Our text this morning comes from the book of Acts. We are in Acts chapter 28 verses 17 through 31 This is the last sermon in Acts, probably for some time. We've been in Acts for a little over a year. If you've been here too, we also looked at the book of Luke, authored by Luke, both Luke and Acts, that's covering over a quarter of the entire New Testament. Luke and Acts combined also is more writing than all of Paul's letters together. We've made it through, so praise the Lord for that. And we have the opportunity to conclude our time with Luke by the power of the Spirit this morning. Before we read it, let's go to the Lord in prayer.
Our heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us your word, that by the power of your Spirit you guided and chose holy men to write down your word. Lord, we thank you for Luke. We thank you, how you used him to not only pen the gospel but to pen the accounts of the early church and Christ's continued work by the power of his spirit through his apostles, and so, Lord, I pray that as we consider this letter too, we will also see that Christ's kingdom is continuing to be built through his church by the power of His Spirit, because of Christ, who sits on this, His throne. Lord, I pray that You'll bless our time in Your word this morning, that You will open our eyes to see Christ high and lifted up to soften our hardened hearts to receive the gospel, lest we neglect or even reject the great salvation that has been offered to us. Lord, grant your people faith and repentance today, and it's in Jesus's name we pray.
Amen.
People of God, hear God's word for us this morning from Acts chapter 28 beginning in verse 17.
[17] After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them,“Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. [18] When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. [19] But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. [20] For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.”[21] And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. [22] But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”[23] When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers.
From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. [24] And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. [25] And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the
prophet: [26] “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”[27] For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’[28] Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”[30] He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,[31] proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
prophet: He who has ears, let him hear the word of God. Please be seated.
prophet: As I mentioned, we've been in Acts over a year, and we finally arrive here at the last few verses, and we've really arrived here in Rome, as we looked at last week. Rome has really has been the destination all along, all the way back in Acts chapter one, if you can remember that far verse eight, Jesus said the gospel is going to burst out from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the very ends of the earth, and Rome represented the center of the world, the ends of the earth, and as we have worked our way through this book, we have seen exactly what Jesus said would happen happen. We've also seen that the primary actor of this book is in no way the apostles, but it is the continuing acts of Jesus by the power of His Spirit through the apostles, and the gospel has not only gone to Jerusalem, but it has gone to Judea, it's gone to Samaria, and now here it is at the ends of the world, here in Rome, and I might even wonder, too, is from the beginning of Acts in Acts chapter one to the end of Acts 28 How long of a period of time do you think that is? If Jesus says something, how quickly do you think that might happen? I might think it might be right away, but it doesn't happen that way. It actually takes 32 years from Jesus's declaration to his apostles to the word to make it to Rome, but it hasn't arrived here in Rome, as you know, by political power or militant power. It hasn't arrived from Christians winning over the culture in Rome. It's arrived through trials, it's arrived through tribulation.
prophet: It's arrived as we looked at again at last week by apparent delays, but yet it's all the will of God, and it's been the plan of God ever since Paul arrives in Rome, and he doesn't arrive as a celebrity, he doesn't arrive as a hero or with any worldly power at all. He has arrived in weakness. He has arrived in chains. Paul is under house arrest. He is restricted, waiting for his trial before Emperor Nero. And you may have noticed, too, this book doesn't end with Paul in a palace. It doesn't end with Paul before a cheering crowd. It ends with Paul chained to a Roman guard, and yet the book doesn't end with defeat. It ends with the preaching of the gospel. It ends with the chained apostle who is preaching an unchained word of God that is changing the world and saving sinners. Luke has been showing us that the whole time that the kingdom of Jesus cannot be stopped, no storms, no prisons, no snakes, no kings, no demons, even the devil himself can stop Christ and the advancing of his kingdom. He reigns supreme. He reigns absolutely, he reigns totally.
prophet: And as we come now to this final portion, I think it raises a question for us now, the church.
prophet: Now we have seen Jesus advance his kingdom in Acts, but what about now? How does Christ advances kingdom now. How is he working now? We see what the apostles are doing, but what are we to do in the advancement of Christ and his kingdom? Well, that's what I want us to consider this morning. Well, first we see this kingdom that is presented when Paul arrives in Rome. He is, he's under house arrest rather than being in a Roman prison, Julius, who was the centurion over Paul, in charge of all the prisoners getting to Rome. Julius apparently has given a good report about Paul. He had found favor, and Paul found favor in his sight, and it must have said something about Paul being trustworthy and not a danger to society, because although Paul remains a prisoner and chained to a Roman guard, he's given unusual freedom. He almost has his own apartment that he's chained to a guard, but he isn't in a dungeon somewhere. And what does Paul do once he arrives in Rome? We're told three days he gets to work, and he calls the Jewish leaders there in Rome to himself now. If I'm Paul, I'm thinking, why would I do such a thing? What have the Jews been trying to do to Paul the entire time? Put him to death. Do you remember there were a pack of 40 men who made a vow that they weren't going to eat anything until Paul was dead. So, if I arrive in Rome. What I do is I don't let them know that I'm there at all. I don't talk to them. I don't get them involved.
prophet: They have been nothing but problems for me. But yet here we're told that is the first thing Paul does when he arrives in Rome. He calls the Jewish leaders together. He's endured riots, beatings, plots, imprisonment, and yet Paul doesn't say, "I'm done with them here. Paul loves them. Paul is still longing that these people, who have been nothing but trouble for him, he longs for their salvation. He even calls them brothers. He uses language, our fathers, our people, and you might have someone in your life who is like this, someone who's just maybe giving you a lot of trouble, but because it's a family member or a particular friend, you long for them to turn that they might know the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is Paul. He longs and loves the Jewish people that they might come to know Christ. He says in verse 20, it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain. Paul wants them to see, he wants them to understand that Christianity is not the abandonment of Israel's hope.
prophet: Christianity is indeed the fulfillment of Israel's hope.
prophet: The Messiah has come. The Jewish leaders tell Paul they haven't received official reports against him from Judea, though they admit the sect is spoken against everywhere. I think in some ways Paul is also wondering, like, what have you heard? Am I going to be expecting more tribulation from you all? But they said, we haven't heard anything about you, and but we have heard about this sect, they call it this Nazarene sect, because Christ was from Nazareth, and we've heard that it's spoken about against everywhere, and that's the same today, isn't it?
prophet: Christianity is opposed everywhere it goes, it's still mocked, it's still rejected.
prophet: Christianity in the world will always be at odds, but notice what they say next, but we desire to hear from you and to hear what your views are. So they appoint a day, and they tell, and Luke tells us they come to Paul's lodging in large numbers. And verse 23 Paul gives them a sermon from morning till evening, he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God, and trying to convince them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. It's a long sermon. How long was a sermon from morning till evening? Yet Paul, they all stayed and listened to Paul as he preached. Now, just so you would know what that's like, that's what I have prepared for you today. No, but they stay up the whole day listening to Paul as he is expounding the scripture, and I also want you to notice what Paul talks about for the entire day. Paul is not talking about what's happening on the news cycle, Paul is not talking about what's happening in the Roman Coliseum sports scene. Paul's singular focus is the scriptures. He opens the scriptures, he's explaining the scriptures, he is a reasoning from the scriptures, he is persuading from the scriptures.
prophet: All those words are found in that text of what Paul is doing in the scriptures, and what is the focus of all the scriptures, and Paul's message, Jesus, Jesus, and his kingdom, because the king rules over his kingdom, Jesus is not only the only hope of Israel, but he is also the sole hope for the entire world.
prophet: And now Paul is showing them from Moses and the prophets everything that points to Christ, which is the entire scriptures. So he, he's, you can imagine Paul's turning to Genesis and look at Genesis three, the promised seed, the seed of the woman that's referring to Jesus. And then let's turn to Exodus. Do you remember the Passover lamb?
prophet: Remember how you know our people, they were told when they were being delivered from Egypt to slaughter a lamb, an innocent lamb, and its blood that he was put on their door posts of the angel of death. Passover, that's pointing to Jesus, the Passover lamb. What about Deuteronomy?
prophet: There would be a prophet like Moses, a final authoritative prophet from God. Well, guess who that is? That's Jesus. Well, what about Second Samuel, a son of David, whose kingdom will last forever, an eternal king?
prophet: Well, that's also Jesus. What about in the Psalms? Let's turn to the Psalms. Psalm 110 the Lord and a priest forever for his people. Oh, who's a priest forever for his people? Who's a king forever for his people?
prophet: Who's a prophet forever for his people? It is none on there.
prophet: Then the Lord Jesus Christ.
prophet: Well, let's keep going. What about Isaiah nine? Isaiah nine, who is born also mighty God? Who is that mighty God? Jesus.
prophet: Isaiah 53 who's the suffering servant who bears your sins, who was pierced for your transgressions? Jesus. Daniel seven, the divine figure that Daniel sees enthroned on high, like the Son of Man, who is also God Himself, who rules over all.
prophet: You see, we could spend all day, and then some, on the scriptures talking about Jesus and his kingdom and how all of the scripture points to him, all of it. Paul doesn't arrive in Rome and start giving motivational speeches. He doesn't focus on politics or, or any, you know, what's also interesting, Paul doesn't arrive in Rome and do a single miracle. You know, he just came from Malta, and there were miracles happening there, but in Rome, here we have, you know, the empire, the center, and there's not a single miracle that Paul performs. But what does Paul do? His one primary thing, his singular thing that he is focusing on is proclaiming Christ from all of scripture.
prophet: Why? Well, because that is the primary means Christ, by his spirit, uses through his apostles to advance his kingdom.
prophet: It's a proclamation of the word, that is the very same thing that we need today. It isn't the miracles. Do you remember Jesus says Paul, Paul will write later in Romans, he says faith comes by seeing miracles, right? You remember that's no, that is not what Paul says, and even Jesus, He will tell a parable back in Luke chapter 16. He'll tell a parable about a rich man who is condemned to hell, and he is in pain, and he is in suffering.
prophet: And he says, "I don't want anyone else to come here. Would you raise Lazarus from the dead?
prophet: Go tell Lazarus and send someone from the dead that they will listen, do some kind of miracle, that you, that they will listen, and not come to this terrible place of hell. You remember what Jesus says, He says in there, in the parable, they have Moses and the prophets, they have the word of God, let them hear them, and they said, "No, no, no, no, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. And he said to him,"If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead. What we have here in the Scriptures is more powerful than someone rising from the dead and standing before your presence. If you will not hear the scriptures being proclaimed to you, neither will you hear or repent, even if someone were to rise from the dead and stand before you. This is the power of God to salvation. Faith comes by hearing, hearing the Holy Spirit uses the word of God to convict sinners, to open blind eyes, to bring dead hearts to life. Also, I think it's there's a neat irony here. Paul is chained to a Roman centurion, his entire time, when he, as in Rome, but also think about it this way, a Roman centurion is chained to Paul the entire time. Paul literally has a captive audience, and as guards change as a rotation, they cannot get away from a Paul, they cannot escape Paul, and guess what, Paul's talking about Christ and his kingdom, and this is even what Paul will say in Philippians, he says the gospel has been came known throughout the whole imperial guard. Well, guess why, because they've all taken turns being. Attained to Paul, and Paul's told them all, and they all know it, and many of them believe. Isn't that wonderful? What they thought was stopping the gospel Christ was using to advance it. The kingdom of God is being spread not through clever techniques, not through worldly gimmicks, but through the foolishness of the word being shared and preached, this is what Paul writes in Second Corinthians, chapter four. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord. And so we should be praying for the word, we should be praying for the word to go out, not only ourselves, but even as we gather here together, not only that the preached word would be convicting and converting sinners out here or out there, but be praying that the word now, Lord, use the word now, even now here, transform my heart, change my heart, make me more like Christ now, and the word will do it. The word is powerful, it is sharper than any two-edged sword. Make us more like Christ. Use your word to do it. The kingdom is proclaimed here in this text, but we also see often when the word is proclaimed, it is also polarizing. Paul preaches, and something happens that has happened throughout the entire book of Acts. The message divides people, verse 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.
prophet: The same gospel that softens one heart hardens another. Some hear Christ, and they rejoice. It is indeed the aroma of life and freedom, and the forgiveness of sins. But the others who reject him, it is that fragrance of death, and it's not because Paul failed. It wasn't because Paul gave his sermon, and he left out that one really good verse. You know, they would have been converted if I just had that really good illustration, that really good historical illustration that would have just.. and then they would have believed it's not because Paul lacked passion in his preaching, where he needed other methods.
prophet: Paul explains their rejection by quoting Isaiah chapter six. You will indeed hear, but never understand, and you will indeed see, but never perceive. This is God speaking to Isaiah. This is I'm sending you to proclaim a message that people will not accept. Isaiah's goal was not success. Isaiah's goal was not the accumulation of numbers, a head count. His goal, and Paul's goal, and our goal is faithfulness to what God says to do in His word. Remember, the church, we often get wrapped around the killer bees. We've talked about these, haven't we?
prophet: Bodies, budget, building, and that's how we often measure how well we're doing. How successful is a church, do they have the killer bees, and that's not the case. Paul says that we're going to preach, and there's people not going to listen. Our goal is to be faithful to the word of God. We are called to proclaim Christ, and knowing that only God, by the power of his spirit can open eyes that only Christ can give the increase, and that should humble us, that should also encourage us, because success in ministry isn't measured by numbers or applause, but by simply being faithful to Christ in His word and notice the tragedy here. The Jewish leaders, do they know the scriptures? The Jewish leaders, do they know Moses and the prophets? Absolutely, and they could quote it. They knew the scriptures better than pretty much all of us here. They knew the scriptures, they knew the promises of God, and yet they reject the Messiah, to whom all the scriptures point to, and I think that's a warning for us, that you just being here and knowing the scriptures, sitting in a pew, does not save you. You can know this Bible, you can know Bible stories, you can know about Christ himself, you can admire morality and being a better person, but you can still refuse the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. That's what they were doing, and I pray no one here does that.
prophet: That the gospel always confronts us. The gospel is not Jesus merely offers a self-improvement. No, that the gospel is that Jesus is calling us to repent of our sins, to turn from them, to turn to Him to bow in submission to the King, that we might receive mercy, that He has washed away our sins, that we rest and hold fast to Him alone, that He made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become and have the righteousness of God, and there are only two responses. There's only two responses for what we see here in our text, and there's only two responses for you: belief or unbelief. That's it. There is no neutrality with Christ. There is no, He's a, you know, just a good person, a good prophet. No, he is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord, as it has been said. He is Christ, the King, the Lord of Lords, the Messiah, the one mediator between God and man. He is the one way, the only way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father apart through Him. Will you believe it, or will you reject it?
prophet: Before I look at this last section in Acts, I just briefly- if everyone would just turn to read - I actually want to do something different. We're going to read verse 29 aloud together.
prophet: Everyone find Acts 28 verse 29 If you don't, if you have a King James Bible, you can't read it.
prophet: If you notice in your text, it's not there, and I just want to point this out. What happened to verse 29 Well, the King James version has it, and apparently it really just repeats what verse 25 says. And just a note, too, that the King James version was using one particular manuscript, the Texas Receptus, and it's found in that one particular manuscript, but the other earliest and more reliable manuscripts that we have, hundreds of these don't include that verse, which is why it's not there, because it shouldn't have been added there in the first place, which is why you don't find verse 29 in your Bible. Just take a little note.
prophet: You might, some of you, be reading, and you probably didn't even notice, unless I just pointed it out, but it's not there. All right, now I want to continue on verse 3031 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, without hindrance, without hindrance. Again, the final words in Acts: Paul is chained, he is restricted, he is guarded, and yet the word of God is running free. The kingdom is prevailing. What appeared to be a hindrance is the very highway that God is using for the gospel, through imprisonments, through storms, through shipwrecks, through chains.
prophet: Christ is continuing to build His church exactly as He promised He would do. Now, as we conclude Acts, and as I seek to conclude the sermon, Acts ends kind of abruptly, doesn't it? At least I think it does. You know what, there's no courtroom scene. Paul doesn't stand before Nero, and in Acts, there's no account of Paul's death that will happen later in 67 AD, where it's often recorded that he was beheaded. That there's no account of that. There's no dramatic resolution here. At the end of the text, it almost feels unfinished, like something's missing. And I think, in one sense, Acts is unfinished. The mission of Christ and the advancement of His kingdom does not end with Paul, the same Christ who ruled then remains now ruling and reigning. The kingdom is still advancing. He is still gathering his people throughout the ends of the world. He is still saving sinners. Praise be his name. The story is continuing through his church, through you, through pastors, through parents who are teaching their children about Christ, through missionaries, through Christians simply opening up their Bibles and sharing it with neighbors and friends and family. Through weakness, through oppression, through suffering, through ordinary faithfulness, through ordinary means of the word of prayer, of the sacraments of Christian fellowship, the deposit of faith delivered to the saints has now been delivered to you and will you take the baton? I think that's kind of as acts ends in this kind of abrupt way, and I think it's posing to you the church.
prophet: It is now your responsibility, it is now your calling to pick it up to run the race to proclaim Christ and His kingdom, that is what Christ has called us to do. Now this is our responsibility. Now it is not simply, "Thank you, Paul, thanks for all that work, and I will just be very content to listen to this and go on my way. No, we must proclaim Christ. We need boldness. You know, it's interesting. Back early in Acts, after Pentecost, one of the first things the apostles pray for is boldness, and we need that, don't we? We're afraid.
prophet: They were afraid too. You think Paul wasn't afraid? He said he was afraid. I went to you with much trembling. Afraid? You think Paul wanted to be whipped again and again and put in prison and put in chains? No, he didn't want that, but he was willing to suffer it for Christ's sake. We need that kind of boldness, don't we? We need that kind of willingness to pick up our cross daily and follow Christ. Unhindered doesn't mean without trial. Unhindered doesn't mean without trouble.
prophet: Unhindered doesn't mean it'll be easy. Unhindered means that whatever circumstance you find yourself in, it's all because of the sovereign rule and reign of Christ, and he's making it go forward in the way he sees fit.
prophet: Christ and his kingdom, that is our calling, that is our identity, that is who we are. We are Christ's. That's our only comfort in life and in death. We are not our own, but we belong, body and soul, to our faithful Savior. Why? Because you and I know that one day this kingdom that is proclaimed in weakness by weak people will one day be the kingdom that is revealed in glory. It will one day happen, and maybe one day very soon the kingdom in its fullness will come. It will be here, the trumpet will blow, the clouds will part, and the kingdom and its fullness, and the king will come, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. All will stand before the king, and our only hope will be found resting by faith in Christ, and on that day your faith will become sight, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We know that this is true, that is truth, that is fact, but as we wait, let us love our neighbor, let us love the Lord, and share the gospel, lest they perish, repent, believe, rest in Christ. And then those with renewed hearts in Christ, because of love for the salvation that He has shown sinners like us here at Bay Haven, let us share it as well.
prophet: Let's pray.
prophet: Our heavenly Father, we thank you for the book of Acts. We thank you that Acts shows us the continuing work of Christ by the power of his spirit through his apostles, and now, Lord, you are continuing the right history, the continuing acts of Christ by the power of his spirit through his church. Lord, I pray that you will help us to rest upon Christ, to love Christ, to seek Christ, to not forget His precious blood given for us, and Lord, help us to be Your witnesses, as You have commissioned Your church to do, to go into all the world teaching all. That you've commanded and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Lord, we thank you for your promise too, that you're with us. We don't go alone, but you are with us to the end of the age. Lord, I pray that you'll bless your people, that you'll stir us, that you will help us to open up your word and open up our mouths to proclaim Christ and Him crucified for sinners like us, and it's in Jesus's name we pray. Amen.