Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayer for attention to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 26. We read for our text, verse 28. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Acts 26 and verse 28 and really it's this word almost that is the one that is upon my spirit.

The Apostle Paul here had been given the opportunity of giving his call by grace, telling how he was converted. And that before a man, King Agrippa, who Paul knew, knew the customs and questions that were among the Jews. He wasn't one that was, as it were, coming in cold with no knowledge of any of these things, and Paul He sets before him the change that God had wrought in his own life.

He set before him God's commission, what the Lord Jesus Christ had set him to do, appointed him to do. In verses 16, 17, and 18, the Lord had told him to be a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen and of those things in which I will appear unto thee." Gave him a promise of being delivered from the people and from the Gentiles, and that he was clearly sent to the Gentiles, the apostle to the Gentiles. A mere beautiful summary. by our Lord Jesus Christ himself in verse 18. A summary of what Paul's commission was, and really a summary of what it is to be a real Christian.

To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." That is God's Word. This is what God does under the preaching of the Word. He opens eyes, spiritual eyes, He turns his people, turns them from darkness to light.

There's repentance from the power of Satan unto God, Satan's influence. It is counted, it is shown what it is and where it comes from. And those things, the opening of eyes, repentance, turning and delivering from Satan's power, it is that they may receive the forgiveness of sins and inheritance amongst the people of God."

Where Agrippa hears all of these things, he hears what had been used in Paul's case, and afterwards Then Agrippa says in the words of our text, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Almost, an almost Christian. In a way, that is an impossibility because we are either a Christian or we are not. and almost is not good enough in any sphere, even in our lives. If you had a car, and you made this car, and you turned over the starter, and it coughed, and it spluttered, and it did a few turns, and you said, it almost worked.

It almost started. But it didn't. And it'd be no use whatsoever. I remember years ago, as an engineer, reading of an account of engineers that designed a gangplank to go onto a ship, a cruise ship. They made a mistake. It came a bit short. It wasn't quite long enough. It was almost, but it didn't quite catch onto the ship. They didn't realize. And people walked across the gangplank When there's enough weight on it, it collapsed and many people were killed. Almost, especially when it is not really discerned or known, is so very dangerous.

Paul responded to what Agrippa said. Really, and we can picture him responding, very animated, very much feeling that he said, I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. It should be the case for every Christian to be able to wish other people to be like them. to wish on other people that they would have the same faith, the same hope, the same trust, the same God as what they have. It's a real test of the reality of our religion, how we view our faith, is whether we would desire others to have the same. Paul adds one thing, accept these bonds, and I often think of that with all of God's people, There's some things in their lives they would not wish on anyone else. Paul is saying his bond as a prisoner. But we might say, well, I have some besetting sin. I have some habit. I have some ache. I have some burden. I have something, infirmity, that I wouldn't wish on anyone else. And Paul has this exception here.

Paul, he was used to doing, and he often did, persuasive preaching. In the 17th of Acts, we read that he was at Thessalonica They went into the synagogue of the Jews in verse 1, chapter 17. And in verse 2 we read, And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ. This was an aspect of his ministry. As Agrippa said, almost thou persuadest. As persuasive ministry, using arguments, reasoning from the scriptures, explaining the word of God, And what was the effect here at Thessalonica?

And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. The Lord blessed it. And then we read, but the Jews which believed not moved with envy. It didn't have a universal effect. And you think the Jews especially would have hearkened as they had a background in the things of God, which the Gentiles didn't.

God is sovereign. God uses persuasive ministry, but no sinner is persuaded to be a Christian. And so in a way, when Agrippa says, almost, Thou persuadest me to be a Christian." He is highlighting this. If this was the Holy Spirit's work, there would not be an almost.

God's work is very firm, very clear, very definite. Although with the Lord's people, for them to actually know it, sometimes it is over a period of years. The very beginning, the first seed that is planted of eternal life in the soul may be unperceived when that takes place. And then there is a teaching, a leading and instructing in the things of God and bringing to a knowledge that the Lord is their God and that they truly are a Christian.

So in that sense, there is a almost, shall we say, being brought to assurance, almost brought to know that we are a Christian. But this question and this word almost, it brings us to ask where we stand. And I want to think of that with a first point, Where do we stand? Are we like Agrippa? What is the almost with us? And then I want to consider some cases from the word of God that were very evidently almost, and to look at them. And then lastly, a Christian. What is a Christian? But firstly, where do we stand?

And it may well be a real concern for you, for those that are here this evening. You may say, Preacher, you've hit the nail on the head. This is my concern. This is my worry, that I am like this, that I am just at almost. So I want to think of several ways it could be so. a character where others can see we are almost, but it does not concern us. This was the case here with Agrippa. Paul could see, and you might say Agrippa could see, because he says, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. But it didn't concern him.

I don't know whether it struck you, but when we read that, and Paul was so earnest in wanting them to consider not only him, but all that hurt him this day, what was their response? Verse 30, when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Benici, they that sat with him, And all they're talking about was this man worthy of death. They were just thinking of it in a court of law type thing. Had he done something worthy of death? Should he go to Caesar? What could they charge him with? That's all they're worried about. It has gone right over their head, all what Paul has said about opening eyes. Turning from darkness to light, the power of Satan. It's as if Paul hadn't said a thing. No concern at all.

May this be a help to any of you here that think that you're like King Agrippa. Because you must know, would you be like King Agrippa? You might say, almost. But I hope it wouldn't be so that you just leave it completely unconcerned and just to go on with other things as if it didn't matter.

Sometimes in looking at the different ways that it can affect a person makes it more clear to us where we do stand. And so maybe this does find us. We know we are almost, we know we're not yet a Christian or we don't have assurance that we are truly saved. But we are concerned about it. And we do bring it before the Lord. We do ask for his blessing, we do ask that we might truly be converted. We don't want to just let it rest. We are concerned.

Then we think of one, perhaps if we think that we are a Christian, Or in other words, we think that we are not almost, but we're altogether a Christian, but we are only almost. And that probably is one of the most dangerous characters, to think that we have life, but we haven't.

It's like one, sometimes we have seen someone running a race, And for some reason, they thought that they had passed the finish line. And so they stopped and raised their hands in jubilation because they thought they'd beaten everybody. Then the other runners went past them, went past the proper finish line. And they hadn't won the race at all. They'd come short, but they thought they had.

That is the most solemn position where that is the case. And it's a good thing then if the Word of God searches us out, where it does try us, so that we can say, I'm not in that situation. If we truly are a Christian, we read in Romans 8, the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are born of God. Spirit will bear witness of it. And through the ministry of the Word, the Lord gives that liberty and witness as a scriptural witness. It has a foundation to it, a reason of the hope that is within us.

Not just, I think. And so in this point, when we come across someone like Agrippa, let us ask ourselves, where do we actually stand in this? Are we seeking? Are we wanting to attain unto the prize of being numbered amongst the people of God? beyond the grave? Are we concerned that we don't come short? And are we looking not for things not set forth in the Word, but looking for real evidence and tokens of the work?

Recently, on Friday, Well, Saturday really, Friday was up at Oakington, but Saturday they had a baptising there, and we joined online. But they read the testimonies out there. The young lady that was baptised, when she was thinking about writing out her testimony, thought that she wouldn't have anything much to write. But the more she wrote, the more she had to write.

And sometimes it's a real help for us to realize what the Lord has done for us, to put pen to paper, just privately, just for ourselves and between us and the Lord, just to jot and write down what things the Lord has done. how he's changed us, how he's changed how we think, our attitude, where he's answered prayer, where he's helped us, where he's shown grace to us, graciously helped us when we felt so unworthy, so far off from the Lord. And yet, in spite of that, the Lord came in for us, appeared for us, and helped us. Where the Lord has made us sorry for a sin, maybe one instance, that we felt real repentance and godly sorrow, where the Lord has brought us a sense of pardon and forgiveness or even just peace with no words whatsoever.

It's good if we can jot some things down. It might be like those two on the way to a mass. They jot down what they were doing when this stranger came to them. how they heard the sermon, how their heart burned within them while he talked with them by the way, the effect under a sermon, and then how the Lord was revealed to them, how they knew who it was that had been speaking to them. Sometimes it's good to write things down.

It's good also for when we seek direction, I remember though I'd had the exercise of coming back to this land for many, many years and to a pastorate, yet when the invitation came to seek to know the Lord's will, we actually did have two bits of paper, one for, one against. And as we watched, we watched Providence and we prayed, We saw things go from the against side, paper, to the foreside. And it made it more sharp and clear to understand the will of the Lord. We're all different in that, of course.

Some of us, like myself, as an engineer, I always think with a piece of paper and a pen. I can't keep in my mind many things at once. And so it really helps to write things down. Other people have got a very good memory. They can organize things in their minds much easier.

But if I'm to see something clearly, I need the help of a bit of paper. And sometimes even with the things of God, the Lord helps us to write down, to jot down, to record those things that we've been through and then to be able to see more clearly the Lord's work and that it is the Lord. Well, I want to look then secondly at some cases to consider. You've already considered the case in a way of King Agrippa hearing really, a searching sermon or a testimony, and yet being partly moved, but not at all, not to follow on. A solemn case. But then we have another solemn case, the case of Judas Iscariot.

And you think, how could this man, Be with the Lord for three years, partake of His ministry, be indiscernible to the other disciples, and yet betray the Lord, be a thief, love money, be a complete cast away. We know that He was never the Lord's and never a possibility of Him. He was appointed to that most solemn, sovereign thing. But the sin was his, and the path and the way that he walked was his. And even the Lord's saying, what thou doest, do thou quickly, never stopped him in his career and made him think, what am I doing? What am I doing? 30 pieces of silver, and I'm betraying my Lord.

How easy we can be like that, an outward form, be with the people of God, pass like them, but really our heart is towards a love of money and this world and is not honest at all, really deceiving one's own self. Why I put him amongst the almost, not that he was ever almost a Christian, but that as viewed by the other apostles, he was, he seemed like it. Never rely upon another person's opinion or approval as to whether we are the people of God or not. Even when one comes before a church, They're not to think, well, the church accepted me, so I must be one of the Lord's people.

Our witness must be in heaven. I'm going to think of another one, King Saul. And some of these, many of the Lord's people have been very tried concerning these cases. But I think if you really understood their cases and looked at them, then it's not hard to rule out that this does not apply to a real, concerned, genuine seeker after salvation. King Saul set up his own way for obedience.

You can read it in 1 Samuel chapter 15. God had told him, through Samuel, to go and destroy the Amalekites. The Amalekites were those that pursued the children of Israel and first attacked them when they came out of Egypt and attacked the weakest and feeblest of those in their assembly. The Lord wonderfully delivered Israel out of their hand. But God said that he would put out the remembrance of them.

So many years later, When Saul was king, he was given this task to do it. Well, he comes back. And we read that when Samuel came to Saul, Saul said unto him, blessed be thou, the Lord, I have performed the commandment of the Lord. In his own words, he thought he had fulfilled the commandment of the Lord.

Now Samuel says, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? All of those should have been killed. And Saul said, they have brought them from the Amalekites, where the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed." And Samuel had a most solemn word to Saul, that he'd been sent to utterly destroy them, and yet he hadn't done it. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?

And King Saul is still saying his rites. Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites, but the people took of the spoil.

And he lays the charge of the people, but he was the king. He was the king. He was the one that was charged with it. But all the time, he's making out he has obeyed. It's a very common thing for men to decide what they will obey or how far they will go in obeying the Lord. which is what Samuel did here. He killed some, but not all. And he made it that it was a good reason why some were not slain, so they could sacrifice to the Lord.

It's a real reminder that when the Lord demands obedience, it is on His terms and what He wants done, and not how we decide to do it. How would it be with the father or mother saying to the children, I want you to do this or that. And the children modified what had been asked of them, still did some things, but not all, and then protested that they had done exactly what had been said. But the parent would say, no, that's not what I asked at all. And so with Saul is a solemn reminder that our obedience is not on our terms, it's on the Lord's terms.

It's what the Lord requires. In verse 18, Samuel, and further on, he says that, or verse 22, Samuel said, hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. The solemn thing is that Saul had been warned here of the sin of witchcraft, but when the Lord doesn't answer him when the Philistines invaded the land, he goes to a witch and he goes after witchcraft. Even then, he's not thinking and not taking the warning of the Lord.

The question is with us, how seriously do we take obeying the Lord, not just in the ordinances of the Lord's house that should be so to those that are truly believers and a Christian, baptism, the Lord's supper, but in all of our lives, what we do, what we say, how we act, how we think, how we deal with sin, how we are to our parents, to those in authority over us. And the word of God is full, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed unto thy word and obeying the Lord in all his precepts. He tells us what is acceptable, what is not acceptable, What is right, what is wrong? Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path.

It is sometimes said regarding the Apostle Paul here and the conversion that he had, the greatest evidence that he was truly converted, that he began to pray. Behold, he prayeth. Well, he was a Pharisee. They prayed a lot. But he was real prayer. But really, another parallel or almost greater evidence is him immediately saying, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Instead of going his own way, instead of choosing his own way, he was willing for the Lord to choose, and he wanted to obey the Lord. That's a great thing, when we come in our lives and for the first time we desire that.

I remember before being called by Grace, I didn't make things a matter of prayer. My schooling, my first job, wonderfully given, provided, can look back on it. It wasn't in answer to my prayers. And I never sought the Lord's way or Lord's will. many of those important things that were done and overruled by the Lord.

But there came a time in my life that I did and was asking the Lord, was seeking guidance. I was concerned that what I did was the will of the Lord and I was obeying His word. And maybe it is with you as well. You can go back when you weren't concerned to do the will or obey God. But now you are. Maybe it happens so imperceptibly, but you can say tonight, my desire is, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Then there is the Pharisees. The Pharisees in our Lord's day, what they did, they did to be seen of men. That was their reward, our Lord said. Their prayers, their fastings, their religion, their tithes, everything was to be seen of men.

What a difference when we have a closet religion and we desire to come before the Lord as the Lord said, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, shut thy door, and then call upon the Lord. not always just our outward chapel going, however good that is, and how we dress, however acceptable and right that is, but it's what we are before God.

Then we had a scribe in Mark chapter 12 coming to the Lord and asking the Lord what was the great commandment in the Lord. And the Lord answered and gave the summary of that commandment. And then we read that our Lord saw that he answered discreetly or very carefully. On what he had said, the scribe, after our Lord had told him what the summary of the commandments were, the scribe said unto him, Well, master, thou hast said the truth, for there is one God, and there is none other but he. And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

And then we read, when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, thou art not far from the kingdom of God. Not far, or almost there. It's a good thing if we are found in the way of the Lord. We are esteeming the things of God, highly, we're valuing them. We are seeking, it's very different if we were completely over with idols, that we weren't attending the means of grace, we didn't have the word of God, we didn't read it. Someone like that, even outwardly, they're far off from the kingdom of God. But if there is someone, they esteem the Lord's house highly, they attend, they have the word of God, they pray. In that sense, the Lord looks on one and says that they are not far.

Another way of looking at it, that is not enough just to say like that. You need more than that. But it's a good thing to be found in the way of understanding, in the way of seeking, and as it were, following after the things that are the way of salvation.

Now we read, we'll just be brief here, in Matthew of the five wise and five foolish virgins, a most solemn chapter, because they all slumbered and slept. They all seemed the same until it came that the bridegroom came, or equivalent to death. But there's one big difference. Five of them, had just oil in their lamps, but no oil with their lamps. They didn't have a supply.

What is set forth here is to have the grace of God, to have that which comes from heaven, to have more than what we have ourselves. The solemn thing is, When they were told to go and buy, they knew where to go. They knew what was needed, really. What is vital for us is not just an outward profession of religion. We need God's grace in our hearts. We need the true life of God within. And of course, the way it's pictured here, It's not pictured that those had grace, they were lively and wakeful, and those that hadn't, they were sleepy, they all slumbered and slept.

But it's like dear Peter, the Lord said, I prayed for thee that thy faith fail not. So we can look at these cases, they're solemn cases. We think of the Lord's testimony that there is a straight gate, that leads to a narrow way, and wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction. And that way is a broad way, many go in at it, because the other is a narrow way. That way, the right way, is Christ and Christ alone, and it is in the way of obedience. It's a solemn thing to be just almost.

But what is then a Christian? We said of the summary that the Lord gave to Paul in verse 18 in chapter 26 of Acts, a Christian is one who has their eyes opened They've been turned from darkness to light or from evil deeds to the ways of the Lord. They've been delivered from Satan's delusions and deceivings and they've been brought unto God. Following on from that, they receive forgiveness of sins.

But there's other passages that are very helpful to understand what it is to be a Christian. If we think of what was said concerning the Thessalonians, the first epistle of Paul to them in chapter one, he says in verse four, knowing brethren beloved your election of God. How did they know their election?

Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. Where the word of a king is, there is power. The gospel was not just in word, there was power attending it. That is a mark. The effect of that is seen in verse 6. ye became followers of us and of the Lord." Very important. We think of Ruth in the book of Ruth. She became a follower of Naomi, contrasted with Orpah, who didn't. Don't ever despise the blessing of cleaving to the people of God, wanting to be with them, coveting earnestly those best blessings.

This effect the Thessalonians had, and Paul recognised it. He says, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. So these weren't fair weather Christians. They weren't those that said, we'll follow the Lord as long as he gives us a good job and good health and everything goes well. Again, going back to Ruth, she was a widow. She'd lost her husband. Her mother-in-law had lost her husband. Her brother-in-law had died as well. And yet she still claimed, she still wanted Naomi's God.

The fire shall cry every man's work of what sort it is. It's a good thing. where in spite of things that have gone wrong in our life, we still want the living true God. We will still seek after him. Dear Job, though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. That is a blessed token.

We think also And what he said of these Thessalonians, they became examples to all that believe. Their lives were an example of a changed character. Another thing that he said of them, that they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. He says, they show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you. how the word entered, how it made an effect.

We need to ask this, how much has the word of God made an effect with us? The Lord's opened our ears, made us willing. And the word of God then has an authority in our hearts. And verse 10, to wait for his son from heaven. That is a vital evidence of true saving faith. In Hebrews 11 verse 13, we have this summary of those that died in faith.

They saw the promises afar off and they embraced them. They were persuaded of them. They wanted these promises. If there was hope for their soul, that promise was what they wanted. I wonder how many of you have promises that you plead before God and you want those, you remind the Lord of them. But they confessed also that there are strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Another real evidence of a Christian. This world is not our own. It's not our home. It's not our eternal home. They confess that there are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They say, such things declare plainly they seek a country.

Paul says, in another place, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we've all been most miserable. Christian is a disciple, a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, let us run the races set before us looking unto Jesus. And our Lord says, Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory He says, as a shepherd, my sheep, they hear my voice and they follow me.

And the Lord knows them. They know the Lord. The scriptures have scattered right through those real scriptural evidences of those that are not almost, but they are really a Christian. Look at them and note them. And you might say, compare, not for your glory, but for the Lord's honour and glory, what the Lord has done. Has he done what he says he does do with those that are his, those that are truly his people? And in doing that, may you, may I be assured that we are not almost.

But we're all together. We truly are a Christian. We truly are one of the Lord's people. We're not sheltering in anything else but the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our hope for heaven is on His merits, what He has done. His righteousness is what we look for to be our acceptance in heaven. and his blood to put away our sin. These are things that the people of God, they're looking to Christ alone for all of their hope, all of their comfort, not of words, lest any man should boast. May it be with us. The Lord bears witness tonight, we are not an almost Christian, but altogether, A Christian. Amen.