Apostle Paul and that's who we are really looking at today. 03:58 And I just wanted to lay a little foundation for you. 04:03 The title of today's lesson is "Confinement at Caesarea" 04:06 We'll look at that, but I wanted us to look at something 04:10 that Paul says himself in the Book of Romans 15:22-25. 04:17 Something that Paul says, so 15:22-25. 04:21 Paul is writing to the Roman Church and he says, 04:26 "For this reason, I also have been much hindered 04:30 from coming to you. (Paul wanted to visit 04:33 the Roman Church - at this point he hadn't' been there, 04:36 but he was writing them a letter - he wanted to go.) 04:40 But now no longer having a place in these parts, 04:43 Verse 23... And having a great desire these many years 04:47 to come to you, whenever I journey to Spain, 04:51 he says, "I shall come to you." 04:55 And so then in verse 25... "But now, I am going 04:59 to Jerusalem to minister to the saints." 05:02 So, Paul had written to the church at Rome and said, 05:06 "I'm gonna come to you, but first 05:07 I'm going to go to Jerusalem." 05:09 Now the rest is kind of history from the study that we've had. 05:12 What happened to the Apostle Paul when he went 05:15 to Jerusalem? He got arrested! 05:16 He got arrested and he got put in jail, so now, again, 05:21 we're looking today at a confinement at Caesarea. 05:25 He had been arrested in Jerusalem. 05:27 There was a great riot in the temple and actually what 05:30 happened was - the Roman Centurion, the Roman 05:33 barracks were there - they actually rescued Paul 05:37 from the temple there in Jerusalem where there was a 05:42 great riot and the people had laid hands on him. 05:44 They were beating him and their full intention was 05:46 to do what, Pastor C.A.? They were going to kill him. 05:48 They were going to kill him and so he was taken by 05:54 the Roman guards there, the centurion, put in the barracks. 06:01 Acts 23:11- let me read this to you... 06:04 (Now while he's in the barracks, he was sleeping there, 06:09 and this is what the Scripture says, but the following night, 06:13 now Paul is in the barracks, meaning he's in jail...) 06:15 "The Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul, 06:19 for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, 06:23 so you must also bear witness at Rome." 06:26 So what is God's ultimate goal for Paul? 06:30 Where does He ultimately want Paul? 06:31 He wants him in Rome. 06:33 Where did Paul say he wanted to go? He wants to go to Rome. 06:37 Okay, now Paul's transfer from Jerusalem to Caesarea... 06:42 Now last week we studied that the reason Paul was 06:45 transferred from Jerusalem to Caesarea was because 06:48 the Jewish leaders there in Jerusalem 06:52 had hatched a big plot, had they not? 06:54 And what was the big plot? 06:56 The big plot was to take Paul from the Roman garrison 07:02 and what were they going to do to him? 07:04 They had said, "We're not going to eat and we're not 07:06 going to drink until we kill Paul." 07:08 And so the plot became known to the Romans and they 07:12 put a big guard together and they took Paul from 07:17 Jerusalem to Caesarea, and so now today, 07:21 we'll look at his confinement in Caesarea. 07:24 Alright... before we look at that, we need to look at 07:29 our memory text... 07:30 Our memory text is Acts 26:29, so let's all read that together 07:36 if you will please... 07:38 "Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only 07:43 you but also all who are listening to me today 07:47 might become such as I am - except for these chains." 07:53 Okay, we're going to see the significance of this 07:55 because we will study that Scripture 07:57 here in just a few minutes. 07:58 But I am privileged today to look at the first governor 08:03 that Paul was brought before, his name is Felix, 08:08 and five days after Paul transferred to Caesarea, 08:13 a group of important Jewish leaders - the high priest, 08:17 some members of the Sanhedrin, and a professional lawyer 08:22 named "Tertullus" came down from Jerusalem and formally 08:26 laid before Felix their case against Paul. 08:29 Let me tell you a little about this group that came down 08:32 from Jerusalem to accuse Paul. 08:34 It was made up of members of the Sanhedrin. 08:37 Now when Paul was tried before the Sanhedrin previously, 08:42 he presented his case explaining that he was a Pharisee, 08:46 but when he mentioned that he believed in the resurrection, 08:49 the Sadducees were in great, great opposition to that, 08:54 but the Pharisees believed in it - so they took 08:56 Paul's behalf in this argument. 08:59 Now the Sadducees made up the largest amount 09:03 of the Sanhedrin and one of their strongest doctrines that 09:08 they did not believe in was this 09:10 resurrection, is that not true? 09:12 They would become violently opposed to that. 09:15 So this is the group that came to Caesarea to accuse Paul, 09:19 members of the Sanhedrin that were Sadducees, 09:22 the high priest was a Sadducee and then the attorney 09:26 that I spoke about Tertullus. 09:28 Now this is the only trial in Acts where the accusers 09:32 employed a lawyer. 09:34 Tertullus tried an interesting strategy to win 09:37 Felix's favor - let's look at that in Acts 24:2-3... 09:42 "And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusations 09:47 saying, "Seeing that through you, we enjoy great 09:51 peace and prosperity is being brought to this nation 09:55 by your foresight, we accept it always and in all places 10:00 most noble Felix, with all thankfulness." 10:03 Now, he was just smoking Felix! 10:07 He was flattering Felix... nothing could have 10:12 been further from the truth! 10:13 The truth was that Felix ruled with cruelty. 10:18 He was harsh and he was hard. 10:20 No other governor had been so repressive and violent, 10:24 and this repression had generated an enormous 10:28 antagonism against the Jews towards the Roman rule. 10:32 Now Tertullus, using this flattery, was trying to 10:37 encourage Felix to kill Paul. 10:42 And here's what he said... "If you'll do this... 10:44 "If you will renounce Paul, if you will kill Paul, 10:48 he would achieve great political stability using the very thing 10:53 the Jews resented the most about Felix's administration 10:57 which was severe repression. 11:00 Now let's look at their accusations, that's Acts 24:5-9. 11:05 "For we have (Tertullus says,) we have found this man a 11:09 plague, a creator of dissension among the Jews 11:13 throughout the world and a ringleader in the sect 11:16 of the Nazarenes. 11:17 He even tried to profane the temple." 11:20 Now that wasn't even the original 11:22 complaints against Paul. 11:24 Remember what the Asian Jews, the ones in the temple that 11:28 caused the riot... what did they say about Paul? 11:30 They said that he had a problem with the people, 11:37 and the law, and the temple. 11:40 Now the only thing repeated here from the original 11:44 accusations and remember, they were 11:45 false accusations against Paul. 11:48 Wasn't it that he had defiled the temple which was a 11:51 false accusation - he hadn't. 11:53 So they didn't even bring the same accusations from 11:56 the original accusations. 11:58 Well now, Paul didn't have a lawyer, 12:01 so he spoke for himself, that's Acts 24:10-13... 12:05 "Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, 12:09 answered; "because you may ascertain that it is no more 12:13 than 12 days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12:16 And they neither found me in the temple disputing with 12:19 anyone nor inciting the crowd, 12:22 either in the synagogues or in the city. 12:24 Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me." 12:28 Paul denied the accusations, and the fact that there was 12:31 no witness to validate any of his supposed offences 12:36 wasn't lost on Felix. 12:39 He then addressed the issue at point, 12:41 and that's verses 17-21. 12:43 It was Jews from Asia that had made the false accusations 12:47 against Paul and started the riot in the temple, 12:50 and they weren't even there. 12:51 Verse 19... "They ought to have been here 12:55 before you to object if they had anything 12:58 against me, Paul says. 12:59 Or else, let those who are here themselves say 13:02 if they found any wrongdoing 13:04 in me while I stood before the council, 13:06 unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, 13:11 standing among them... (remember what Paul is 13:14 doing, he is getting to the point at issue... 13:17 what is the #1 thing that the Sadducees 13:21 most strongly opposed in Paul's teaching? 13:24 That our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was 13:27 resurrected from the dead. That's right. 13:29 Paul says that the one thing that you opposed is this... 13:36 "Concerning the resurrection of the dead, I am being 13:40 judged by you this day." (he boils it down) 13:43 It boiled down to this... They had nothing to accuse 13:47 him of except that he believed in the 13:50 resurrection from the dead. 13:51 Now he's standing before Felix, Felix is in a position 13:55 to make a judgment, but this is what Felix does... 13:59 "But when Felix heard these things, having more 14:02 accurate knowledge of the Way, (that's because his 14:04 wife, Drusilla, was Jewish, he adjourned the proceedings 14:08 and said, "When Lysias, the commander comes down, 14:11 I will make a decision on your case." 14:14 So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him 14:17 have liberty and told him not to forbid any of his friends 14:22 to provide for or visit him." 14:25 So Felix was very accommodating to Paul, as-a-matter-of-fact, 14:30 but here's what Felix was... 14:31 See, he stood in a position there to make a strong 14:34 stand, but he didn't... Felix was a procrastinator, 14:38 he was also a politician. Thank you! 14:40 But you know, what Paul had done in the midst 14:44 of all of this, was he had hurt Felix's interests. 14:49 Felix actually... and I want to read this to you... 14:52 in Acts 24:25... what Paul did in every single time he was 14:57 brought before a council of any kind - he would defend 15:00 himself, he would also preach 15:03 Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 15:04 The death, burial and resurrection 15:06 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 15:08 So in Acts 24:25... "Now as he reasoned about righteousness, 15:13 self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was 15:16 afraid and answered. (what Felix had done was 15:18 call Paul to him) "Go away for now, when I 15:23 have a convenient time, I will call for you." 15:26 So Felix had called Paul to him, and asked about this 15:30 belief that he had, but then he sent him away, 15:33 and I believe, C.A., you're going to pick it up from there. 15:36 Indeed I certainly shall try! 15:38 On Monday, we have Paul before Festus and I want to read just 15:46 a little of the lesson and then I want to spend 15:50 considerable time, perhaps more than is normal 15:53 in the book "Acts of the Apostles" because 15:55 of the culture that Ellen White's writing here 16:00 paints for us in dealing with these two men, Felix and Festus. 16:08 On Monday, the lesson says, "After two years holding Paul 16:14 in prison just to win the favor of the Jews, Felix was 16:20 replaced by Porcius Festus as the governor of Judea. 16:25 Festus ruled from A.D. 60 to 62. 16:29 So to try to win some favor, to curry favor with the Jewish 16:36 population because he was a cruel man, 16:39 he leaves Paul in prison during this interregnum between 16:44 Felix and Festus. 16:47 I want to go to the end first and then work my way back 16:51 in this scenario of these two men, so I'm reading from 16:54 "Acts of the Apostles" beginning at page 427. 16:58 We are told Felix was finally summoned to Rome because 17:04 of a gross wrongs he had committed and he was a cruel 17:08 man - he ruled cruelly. 17:12 So he was summoned back to Rome because of the wrongs 17:15 had has committed against the Jews. 17:16 Before leaving Caesarea, in answer to his summons, 17:21 he thought to show the Jews a pleasure or a little favor, 17:25 by allowing Paul to remain in prison. 17:28 Now it's interesting that he is pleasing them by keeping 17:30 Paul in prison, you know. 17:32 So that gives you a tenor of the times. 17:34 Paul had lost favor with the Jewish leaders. 17:38 They wanted him gone, they wanted him quiet, 17:40 they wanted him out of the way. 17:42 So Felix, after being so cruel and murdering so many people, 17:46 was now trying to do a little something nice, 17:48 you know - throw them a little bone... 17:50 so he leaves Paul in prison. 17:52 But Felix was not successful in his attempt to regain the 17:55 confidence of the Jews. 17:57 He was removed from office in disgrace and Porcius Festus 18:02 was appointed to succeed him with headquarters at Caesarea. 18:06 "A ray of light..." Now this is what kind of sad. 18:09 Pastor Kenny said, "Sometimes this Book of Acts 18:12 makes you laugh and sometimes it makes you cry." 18:13 "A ray of light from heaven had been permitted to shine 18:17 upon Felix. 18:18 When Paul reasoned with him concerning righteousness, 18:22 temperance, and a judgment to come, 18:25 that was his heaven-sent opportunity 18:29 to see and forsake his sins." 18:32 And as you well said, Mollie, that when Paul defended 18:36 Christ, he wasn't just making a defense, 18:39 he was preaching the gospel, he was evangelizing." 18:42 So he's taking time with this man now to reason with him 18:46 about righteousness in an attempt to see himself. 18:50 He wants Felix to see himself. 18:55 "But he said (that is Felix) to the messenger of God, 18:59 Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient 19:03 season, I will call for thee." (don't call me, I'll call you) 19:11 You know, how many people have said, I'm not ready 19:13 to come to Jesus. Yes! 19:15 "See now, okay next month I'll give, next year I'll give," 19:20 "I'm into something right now, I gotta finish school, 19:22 I want to get married, I gotta buy this house." 19:24 You know, "I've got some other things, I've got a job and 19:27 I'll lose my job if I work on Sabbath and I've gotta eat." 19:30 You know, any kind of thing we can put there... 19:32 And let me hustle along... 19:33 "He had slighted his last offer of mercy. 19:39 That's sobering... My, my... 19:41 See you never know, Genesis - the Bible says, 19:45 "The Spirit will not always strive with mankind." 19:49 "He had slighted his last offer of mercy, NEVER was he to 19:55 receive another call from God." Now that's sad. 19:58 That is sad. You get a one-on-one 20:00 audience with Paul and Paul is trying his best under the 20:05 power of the Holy Spirit, and you say... 20:09 "I don't want to be bothered right now, 20:11 my man will call your man." 20:14 You know, "My secretary will call your secretary, 20:15 but not now - I don't want to do this right now." 20:18 And he did not know that that was his LAST offer 20:21 for mercy - never was he to receive another call from God. 20:26 So from what I read here, Felix is lost! Yes 20:30 Felix is a lost man and he sealed his fate that day, 20:34 and it should not have happened, it did not need to happen. 20:38 He had a Jewish wife, so he knew, 20:43 but when his opportunity came, he let his opportunity pass by. 20:46 Now quickly because my time is going away... 20:48 Festus replaces Felix, the chief priest hatched a plot. 20:53 Now Festus could be rough too, but he had a little more 20:57 conscience than Felix did, so he's not aware of this plot. 21:01 The plot is... here we go... The ruling capital for Rome 21:07 in that providence as in Caesarea - he's saying, 21:12 "Why don't you bring Paul from Caesarea up to Jerusalem." 21:17 The plan was - we will waylay 21:19 him on the way and we will kill him. 21:21 How many times have we said that over the past 21:23 several weeks there's a plot? 21:24 Someone needs to get out a calculator and find out 21:26 how many times people have tried to kill Paul 21:28 because it's more than you can do on your fingers. 21:30 You know, it's a large number. 21:31 So here's another plot by the 21:33 high priest - we want to kill him. 21:36 Now we need to insert a little something here. 21:40 Acts 23:11... let me read that very fast... 21:42 Acts 23:11... 21:53 "But the following night, the Lord stood by him 21:56 and said, "Be of good cheer, for as you have testified 21:59 for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome." 22:04 So Paul had this promise that he was going to go to Rome. 22:08 So Paul now - - Festus asked Paul, "Do you want to 22:16 go to Jerusalem? (because he was a Roman citizen) 22:18 Got to respect the fact that 22:19 he was talking to a Roman citizen. 22:23 Paul says, "I appeal to Caesar." 22:26 End of story! Trial over, interrogation stops. 22:31 All malice ceases, you mention the name of 22:37 Caesar - we stop! 22:40 And I love this, Acts 25:11... 22:43 Acts 25:11- you can see how automatic this thing is. 22:48 Verse 11 22:54 "For if I am an offender and I've committed anything 22:59 deserving of death, I do not object to dying, 23:03 but if there is nothing in these things of which 23:07 these men accuse me, no one can deliver me from 23:11 them, I appeal to Caesar." 23:13 Now I love 12... Then Festus, when he had 23:16 conferred with the council, answered, "you have appealed 23:20 to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!" 23:23 End of story! Stop! Period! Exclamation point! 23:27 You want to go to Caesar? Then this little trial is over. 23:30 You shall go to Caesar. 23:33 Now that also meant that he was going to be protected; 23:36 he was going to be taken care of; 23:37 he was going to be guarded; and that he had 23:40 to go to Caesar. 23:46 What is sad and Flavius Josephus talks about this, 23:50 he portrays Festus as a man with a conscience, 23:55 but he struggled to keep order in Palestine, 23:58 and he too, tried to placate the Jews. 24:01 You know, when you're standing for the Lord, 24:03 you gotta really plant your feet for the Lord, 24:08 no equivocation, no vacillation, no hesitation, 24:12 you've really gotta plant your feet for the Lord. 24:15 And only as you plant your feet for the Lord, 24:17 can you honor God. 24:19 Christ said, "If you stand up for Me, 24:21 I will stand up for you." 24:24 Both of these men, Felix and Festus... 24:26 Festus did not rule long, 2 years, so he didn't do 24:29 a good job either, but a chance came for 24:33 both of them to be saved, to talk to the greatest 24:37 evangelist in the New Testament, and both let that 24:40 opportunity pass by. 24:42 How sad that is! That is sad. 24:43 The one thing I don't ever want to be guilty of 24:46 is when God says, "Murray, get up and go," 24:50 I got to get up and go! Thank you! 24:53 You know, you gotta respond to that call, 24:56 and that is the call for all of us. 24:57 When God calls, accept that call - whatever He calls 25:00 you to do - wherever He calls you to go... 25:03 serve Him and when you stand up for Him, 25:06 you have His ironclad guarantee that He will 25:09 stand up for you and God will take care of you 25:12 wherever He sends you, whatever He calls you to do, 25:14 He will give you the ability to accomplish that 25:17 in the name of Jesus. AMEN! Amen. 25:20 Well done Pastor C.A. 25:22 It hurts my heart when I think about these men, these rulers 25:27 who stood there before Paul, had the privilege, as you said, 25:31 the opportunity to hear the gospel and said, "no." 25:36 Made a choice against that. 25:38 Okay, we pick up the story, I have Tuesday! 25:42 Tuesday's lesson is "Before Agrippa" 25:45 And we pick up the story in verse 13, the very next verse 25:48 after you finished there, we're in Acts 25:13... 25:52 "And after some days King Agrippa and Bernice came to 25:57 Caesarea to greet Festus." 26:00 Now I just want to give a little history here on the 26:03 Herodian Dynasty because King Agrippa was the last one... 26:07 you can say of the Herods who ruling there. 26:09 The Herodian Dynasty is partly hereditary of course 26:13 because they passed down father to son, 26:15 but it's also partly an appointed line of rulers 26:18 because they were appointed by the Roman emperor, 26:21 and by the senate. 26:23 The first one that we see, Herod the Great, 26:26 we see him in Matthew 2 when he ordered all the baby 26:31 boys under the age of 2, Brother Johnny, to be killed. 26:35 We also see him when the wise men came and he was 26:40 trying to find out the whereabouts of Jesus. 26:43 Then we have his son, Herod Antipas, 26:46 is that the correct pronunciation? 26:48 "Antipas." Okay, or also called in the 26:50 Bible "Herod the tetrarch." 26:52 He was the tetrarch of Galilee. 26:54 He was the one we see who murdered John the Baptist. 26:57 He also took the wife of his half-brother Philip, 27:01 so you see not only was he not such a good ruler, 27:05 he had some moral issues going on in his life as well. 27:08 He is also the Herod that was sent to Jesus during 27:13 the trial there at the end, just before the crucifixion. 27:16 Then we have - this is the grandson now of 27:19 Herod the Great, this is Herod Agrippa I. 27:24 He was the King Herod who persecuted the early 27:27 Christian Church - the Apostolic Church. 27:29 He's the one who killed James or ordered the killing of James 27:33 the brother of John by the sword. 27:35 Now we come to his son who is Agrippa II - this is the 27:41 Agrippa referenced here. 27:43 Now, he also had other children and the other two 27:46 I want to mention here in addition... let me back up 27:50 a moment - not the Herod Agrippa mentioned here, 27:52 the Herod Agrippa who killed James, the big daddy, 27:56 the first. Thank you Shelley. 27:57 The first had Herod Agrippa II who we see here, 28:01 but he also had Bernice who was his oldest daughter. 28:04 And he also had another daughter by the name of 28:07 Drusilla - now Drusilla we see she was married to Felix. 28:12 She was Felix's third wife and Drusilla had left her 28:18 first husband to marry Felix. 28:21 Herod Agrippa II, he was the last of the line of the Herods, 28:26 after him the family kind of fell out of favor with Rome, 28:29 and he died about A.D. 100. 28:33 He came to with Bernice to Caesarea to see Festus. 28:37 Bernice is his sister, but Bernice was not such a 28:40 good woman either, if we think about that. 28:43 She married her uncle, then when he died, 28:47 she became mistress to her brother Agrippa. 28:51 Then she married another gentleman - the King of Cilicia; 28:56 then she left him for her brother; then she became 28:59 a mistress of the governor of Titus. 29:02 So she kind of made the rounds a little bit. 29:05 We are in verse 13... "They came to see Festus." 29:10 Verse 14... "When they had been there 29:13 many days... (so this shows this was not a priority 29:16 on Festus' mind - to say, "Okay, I want you to hear 29:19 the case of Paul," it took a few days) 29:21 "When they had been there many days, Festus laid 29:24 Paul's case before the king saying: "There's a certain 29:28 man left a prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief 29:31 priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, 29:34 when I was in Jerusalem asking for a judgment against him." 29:38 So Festus explains, as it were, the case of Paul, 29:42 and he shows it's not a criminal charge, 29:44 it's not even a political charge, 29:46 it is a religious matter concerning the Jews, 29:49 and what does that have to do with it? 29:51 It has to do with concerning the resurrection 29:53 of the Lord Jesus Christ as Mollie and Pastor C.A. 29:57 so aptly described. 29:59 We're in verse 16... "To them I answered, 30:01 "It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man 30:04 to destruction before the accused meets the accusers 30:07 face to face and has opportunity to answer for 30:10 himself concerning the charge against him." 30:12 "Therefore when they had come together, without any 30:15 delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat 30:18 and commanded the man to be brought in. 30:20 When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation 30:22 against him of such things as I supposed, 30:26 but had some questions against him about their 30:28 own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, 30:32 whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 30:34 And because I was uncertain of such questions, 30:36 I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem 30:39 and there be judged concerning these matters. 30:41 But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of 30:44 Augustus, I commanded him to be kept 30:47 till I could send him to Caesar." 30:50 "Then Agrippa said to Festus, Oooo, this is interesting. 30:53 "I want to hear the man myself." 30:56 Now in verses 23-27, we see Paul brought out 31:02 for this trial. 31:03 We see that King Agrippa, in verse 23, and Bernice 31:07 came out with great pomp! 31:09 So they came out with, as you could say, 31:11 all the trappings, Shelley, of success... Yes! 31:13 of the power of the pomp that they were 31:15 involved in and not just them, and Festus, who else came? 31:19 They entered the auditorium with the commanders 31:22 and the prominent men of the city. 31:25 At Festus' command, Paul was brought in." 31:28 Now I want to read for you here - this is a quote from 31:30 "Acts of the Apostles" p.434... "And now Paul, still manacled, 31:36 he still has the chains, stood before the assembled 31:40 company. What a contrast was here presented! 31:44 Agrippa and Bernice possessed power and position, 31:47 and because of this they were favored by the world. 31:51 But they were destitute of the traits of 31:53 character that God esteems. 31:56 They were transgressors of His law, corrupt in 32:00 heart and in life. 32:02 Their course of action was abhorred by heaven." 32:05 You know, many times, from a human perspective, 32:09 we look at something and we think... 32:10 "Oh this person is in good standing, 32:13 this person is struggling, he's in chains, 32:15 he's been in prison here a couple of years," 32:17 and yet he was highly favored of God. Amen! 32:20 He was the righteous one who stood before God justified, 32:25 and the others stood in their sins. 32:27 And then I believe Paul's defense here 32:31 for Shelley has her portion. 32:32 But before I pass it on to you, Shelley, I want to talk 32:35 about what are we to do... if we are brought before 32:39 kings and rulers to speak for our faith. 32:42 We know at the end of time, Pastor C.A., each one of us 32:45 will have an opportunity to speak - maybe not in the same 32:49 fashion that Paul did here before Festus, 32:53 and Agrippa and Bernice, but we will all have 32:55 some fashion in order to speak for our faith. 32:58 What is the preparation that we should be doing? 33:01 #1... Trust God to give you the words. Amen! 33:06 Luke 12- we have time to turn there. 33:08 Luke 12:11-12... Now it's interesting 33:12 Luke wrote Acts and he also 33:14 wrote this book Luke, Luke 12:11-12. 33:20 Let me turn back a page. 33:28 The Bible says, "Now when they bring you to the synagogues 33:31 and magistrates and authority, do not worry about how 33:35 or what you should answer or even what you should say. 33:38 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour 33:42 what you ought to say. Amen! 33:45 #2... We need to actually study and know His word. 33:48 There is a preparation that needs to take place... 33:50 Yes, we can depend upon the Holy Spirit. 33:52 Yes, we don't have to be afraid because we know 33:55 God will give us the words, but at the same time, 33:58 2 Timothy 2:15- "We need to study to show ourselves 34:02 approved unto God, a workman that does not 34:05 need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 34:08 So we need to be studying now. 34:10 Now is our time of preparation. 34:11 Now is our time to get into the word of God 34:14 and to know what it says. 34:16 And when that time comes, what happens? 34:18 God will give us His word. 34:21 And finally... #3... Receive His peace and 34:24 presence and don't be afraid. 34:26 Isaiah 41:10... "Fear not, I am with you, 34:30 do not be dismayed. I am your God. 34:32 I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. 34:36 I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness." 34:39 You know, a couple of years ago, Greg and I had the privilege 34:42 of going to Israel and we actually stood where Paul gave 34:46 his defense there in Caesarea Maritime right by the sea. 34:52 You can look out of the Mediterranean Seas there, 34:54 and I remember I stood right where they said, the guide said, 34:57 "Well this is where Paul would have stood." 35:00 And I just began to cry... thinking he was sharing 35:04 the gospel in chains, but being obedient to the call 35:08 of God upon his life. 35:10 Whatever situation you find yourself in, 35:14 speak the truth, speak for the Lord Jesus Christ, 35:18 and you have His assurance that He will be with you. 35:22 Amen! Thank you Jill and I know that was a very 35:26 touching moment for many people. 35:28 You know, we've been very blessed that we've had 35:30 the opportunity - I think that everyone sitting here 35:33 has had the opportunity to travel to Israel, 35:36 and I want to talk to you just a moment to set all of this up 35:40 so that you can get an idea, those of you at home 35:44 ... can an idea of what we're talking about? 35:46 Caesarea Maritima - there are two cities called Caesarea. 35:54 There is Caesarea Philippi and Caesarea Maritima, 35:58 and it was incredible. 36:02 There is a beautiful harbor, it's right on the 36:04 Mediterranean Coast, the water is 36:07 the bluest water you've ever seen. 36:08 The sun just sparkles and dances off of it, 36:10 but this city was built by Herod for the honor of 36:15 Augustus Caesar. 36:17 And what we see there are some of the most impressive 36:20 works of architecture in the Roman world. 36:23 There was a citadel, a fortress and then they had 36:26 the palace and the amphitheater and that amphitheater 36:30 was huge - it seated 4,000 people and it had 36:35 a large hippodrome where they would have the horse races, 36:39 and you remember, it had the city walls and the gates 36:44 and the aqueducts and those beautiful paved squares 36:48 with the huge statues. 36:49 It was an incredible place! 36:52 Beautiful and here is where Paul was imprisoned. 36:57 So as you mentioned, when Festus calls Paul 37:01 to come in and there's Agrippa and Bernice... 37:05 They're coming in with their pomp and circumstance, 37:07 and you've got the rest of these leaders, 37:10 this amphitheater, there was probably filled up with 37:13 4,000 people because this was a spectacle. 37:18 And so, Paul's speech, as he begins and they 37:23 bring Paul in and this is what will really bring you to tears, 37:26 is that when they bring Paul in, the prisoner would stand at... 37:32 you've got the amphitheater with all the rows 37:35 of seats going up, but then the prisoner would stand 37:39 at the far end and there was a hole in the floor. 37:42 And when they would bring them out, 37:45 they would drop his chains down below there, 37:48 and somebody was manipulating those chains so if he said 37:52 something that Festus didn't like or that Agrippa 37:55 didn't like he would get YANKED, there would be a signal, 37:59 and he'd get yanked to the floor to his knees, 38:02 and then have to get up again. 38:04 So this was an amazing thing that happened there. 38:08 Now let's look at Paul's speech, beginning with Acts 26, 38:13 we'll begin with verse 1, and he is aiming his speech 38:17 at Agrippa because Festus has already heard his defense. 38:22 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak 38:24 for yourself," so Paul stretched out his hand and answered 38:27 for himself. "I think myself happy, 38:30 King Agrippa, because today I shall answer myself before you 38:34 concerning all the things which I am accused by the Jews 38:37 especially because you are an expert in all customs 38:41 (because he was himself Jewish, I mean, he was of Arab descent, 38:48 but he was a practicing Jew, let's put it that way) 38:51 especially because you're an expert in all customs 38:54 and questions which have to do with the Jews. 38:57 Therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently." 39:01 So Paul is acknowledging his gratitude to present his case 39:05 before such an eminent person and I think he was really 39:09 happy because Agrippa was familiar with the customs 39:12 and the questions pertaining to the Jews. 39:14 Now, it's interesting, Agrippa was responsible for the 39:19 temple - he was responsible for appointing the high priest, 39:24 and so he had great interest in hearing the charges 39:28 leveled against Paul because Paul has been 39:33 accused of violating the temple. 39:35 And the reason that Festus wanted Agrippa to hear him 39:40 is because Festus has got to send Paul on now 39:43 to Augustus Caesar and he didn't know what charges 39:48 shall I even send him forward to Caesar with. 39:52 So, he had hoped that Agrippa could help him understand, 39:56 and maybe give him some charges. 39:59 So Paul gives this powerful autobiographical report now 40:04 to Agrippa - before and after his conversion. 40:07 And I imagine all of the listeners there 40:10 must have been spellbound. 40:11 Alright, the speech is in three parts and I've got to hurry. 40:16 Part 1 is verses 4-11 and this is where he is 40:19 describing his former, dare I say, piety. 40:22 "My manner of life from my life, verse 4, from my youth 40:26 which was spent from my beginning among my 40:28 own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 40:31 They knew me from the first, even if they were willing to 40:35 testify that according to the strictest sect of our 40:38 religion I lived as a Pharisee. 40:40 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise 40:43 made by God to our fathers. 40:45 To this promise our twelve tribes earnestly serving God 40:49 night and day, hope to attain. 40:51 For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, 40:54 I am accused by the Jews. 40:56 Why should it be thought incredible by you 40:59 that God raises the dead?" 41:03 So he distills the entire conversation down to 41:07 God's promise of a resurrection that the Pharisees believed 41:11 and the Sadducees did not. 41:13 But this complaint that the Jews had made 41:17 against the Christians was that they believed 41:19 that Christ was raised from the dead. 41:21 They believed and taught that faith in Him... 41:24 The Christians believed and taught that faith in Him 41:27 gave them eternal life. 41:28 Now verse 9... "Indeed I myself thought 41:31 I must do many things contrary to the name of 41:34 Jesus of Nazareth. 41:35 This I also did in Jerusalem and many of the saints 41:39 I shut up in prison, having received authority from 41:41 the chief priest and when they were put to death, 41:44 I cast my vote against them. 41:46 And I punished them often in every synagogue and I 41:50 compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly 41:54 enraged against them, I persecuted them even 41:59 to the foreign cities." 42:01 All of these activities were widely known by the 42:04 contemporaries of Paul in Jerusalem. 42:08 And so, as a Pharisee, he believed in the resurrection 42:11 of the dead, but he's saying, "Hey, this is essential 42:15 to Israel's ancestral hope," and so his teaching was 42:20 fundamentally Jewish. 42:22 The Jews were opposing him, but he understood 42:29 that saying, "Hey y'all I understand why they did it, 42:31 because I did it too until I learned further truth." 42:34 Now part 2, Acts 26, he's going to give 42:39 part of his conversion, we will begin with verse 12... 42:42 "While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with 42:47 authority and commission from the chief priests, 42:49 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, 42:54 brighter than the sun, shining around me 42:57 and those who journeyed with me. 42:59 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a 43:01 voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 43:05 "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? 43:08 It is hard for you to kick against the goads?" 43:11 And this is something we've already studied, 43:13 so I won't go over that... 43:15 "So I said, "Who are you Lord?" And He said, 43:19 "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 43:22 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared 43:25 to you for this purpose, to make you a minister 43:29 and a witness both of the things which you have seen 43:33 and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 43:37 I will deliver you from the Jewish people as well as 43:40 from the Gentiles to whom I now send you. 43:43 He is sending Paul to open their eyes in order to turn 43:49 them from darkness to light, from the power 43:52 of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins, 43:57 and an inheritance among those who are sanctified 44:00 by faith in Me." Ooo! What a Scripture! 44:04 This is 26:18... This was Christ's purpose. 44:08 So, here Paul is reporting to Agrippa this life-changing 44:15 encounter that he had on the road to Damascus, 44:18 when he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. 44:21 And he's telling all of the audience... Hey, Gentiles 44:25 have an equal share in God's inheritance - this is part of 44:28 the covenant blessing of the covenant with Abraham. 44:31 But now let's look quickly at verse 19 because this is 44:35 where part 3 starts... 44:37 "Therefore King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the 44:40 heavenly vision. (he was compelled to obey) 44:42 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem 44:46 throughout all the regions of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, 44:50 that they should repent and turn to God and do works 44:53 befitting repentance. 44:57 For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple 45:01 and tried to kill me. 45:05 Therefore, having obtained help from God, 45:06 to this day I stand, witnessing both to small 45:10 and great, saying no other things than those which 45:13 the prophets and Moses said would come... 45:16 that the Christ would suffer that He would be the first 45:19 to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the 45:23 Jewish people and to the Gentiles." 45:26 Amen! Amen! Amen! I love that chapter! 45:32 It's been a blessing to hear all of you. 45:34 You know, this is one of the... I don't know what you can 45:37 call this - the gripping scenes of the Bible, dramatic, 45:41 full of great lessons, very powerful as you see Paul 45:47 defending himself before all these people. 45:50 The list of people, they were prominent 45:52 people from the city. Yes 45:53 He is standing there before King Agrippa and Festus, 45:58 it's a moment where... I mean it's just intensely 46:03 interesting, you know, I'm surprised they haven't 46:06 made - I don't know if they have made TV or movie 46:10 about this because it is just a tremendous moment 46:13 in the life of Paul. Amen! 46:15 Appearing before King Agrippa and Festus, 46:17 he was making his defense. 46:19 You know, when we face things like these, and we go to the 46:25 Lord in prayer and place ourselves in His hands, 46:27 the Lord will give us a calmness, a serenity 46:33 and as Sister Jill read, the Holy Spirit will give 46:40 you the words to speak, so that is what 46:43 Paul was speaking and I pick up here in 46:47 Acts 26:24... Now as he thus made his 46:52 defense, Festus said with a loud voice, 46:55 (interrupted him) "Paul you are beside yourself! 46:59 Much learning is driving you mad!" 47:01 (and interrupted his message) 47:05 Verse 25... But he said, "I am not mad, 47:07 most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. 47:12 For the king, (now he goes back to King Agrippa), 47:15 for the king, before whom I also speak freely, 47:18 knows these things; for I am convinced that none 47:22 of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was 47:25 not done in a corner. 47:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? Amen! 47:32 (and I don't know what King Agrippa did at that moment, 47:35 "Do YOU believe the prophets?" 47:37 (but Paul answered for him) 47:39 I know you believe." I know you believe. 47:44 (and this is the moment when King Agrippa answers, 47:48 this is the moment, you know when you ask yourself, 47:51 "did he forget where he was, did he forget the position 47:56 he held as king... because the statement he makes is 47:59 one that is showing what's going on inside - that the 48:03 Holy Spirit was touching his heart) 48:05 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me 48:11 to become a Christian." 48:14 Wow! These are powerful words and also very sad words 48:18 when you think that he was THIS CLOSE, you know, 48:22 THIS CLOSE to saying, "I'm going to give my life to Jesus 48:26 just like Paul did." 48:27 But he did not and this is one of the saddest episodes 48:31 in history of somebody's life that when they say, 48:34 "You almost persuaded me to be a Christian." 48:36 Now the lesson brings out that another translation could be 48:41 "Paul you are so quickly persuading 48:44 me to be a Christian." 48:45 Now this is a moment that he is having to make a decision, 48:52 and unfortunately, he does not make the right one. Yes 48:56 Unfortunately. 48:57 I want to read what Paul said. 48:59 Now in verse 29... "And Paul said, "I would 49:02 to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, 49:08 might become both almost and altogether such as I am 49:12 except for these chains." Amen! 49:15 I want to stop here for a moment because there are people 49:18 that are listening to the words that we're reading, 49:21 and they've been watching 3ABN, they've been listening 49:24 to 3ABN radio and the Holy Spirit is working in their 49:29 hearts and they're almost deciding to be a Christian... 49:32 They're almost there but for some reason, 49:35 the attractions of the world, something is pulling them 49:39 to not making the decision for Christ and I want to 49:41 urge you and I am asking the Lord for the Holy Spirit 49:46 to urge you to consider that this could be a "moment" 49:49 that you may not have again. Yes 49:51 An opportunity to decide for Jesus Christ, 49:54 to give your life to Jesus and your life will be changed 49:58 for the better! 50:00 And that's what happened to Paul - his life was 50:02 changed for the better! 50:03 And I encourage you to make a decision to give your heart 50:06 to the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! 50:08 Now there's another group of people that I would like to 50:10 appeal to and they are those that have been watching 3ABN, 50:13 perhaps you're of another Christian persuasion, 50:16 and you're learning new things, new truth, new light, 50:19 and you've heard things... "The Sabbath - why I've never 50:21 seen this before," the state of the dead, 50:23 I've never understood this before." 50:25 And I want to encourage you to understand that 50:27 God is showing you light; 50:29 TRUTH that is in the word of God, 50:32 and if this truth is in the word of God and you know it is, 50:35 as Paul said to King Agrippa, "I know you believe," 50:39 what is stopping you from making the decision... 50:42 To make the decision to keep the Sabbath; to follow the Lord 50:47 ALL the way that He is showing you, accept these truths 50:50 and join those that have already accepted the 50:53 truth of the Sabbath. 50:55 You know, God is showing you light, why would you expect 50:58 God to show you more light, if you don't accept the light 51:01 that He has already showing you, and to live according to them. 51:04 I know of pastors that have heard about the Sabbath 51:07 and they struggle - "Should I make this change or not?" 51:10 I urge you to consider that God is calling you into greater 51:14 light and greater things! 51:15 And consider that this is a call from the Lord. 51:20 Now we have to continue with our story because 51:23 there is more to share. 51:25 Now in verse 30 we pick up... "When he had said these things, 51:30 (that is King Agrippa) the king stood up 51:32 as well as the governor and Bernice 51:34 and those who sat with them; and when they had gone 51:37 aside, (they discussed what was going on - they really 51:41 didn't ask him any questions, they didn't accuse 51:43 him of anything) and when they had gone aside, 51:46 they talked among themselves saying, "This man is doing 51:48 nothing deserving of death or chains." 51:52 Then Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been 51:56 set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." 52:01 And that... that is where basically this part of 52:06 the lesson stops. 52:07 If he had not appealed to Caesar, we would set him free. 52:11 Basically they were able to set him free because they 52:14 found nothing to accuse him of. 52:16 You know, I am reminded of a time - you see when you are 52:21 brought before people, you may either have to be 52:24 respectful as Paul was - speak with the serenity that the 52:28 Holy Spirit gives you or you may have to be BOLD 52:31 and speak the truth! 52:33 And I want to take you to another place in the Scripture 52:35 when there was a prophet of the Lord before a king... 52:39 And, you know, kings sometimes they command respect 52:44 because as Jesus was told, "You know, I can 52:49 have you killed." 52:51 And this is the scene in 1 Kings 18 and I'm 52:57 taking you to verse 17, 1 Kings 18:17... 53:00 "Then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah, 53:04 that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler 53:07 of Israel?" (I like the King James... 53:10 "Are you he that troubleth Israel?" 53:12 And he wasn't a coward, he didn't speak softly. 53:16 And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, 53:19 but you and your father's house have in that you have 53:22 forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have 53:25 followed the Baals. 53:26 Now therefore, (now he's giving him an order - to the king) 53:30 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me 53:33 on Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 53:36 450 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table." 53:41 You know, he didn't tell him why, but notice what happens 53:44 in the following verse. 53:45 And it came to pass that he did exactly what 53:52 Elijah said - he gathered all the people and there they 53:55 went to Mount Carmel... 53:57 So sometimes you have to speak boldly for the Lord 54:01 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 54:04 The cutting truth sometimes must be spoken because 54:07 that is what is required at the time. 54:09 In this particular time, when Paul is speaking 54:12 to Agrippa and Festus, he is with serenity 54:16 calmness and respect speaking to them the Holy Truth 54:21 of the Lord and it was impacting... I mean I don't 54:27 know, I would even think that King Agrippa was shaking 54:29 ... this is a moment and his heart was pounding... 54:32 "Do I decide to be a Christian or not, how will this 54:35 affect my life?" because this is a serious 54:38 decision for some people to become Christians. 54:41 Consider Moses - I mean he was going to be in 54:45 high honor, but when you make decisions for Christ, 54:49 your life is improved for the better - you will feel better! 54:52 You will feel at peace, you will have great joy, 54:55 and so, again, I call upon those that are listening 54:58 to what we spoke in here in the Book of Acts, 55:01 and find that there's a message for you here, 55:04 a message that God is calling you to. 55:07 Continue to study these Scriptures because 55:10 they draw us to the Lord; they lead us in the path 55:13 of righteousness and we prepare ourselves for the 55:17 Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! 55:18 I turn it over to Sister Mollie. 55:20 Praise the Lord! Johnny Dinzey, that was just 55:23 beautiful and you know, I feel moved in my heart 55:26 that there are people, Pastor C.A. I am going 55:29 to ask you to pray for them in just a moment, 55:30 who are standing in the valley of decision. 55:34 Right now, the Lord is touching your heart... 55:36 And I want to just go back over Felix... 55:40 Did he have an opportunity to accept the Lord Jesus Christ, 55:43 but what did he say? 55:44 He said, "Come on another day." Yes 55:48 And then Festus had the same opportunity and King Agrippa, 55:52 Johnny that you just covered so beautifully, 55:55 "ALMOST thou persuadest me." 55:58 Almost being persuaded means that you are not in the 56:03 right relationship with the Lord. 56:05 You must make that decision. 56:07 I want to read one Scripture to you, then Pastor C.A. 56:10 I'm going to give it to you and ask you close it out. 56:12 And that is 2 Corinthians 6:2, And the Scripture says, 56:19 "Behold, now is the accepted time, behold now is 56:25 the day of salvation." 56:26 So for you, the hearts are pricked and you're in that 56:30 valley of decision, I'm going to ask C.A. to pray for you. 56:33 Father God, This is somewhat of a sad 56:36 chapter - to see these three notable men who had 56:40 an opportunity to accept Christ, who had a great evangelist 56:44 full of the power of the Spirit before them, but who 56:47 chose to turn their backs on the Lord and on his Way. 56:52 Father, that same call from that same Holy Spirit 56:55 calls each of us today. Amen 56:57 For those who do not know Him, Christ knocks at the door 57:01 of your heart saying, "Please let Me in and I will 57:04 come and sup with you, you shall be my people 57:07 and I will be your God." 57:08 To those who may be growing cold, He is saying, 57:11 "Come, learn of Me and refresh yourself, 57:14 renew yourself in My power. Amen 57:16 And for those who are walking with Him, He says, 57:19 "Keep on walking until the day we walk through the 57:21 gates and into the City." 57:22 Oh, dear Father, may we accept You. 57:25 May we open up our hearts, may we turn our backs 57:28 on sin and turn our face towards Jesus, 57:32 and take a hold of His hand 57:34 in the promise that He will never let us go. 57:36 And we thank you Father. In Jesus name... Amen |
Revised 2024-08-10