Acts 24:1 – 26:32

Paul preached the gospel.  Everyone who heard it had to decide what to do with it.

The Pharisees believed in resurrection and wanted to be right with God.  Many Pharisees who heard the gospel responded with faith and believed in Jesus.  Of those who did not, many rejected Christ because He did not fit their expectations for the messiah.

The Sadducees rejected the gospel of Christ because they had no interest in righteousness; they were a political sect whose main concern was power and money.  They were unwilling to accept the gospel because there was no earthly benefit for them to do so.  If the gospel would have helped them achieve their earthly goals they would have claimed the name of Christ as quickly as so many do today for personal gain.

Felix did not accept the gospel, even though he believed in the judgment and was afraid to face God.  He rejected the gospel because it would have inconvenienced him (24:25).  Being right with God would have required him to make changes in all his relationships.  He had centered his whole life on fulfilling his selfish desires; his focus was on pleasure and material possessions.  There was no room left for God.

Festus was not a wicked man, but he rejected the gospel.  He could not wrap his mind around the idea of the resurrection.  He considered Paul’s belief that God had raised Jesus from the dead to be insane (26:24). He was a practical and logical man.  To him, belief in a risen savior was not reasonable.

We do not know why King Agrippa rejected the gospel.  We know he believed the prophets, but he was unwilling to admit his belief to Paul.  He knew that if he admitted believing the prophets, he would have to explain why he refused to accept Christ as savior.  He said he needed more time.

Paul preached the gospel knowing many would reject it.  Paul was not responsible for their choice; he was responsible to tell them they had a choice.