Join me in reading here in the
book of Acts chapter 26 beginning with verse 22. Acts chapter 26
beginning with verse 22. Now remember that this is the
Apostle Paul in defense of himself as a preacher of the gospel and
in defense of the gospel before a king, King Agrippa. We're just
going to take a short piece out of this passage of scripture,
this 26th chapter. We're going to start reading
in verse 22 of this 26th chapter of the book of Acts. Having therefore
obtained help of God, I continue unto this day witnessing both
to small and to great saying none other things than those
which the prophets and Moses did say should come, that Christ
should supper and that he should be the first that should rise
from the dead and should show light unto the people and to
the Gentiles. And as he thus spake for himself,
Festus said unto, with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside
thyself. Much learning hath made thee
mad. And he said, I am not mad, most
noble Festus, but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these
things, before whom also I speak freely, for I am persuaded that
none of these things were hidden from him For this thing was not
done in a corner. He's talking to a contemporary
of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He's talking to a king
that was a contemporary of the situation that arose and the
crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, called King of the Jews. He is
a contemporary. Paul is addressing him as such.
You know what things have happened here. He is using the Old Testament
to explain to Agrippa these things. Now, we noticed there in that
first verse we read, Verse 22, what Paul was declaring this
day in all and in all of his preaching because he only had
the Old Testament to use, he is found in no other place than
the Old Testament. Now, we notice a number of times
that the Lord helps us greatly with an interpretation of the
Old Testament. I would like you to turn with
me to one of my favorites. Now I heard a preacher last night
say he has thousands of favorites. This is one of them. I have thousands
of favorites. This is one of them and it's
found in the book of Luke chapter 24. This passage of scripture
changed my ministry. It happened 35 years ago, 34
years ago. This passage of scripture was
a marker in my ministry. I can go back to it and say this
is where the Holy Spirit changed my whole attitude about the Old
Testament. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ
said about the Old Testament and we're going to find out as
Paul brought to the point to the ears of a Festus that you
know the Old Testament scriptures declared these things. It says
here in the book of Luke chapter 24 and in verse 25 Then he said unto them, O fools
and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
Now, I don't believe that Jesus Christ is hammering on his disciples.
I used to hear that a lot in religion. He's the Lord is finding
fault with his disciples, not believing the words he had to
say. You know what we have to come up to an agreement with
is that everything that Jesus Christ ever allows us to know
is by revelation. So he is just sharing us the
common problem with all men, even his disciples, even regenerate
people. They have difficulty understanding
the word of God. Why? Because it's not revealed
unto them, and when he reveals it unto them, they'll know it.
Now, he reveals certain things to us when we are born again.
He reveals, and we're going to find that out in the book of
Romans chapter 10. There are certain things that he reveals
to us that we don't argue with anymore. I used to stand in the
pulpit, preach a message, go home and wonder if there was
even a God. That's what religion does to
you. But regeneration says, oh, there's a God, and not only that,
he's my savior, and he declares that every day. Well, he goes
on and tells us here in verse 26, ought not Christ to have
suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning
at Moses, first five books of the Old Testament, beginning
at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself. Now jump across the
page, if you would, to verse 45, and we find some more instruction
that he gave some more of his disciples about this subject.
What does the Old Testament mean? What is in it? It is not just
sacrifices. Those are types and shadows and
pictures, as we find the result of. Verse 45, then opened he
their understanding. Hallelujah! If you have this
much understanding about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,
it's because He has opened your understanding. Up to that point,
we can't figure it out. We may come to some conclusions
and they're wrong. But they're right when they're
revealed to us. And we don't argue with God about
it, and we take it to the bank. He said, this is now mine. He
said there, then opened he their understanding that they might
understand the scriptures. And said unto them, thus it is
written, and thus it behoove Christ to suffer, and to rise
from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission
of sin should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem. What is he saying? The victory
of the cross is success. It's not defeat. I put in the
bulletin a little quote. I'm glad he didn't say I'm finished. He said it's finished. To the
world, he was finished. That's what Pilate wanted, this
man to be finished. We've had enough of him. But
when on the cross, he said, it is finished. And that is all
the Old Testament prophets have been fulfilled. All the prophecies
are fulfilled. They declare me as the savior.
Here I am. I am successfully taking care
of the problem that has been between my people and God, and
that is sin. I'm taking care of it now. It's
been imputed to me. I'm taking it. I'm bearing all
the shame, and now it is finished and gave up the ghost. Well,
we find out that there's much more to the story because the
Lord Jesus Christ went to the tomb just as he said he would.
Now, let's look at another passage of scripture over here in the
book of Acts, excuse me, Romans. The book right after Acts, we
are there in Acts chapter 10. We find out that the Old Testament
saints, and probably that's a misnomer, the saints in the old era were related by blood. We're
not related by some animal sacrifice, we're related by blood. And those
Old Testament saints had the same opening up, the same new
birth, the same work of the Holy Spirit, the same that anybody
else has in any era. They were not saved by those
sacrifices. They were saved by the blood
of Christ. They were saved by God revealing unto them the work
of Jesus Christ coming on the cross. And here in the book of
Acts, it tells us that there is a confession that will be
made by all of God's people. Now I've had people who call
themselves Christians question the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Well, this straightens that all up immediately because it is
by revelation that we know this. It tells us in the Book of Acts
chapter 10 verses 8 and 9, excuse me, Book of Romans chapter 10
verses 8 and 9. But what saith it? The word is
nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thine heart, that is the
word of faith which we preach. that if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Past tense.
The transaction has already been made. This is not a formula.
This is a declaration. This is not telling us how. This
is telling us who. This is not telling us that we're
going to come to this, and we're going to put this together with
this, and then this together with this, and this together
with this, and then God has to save us. No. We find out that
he saves us and then equates us with the very fact of his
salvation, and in that, We have no doubt whatsoever about the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter whether they
can find the tomb or can't. It doesn't matter whether they
can find the wood of the cross or can't. It doesn't matter where
someone says it didn't happen. The Holy Spirit reveals to every
blood-bought believer that he is now sitting at the right hand
of the Father, that the resurrection is an actual fact and is not
to be questioned in our mind. And if we do question it in our
mind, We need to go back to square A, get under the sound of the
gospel that maybe the Holy Spirit would reveal Christ to us. Now,
it told us over there in the Book of Acts, as Paul is going
through a defense, and it's interesting that he goes through a defense,
he is just bringing up the gospel. He's not telling Festus what
a great guy he used to be. He's not telling that he used
to have a lot of power and authority. He's not telling that you should
just let me go because I used to be like you. He is spending
his time sharing with Festus the truth of the gospel. It tells
us there in Acts chapter 26 again, there in verse 23, it says, that
Christ should suffer. Now, that's what the Moses and
the prophets had to say, that Christ should suffer. Now, he's
going to suffer on purpose, and he's going to suffer with a goal
in mind, but he shall suffer. Jesus Christ shall suffer, the
Son of God shall suffer. Now, he's never had this happen
to him before. He's been with his father in
glory before the foundation of the world. He is the God-man. He's the one that has been with
the Father and the Holy Spirit in eternity. There's no difference
in their timeline. There's no difference in their
power. There's no difference in their exaltation. There's
no difference in the glory that the angels poured out to them.
And there's no difference in their ability to create. And
there's no difference in their part that salvation is going
to be applied. But the son, in the covenant
of grace, volunteered himself to be the sacrifice for sin.
It wasn't a two-to-one vote against him. It was a voluntarily, he
voluntarily said, I will be the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. That's the covenant of grace.
And we find here, as Paul brings out to Festus and to all the
hosts that heard him, it tells us here in verse 23, this is
what Moses and the prophets did say, that Christ should suffer. Well, it doesn't take us very
long in investigating the scriptures, particularly the Old Testament
scriptures, that we find out that God appointed him to really
suffer, that God appointed him to suffer intensely. In fact,
the words used in the Old Testament means to be beaten to death. When it says they bruised him,
turn with me if you would over to the book of Isaiah chapter
53. This is an Old Testament description
of what the Lord Jesus Christ would go through. This is what
Paul is preaching to Festus. This is the gospel that he should
suffer, and he's going to suffer for sin, and he's going to suffer
for sin of his people. He is going to have sin imputed
to him, placed upon him. He is going to be covered in
such a manner that he would be taken out and literally on that
cross, God was going to pour out his wrath on our sin. And that's the only way we can
be saved is that our sin is expiated. put away. All right, Isaiah 53
verse 5, the scripture says this, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was tormented for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him by his stripes,
and with his stripes we're healed. Four different ways that God,
through Isaiah, tells us about what happened on that cross.
When Jesus went to the cross, voluntarily went to the cross,
we heard read this morning there in the book of John, no man takes
my life from me. I lay it down of myself that
I might take it up again. He is the one that laid down
his life, a ransom for many. Goes on here in the book of Isaiah
chapter 53 and verse 10. It says these words, yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise him. God the Father, the covenant
of grace, bruised him so much. not for him as a sinner but for
our sins imputed to him. He was taken and the justice
of God, the wrath of God was poured out on him in such an
intense manner that God could say when it was over all the
sins of all my people are put away and I could look on them
and smile. I am satisfied. Now we could
never have done that. We couldn't even take care of
one sin. And we can't take care of one of ours, not alone somebody
else's. But God in Christ Jesus took
care of all the sin of all his people in that time upon the
cross. And he said, it is finished.
The justice has been served. The imputed sin has been taken
care of. They shall be white as snow.
They shall be without spot, and they shall be without blemish.
There will be nothing brought up in that day against them because
of the suffering Jesus Christ suffered for his people in such
a way. It tells us in the book of Hebrews
chapter 10 about this. The Apostle Paul again writes
and brings up subjects that are captured in the Old Testament,
shared throughout the Old Testament, whenever the gospel was preached
by any of his prophets. And there were prophets that
were faithful to the word of God. There are many prophets
in Israel and in Judah that didn't know the first thing about the
gospel. just like it is today. But there were some that were
declaring the truth of the gospel, that salvation is in the Messiah. They may use the word Messiah.
We use the word Christ. You go back to the meaning of
those words and they are identical. Messiah in the Old Testament,
Christ in the New Testament, same person. And they went and
said, we have a Messiah coming to take care of this problem.
And the scriptures tell us he's going to go to some form of execution
that is not common unto us. The cross. He's going to be hung
on a cross. And they said, he's going to
be so saturated, if you please, with
the sins of his people that God is going to take out his wrath
on him, just as we read in the book of Isaiah. Well, here in
the book of Hebrews, we have these words recorded about that
great conflict that took place in Hebrews chapter 10. And Jesus
never went to the cross with the idea that he was going to
come out second place. that this is a contest. He went
to the cross with the knowledge in the covenant of grace. He
would be absolutely successful in all that he did on that cross.
The covenant of grace would be fulfilled. He would carry it
out to the very last. He would pay the very last. Here
in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 8, the scriptures share
this. It says, Above when he said sacrifice
and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldest
not. All of the book of Leviticus could be summed up here, thou
wouldest not. They're not effectual, they're
typical, they're pictorial, but nobody was ever saved by any
of that. All of the book of Deuteronomy, all the sacrifices that went
on, Exodus, the sacrifices that went on, even Abraham's offering,
it could be summed up and says, what? All of these sins, these
offerings, thou wouldest not, neither has pleasure therein,
which are offered by the law. sum and total of them all, offered
by the law. Well, look here with me and back
up one chapter, chapter nine and verses of 26. It says, for
then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world,
but now once in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Paul is preaching the
gospel to this pagan king. And that gospel, every time we
read it, has been preached to us. The same thing that he preached
to Festus is being preached to us as we read this passage of
scripture. Well, as we go back to the book of Acts, chapter
26, one more time, we find there that it tells us in verse 23,
that Christ, chapter 26, verse 23, that Christ should suffer. That's the truth. What's it say
then? and that he should be the first
that should rise from the dead. You know, when I read that, I
said, well, you go over to the Old Testament and we have Elijah
and Elisha both raising people from the dead. In the book of
First Kings chapter 17, Elisha raised the son of a Zarephath
widow. And in Second Kings, Elisha raised
the son of a Shumanite woman. Christ is the first? And it's interesting when you
read in the Old Testament there in the book of Second Kings they
were burying a man in a hurry because the enemy was coming
and they put his body on a prophet's bones and that guy came alive
again. That's in Second Kings 13 20. And you know what? The Lord Jesus
raised. We have a record of three people
that the Lord Jesus raised. The record tells us about the
son of a widow of Nain being carried out for burial. He's
died for, been dead for some time, but in those days, they
didn't take two months. They got it taken care of quickly.
Much like we read about the third person that the Lord Jesus Christ
raised, that's Lazarus. Don't open that door now. We
have a problem. Well, they're going out there,
and Jesus Christ, by divine appointment, went up to that bier that was
being used, four men carrying out this body on a bier, went
up to them and raised that man to life. It tells us about it
in Luke chapter 7, verse 11. through 15. He raised this man
to life. He's dead. His mother is crying
because she's probably looking at all her soul support being
taken out to the graveyard. And besides that, this is my
only son. And besides that, I'm going to miss him a lot. And
the Lord Jesus raised him up. We also find that there's a young
girl, Jairus' daughter. She's just passed away. When
the Lord Jesus enters into that upper room and says, she's just
sleeping. Well, they laughed him to, he
says, get out of here. And raised her to life. And then we read about that great,
great time when Jesus Christ, who had healed people from a
distance and didn't, in this case, he lingered where he was,
stayed in place where he was. And finally, he knew that now
Lazarus sleepeth. And he had to explain to his
disciples, Lazarus is dead. Well what's the use of going?
Those guys have been real mean to you and they'll probably kill
you and us too. But they went over there and
here is a tomb that's been sealed. Now I've had people say this
is an impossibility. Yes it is. That's what's being
explained here. It is an impossibility. It isn't
a common thing. We find three instances in the
Old Testament Three instances in the Gospels, the Lord raised
this Lazarus to life. He'd been dead four days. You know, every one of those
that were raised in the Old Testament and the New Testament did nothing
to raise themselves from the dead. They couldn't get off their
bed, not alone get off and raise up. Even in their sick condition,
they couldn't. But they're dead. And they're
dead to the point that there is no outside hope for them. There's no in. We have nobody
that's able to do this. But we find that that took place. The Lord Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead. And as soon as he's raised from
the dead, you know what his friends wanted to do with him? Throw
him back under the bus. Kill him. That's what they wanted
to do with him. Well, it's interesting that we
get to the New Testament. We find in Matthew chapter 27,
after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, many saints
came out of the tomb and walked into Jerusalem. Can you imagine
Aunt Tilly coming into town after she's been dead for two or three
years? Then we find that Peter raised Dorcas and Paul raised
Eutychus from the dead in the New Testament after the Gospels. These are all notable occasions. Somebody wrote these things down
in their diary. I was there when this man Jesus
raised this young man from the dead. I was there when Jesus
raised this young girl from the dead. I was there when Lazarus
came out of the tomb. I wrote it in my diary. It was
a notable occasion. Can you imagine those in Peter's
day and in Paul's day when those activities took place and those
people were raised from the dead? What notoriety took place? Some
people said, I'm going to write that down in my diary. This doesn't
happen every day. Yet Christ, he is the first,
he is the chief. All of those occasions that we
read about, something else was involved to raise them. Two prophets, bones of a prophet,
Jesus, Peter, or Paul. They were all raised as a result
of something else, someone else. And this resurrection, nobody
raised Jesus from the dead but himself. but the Father and but
the Holy Spirit. They were raised by the Trinity. They were raised by the Father.
He was raised by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We just heard read there, no man takes my life from me. I
lay it down on myself. What? that I might take it up
again. There was a whole host of people
that would have done anything in this world and including lying
about it. You tell the people and we're
going to pay you to keep your mouth shut about what actually
happened. You tell the people that his disciples came and stole
his body because we don't want the repercussions of a resurrection.
They would have done anything in this world to have kept him. They put a stone in front of
him and put the signet of the king in that mortar to hold him
there. Don't you dare touch this under
the penalty of death. And on the third day, while they
slept, the Lord visited himself and
came out of that tomb. He shall be the first that should
rise from the dead. That word first that's mentioned
there is often translated, even here in the book of Acts, as
chief. A couple of verses. Would you
look with me in Acts chapter 13 and verse 50? The scriptures
share here in our text that he should be the first that should
rise from the dead. Turn with me to Acts 13.50. And
in this verse of scripture, we have the same word, but it's
translated like it often is. Not first, but chief. Acts 13
and verse 50, the scriptures share this. But the Jews stirred up devout
and honorable women and the chief men of the city. That's the same
word, the first men, the chief men. What does this tell us about
Christ? He's the chief of the resurrection. He's in authority over the resurrection. He has the power of the resurrection. He raised himself. He did not
have somebody out there saying, Jesus, come forth as Jesus did
with Lazarus. There was not somebody out there
saying, young man, rise up off of that beer. It took Jesus Christ
to do that. There was not somebody in that
room that says, young lady, get up off of your couch. There was
Jesus Christ in there that raised her up. And when Jesus came out
of the two, there was Jesus Christ that raised him up. He went in
of his own free will, if you please, and came out by his own
free power. He's the resurrected son of God. He's chief. And in chapter 16
and verse 12, we have the same word here used, and it has to
do with a declaration or description of a city. In Acts chapter 16
and verse 12, the scriptures share this. And from thence to
Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia.
Chief city. Chief savior. Chief resurrected. Chief. He is the first that has
the resurrection. That he should be the first that
should raise from the dead. Chief. He did it by himself.
He raised himself. He had authority over that to
raise himself, all the rest. Even you and I, when we die,
we're not going to be raised by our own power. Those will
be raised by him to the resurrection of life. And some will be raised
to the resurrection of damnation. But he's going to do it. We don't
have the power. We can't do it. We can't do it. We can't take care of a pimple.
We can't take care of poor eyesight. We have to go get some glasses.
We can't take care of our hearing. We can't take care of our hair
turning color. We can't do it. Who, by his own power, can grow
one cubit? Well, he could have just as easily
said one millimeter. by his own power. Oh, we'll put
some lifts in our shoes. No, that's not what he's talking
about. Well, and then it goes on to tell us here this wonderful
truth about what he did and should show light unto the people and
to the Gentiles. He's going to shine his light
on his people and on the Gentiles. What a glorious thing we find
throughout the scriptures that there is going to be a light
that God has as a result of the resurrection that is found nowhere
else in this world. In fact, if you turn with me
back to the book of Isaiah chapter 9, the ministry of the resurrection,
the ministry of the apostle Paul in preaching the resurrection,
the ministry of the apostles in preaching the resurrection,
that the resurrection was going to accomplish this, there was
going to be light given to his people and light to the Gentiles.
Abel had some light turned on him that was not natural. He had the gospel turned on him.
It was a light to lighten him. It caused him to see things in
such a different perspective that when it came time to offer
that sacrifice, there was none other thing that would declare
or represent the Savior that had been given to him than a
lamb without blemish and without spot, a substitute, something
he had nothing to do with the birth of. Something he had nothing
to do with the raising of. Something he had nothing to do
with any part of was that lamb, just like our salvation. And
he took that lamb, a substitute, and he slew that lamb and made
a sacrifice out of that lamb. And he said, there is a lamb
that I'm trusting with all my power, the Lamb of God, the Messiah. That's what he's declaring. Well,
here in the book of Isaiah chapter 9, talking about that light. There's a light that God gives
that no one else can give. Jeremiah chapter 9 verse 2. Jeremiah chapter 9 and verse
2 it says, Oh that I had in the wilderness Isaiah, yeah, Isaiah chapter
9, thank you. That was a good verse. Isaiah
chapter 9 and verse 2. The people that walked in darkness, and you know we just really don't
understand that darkness until after we've been given the light.
The people that have walked in darkness have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them hath this light shined. What
a glorious light it is to give us the knowledge of the Son of
God, the ministry and work of Jesus Christ the Lord. And in
Isaiah chapter 60 again, Isaiah chapter 60 and verse 19, we have
the same light. Isaiah chapter 60 and verse 19,
the scriptures say, the sun shall be no more thy light by day. Neither for brightness shall
the moon give light unto thee, but the Lord shall be unto thee
an everlasting light and thy God thy glory. Throughout eternity, but it's
really changes here in this life. We're not looking to the worldly
things for light, we're looking to the spiritual for light. We're
not looking to the things that the world has to offer for our
light, the religion the world has to offer for light, we're
looking to the heavenly light. The light that comes on and God
turns it on in such a miraculous way. And then finally, if you
would turn with me over to the book of Luke chapter 2. He should suffer. He should be
the first from the resurrection. And that he would be the light
of the gospel to his people and to the Gentiles. In Luke chapter
2, there was an elderly man. He came into the temple the same
day that Jesus was taken there. He was eight days old taken to
the temple. And this elderly man came in and picked him up.
and held him and said, you know, I've been told by the Holy Spirit
that I wouldn't die until I saw my salvation and now I've seen
him. He looked at that baby and said, this is my salvation. He
knew him as the Messiah. And here in Luke chapter two
and verse 32, the scriptures say, a light to lighten the Gentiles
and the glory of thy people Israel. This is him. A light to lighten
the Gentiles. That word lighten is the same
word we find in the first word of the book of Revelation. No,
it's the second word. The revelation. It's the second
word of the book of Revelation. The revelation of Jesus Christ. He is a light to lighten us. He gives us all knowledge about
salvation in Christ Jesus. And he teaches us, don't depend
on anything of yours. That he should suffer. That he
should be the first to raise, the chief to raise from the dead.
And that he should be a light for his people Israel, and a
light to lighten the Gentiles. He's going to save all His people
by showing them the light, the Lord Jesus Christ. Brother Mike,
if you'll come.