I. INTRODUCTION
A. Upon Paul's appeal to Caesar, Festus was required to state the charges in a letter to accompany Paul to Rome. Because he was ignorant of the Jewish customs and law, he sought the advice of Herod Agrippa, concerning what charges should actually be levied against Paul, (Acts 25:27).
B. Herod Agrippa II
1. The son of Herod Agrippa, the great grandson of Herod the Great. He inherited only part of the kingdom after his father's miserable death, (Acts 12:20-23).
2. His duties as "King of Chalcis" included the superintendency of the temple and the right of appointing the high priest.
3. He was a Jew, and therefore had more respect for the message of Paul concerning a Messiah than the Romans did.
4. It does not appear that he held with the conspirators who wanted Paul dead. History tells us he was a mild, candid, and unsophisticated man. He believed the charges against Paul were unworthy of trial, (Acts 26:32).
5. He actually was brought to the point of decision by Paul's eloquent defense of Acts 26:1-23.
6. He refused to obey the Gospel. He was what Barnes called, "a speculative believer." He knew and believed the prophets, yet failed to take their teachings to there logical conclusion Christ.
C. What are the circumstances that cause someone like Agrippa to "almost be persuaded?" Why are these people not wholly persuaded? How may we continue to appeal to those that are in this state of mind?
II. DISCUSSION
A. What are the circumstances that cause someone like Agrippa to "almost be persuaded?"
1. There are those that have always presumed that they would someday become a Christian, yet have not obeyed the Gospel.
2. There are those who have always been skeptical of the Bible and/or organized religion, yet some person, book, or event causes them to rethink their position. They may even come to believe the Bible is the word of God, yet they are not quite converted.
3. There are those that might come to realize their need for a Savior. They approach Christianity as a possible avenue to attaining salvation, yet stop short of answering the Gospel call.
4. There are those that have a calamity in their lives and are almost persuaded to become Christians.
B. Why are these people not wholly persuaded to become Christians?
1. The love of sin not necessarily sin in general, but some specific sin that they are not willing to give up. It could be pride, ambition, lasciviousness, covetousness, or any of the other sins of the flesh. It may be a public or private sin. It may be something that he truly would like to give up, but cannot muster the willpower to overcome it.
2. The love of the world the love of position, honor, distinction, or amusements. Man often underplays the gravity of these types of sin, because they seem to be on a different level than murder, fraud, or thievery. God's Word makes no such distinction!
3. The fear of shame of being derided by friends, loved-ones, or co-workers for becoming serious, religious, and prayerful.
4. The desire to be free from the restraints and obligations of religion such as: mode of life, attendance at worship services, or contributions of money and time. If a man is not prepared to fulfill these obligations, then he realizes he cannot truly be a member of the church.
C. How may we continue to appeal to those that are in this state of mind (almost persuaded)?
1. Based on their state of mind Agrippa believed in revelation (the prophets). Paul did not need to start at "square one" as if Agrippa was a heathen. The appeal to one of Agrippa's mind set is for them to carry out the convictions of their own minds.
2. Based on consistency if they believe in the truths of the Bible, then they are in fact admitting: their own depravity, their need of rebirth, their need to repent, the importance of faith, and the obligations of prayer and holy living. If a man holds an opinion concerning his business or the welfare of his home and family, he acts on that opinion. Why would a man not act on an opinion held concerning his eternal salvation (see II. B.)? At least the atheist and the skeptic are consistent in their beliefs and actions, but the man "almost persuaded" to be a Christian is totally inconsistent concerning his beliefs and actions.
3. Based on guilt and danger both increase by the admittance of spiritual obligations that a person chooses to disregard.
a. Guilt magnified by light and knowledge and by neglecting what is known to be duty and truth. This is not to say that the heathen do not feel some sense of guilt, but knowledge of Christ and failure to respond to His call heightens the feelings of guilt.
b. Danger always follows guilt and the one is commensurate with the other, (Mt. 11:23,24; Lk. 8:34,35; Prov. 1:24-26; 29:1).
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Think of other "speculative believers" in the New Testament and the scriptures that refer to them.
2. Find a copy of the hymn, Almost Persuaded and compare and contrast the lyrics of that song with the points made in this lesson.
3. Do passages such as Lk. 12:47 and Jas. 4:17 shed more light on our discussion of the failure to act on our knowledge causing an enhanced sense of guilt and danger? If so, how?