Are you a good listener?
Is there a difference between hear and listen?
How do you feel when someone says to you,
I hear you, compared to I'm listening?
What fallacy would I be committing if I say I'm hearing you?
Maybe you can share your thoughts on our live chat
if you are watching right now on your device or on the computer.
We have been studying the book of Acts over the last 12 weeks,
almost as long as our current lockdown.
Seeing God working through Paul to bring the gospel from Jerusalem
to the end of the world was challenging and encouraging at the same time.
Even in the toughest of situations,
nothing stops God from advancing the good news of Jesus' resurrection
to bring salvation to all people.
Today, we have reached Rome,
which also concludes our study of the book of Acts.
Luke tells us that Paul made the following conclusion
in chapter 28, verse 28 to 30,
to a big group of people that have come to his place to meet with him.
Therefore, I want you to know that God's salvation
has been sent to the Gentiles,
and they will listen.
For two whole years,
Paul stayed there in his own rented house
and welcome all who came to see him.
God's salvation has been sent to those who will listen.
And today, I hope to be your hearing test
to get you ready for God's salvation.
For God's salvation is for all people.
And from our passage today,
we can see God's salvation in the following three ways.
Against all hope,
unusual kindness,
and welcome all.
Chapter 27 of Acts
gives us a vivid picture
of the difficulties Paul and his companions
and Jews before they arrived in Rome.
As I read through it,
I cannot but feel like
it's talking about our current situation
with the COVID pandemic.
the danger and uncertainty,
the constant great difficulties
of hoping to move forward
and being driven along against our own will.
But one thing very different
is in verse 9 to 11.
Much had been lost,
and selling had already become dangerous
because by now,
it was after the Day of Atonement.
So Paul warned them,
man,
I can see that our forage
is going to be disastrous
and bring great loss to ship and cargo
and to our own life also.
But the centurion,
instead of listening to what Paul said,
followed the advice of the pilot
and the owners of the ship.
Paul warned them about the danger ahead.
But instead of listening to him,
they followed their advice
that was more soothing to their ears,
more inclined to what they want to do
to get to Rome quickly.
Before the second half of 2019,
we had no warning
of what is going about to hit the world.
But they were warned
and had a chance to avoid
the storm and the shipwreck.
However,
instead of listening to Paul's warning
against setting sail,
the pilots and owners' advice
were followed
because they thought
they could accomplish their purpose.
We can't blame the people
for not following Paul's advice
for they did not know
who Paul belonged to
and who he was serving.
And after all,
Paul was only a prisoner
and a preacher.
What would he know about sailing?
The decision not to listen to Paul
has put everyone in danger,
including Paul himself.
And they took a violent battering
for many days
and trying to save their life
and their self
even through falling overboard
their livelihood.
And in verse 20,
we are told that
when neither sun nor stars
appear for many days
and the storm continued raging,
we finally gave up
all hope of being saved.
The we here
refer to everyone on the ship,
including Paul
and the narrator Luke.
And Luke did not hold back
in the following verse
from letting us know
who Paul really is.
Then he also would say,
I told you so.
And he too
need to be encouraged.
Verse 23,
it says,
Last night,
an angel of God,
of the God
whom I belong
and whom I serve,
stood beside me
and said,
Do not be afraid,
Paul.
You must stand trial
before Caesar
and God has graciously
given you
the lives of all
who sail with you.
They did not listen to Paul,
for they do not know
who Paul belonged to
and served.
Paul belongs to
and served
the living God
of the universe,
creator of everything
in this world.
God's angel told Paul
that God has graciously
given him the lives
of all who sail with him
and not to be afraid.
That's why Paul
urged the people on the ship
to keep up their courage
in verse 22 and 25.
To keep up your courage
can also be translated
to cheer up.
Paul urges them
to cheer up
in the middle
of a raging storm
where they have not seen
the sun
or any stars
for many days.
The only source
and guide
for them
to get home.
Paul was able
to cheer up
and take courage
in the middle
of a raging storm
based on the promise
that God
had graciously
given him
the lives
of all who sail with him
and his faith
in God
that it will happen
just as God
told him.
Paul's message
is one of hope
amid despair
and we'll be learning
more about this
over our next series.
he challenges
everyone
on the ship
including himself
to trust God
based on
the assertion
that
God is as good
as his word.
Like what
Isaiah said
in chapter 55
verse 10 to 11.
the word
that goes out
from God's mouth
will not return
to God
empty
but will accomplish
what God
desires
and achieve
the purpose
for which
he sends it.
God is determined
to save
and has sent
out salvation
to all people.
So Paul
encouraged
everyone
on the ship
to trust
in his God
for deliverance.
He demonstrated
his trust
in God
by preparing
food
for all
the people
on board.
276 people
were there.
He took
some bread
gave friends
to God
in front of them
and passed
it on to them.
Paul
inspired
everyone
on board
to act
decisively
and courageously
for the benefit
of all people.
He stopped
any group
from taking action
to seek
the safety
of their own
while abandoning
others.
Verse 36
tells us
that
they all
become cheerful
and eat
some food
themselves.
This action
shows
now
they listen
to Paul
and begin
to believe
too
in the promise
of God's
word.
Here
in this chapter
we see a picture
of human
being
in a desperate
situation
in need
of God's
help
and also
shows
the importance
of believing
God's word
and rely
on his
power
for deliverance.
It also
demonstrates
the believer's
opportunity
in such
a situation
to draw
attention
to God's
character
and encourage
others
to turn
to him
for mercy.
If you
are not yet
trusted in
God
I'm glad
that you
are still
watching
right now.
Have you
considered
your life
situation?
Why not
turn towards
God
for mercy
and ask
him to
save you?
Sometimes
we have
to be
at a
deep end
to realize
God's
merciful hand
merciful helping
hand was
always there.
Against
all hope
we can
trust in
God
for salvation
because
he is as
good as
his word.
God's
word
never
returns
empty
and his
salvation
is also
shown
in unusual
kindness.
The idea
of kindness
is very
prominent
in these
two final
chapters of
Acts.
And the
primary form
of expressing
kindness
in these
two chapters
was hospitality.
We have
the centurion
showing kindness
to Paul
allowing Luke
and
Astakus
to accompany
him.
and after
they
land
at
Sidon
he
allowed
him
to go
to his
friends
to provide
for his
needs.
And later
in the
chapter
ordering
Ephraim
from the
ship
to swim
to the
shore
to protect
and spare
Paul's
life.
And while
they were
on the
island of
Mota
in
chapter
28
the
islanders
showed
them
unusual
kindness.
They
built a
fire
and welcomed
them all
because it
was raining
and cold.
And the
chief official
of the
island
welcomed
them to
his home
and showed
them generous
hospitality
for three
days.
And when
they reached
Petone
in
first fall
they found
some brothers
and sisters
who invite
them to
spend a
week with
them.
They were
treated with
unusual kindness
and hospitality
and brothers
and sisters
traveled 50
to 70
kilometers
to see
them.
In
verse 15
and 16
it said
at the
sight of
these people
Paul thanked
God
and was
encouraged.
When we
get to
Rome
Paul was
allowed to
live by
himself
with the
soldier to
guide him.
In the
original
language
Luke called
the islanders
barbarian
and
considered
their
action
unusual
and
out of
its
expectation.
From a
Greek
Roman
perspective
since
Greek
was not
their first
language
they were
considered
uncultured
even though
Malta
had been
a Roman
island
since
218
years
before
Christ.
I believe
Luke
expected
to be
treated
with
hostility
instead
they
showed
them
unusual
kindness
with
hospitality.
When
someone
treats
a stranger
with
kindness
it's
considered
unusual
and
if
someone
treats
their
enemy
with
kindness
it's
inconceivably
strange
but it's
not without
example.
the
islanders
seem to
believe
in many
gods
for they
refer to
a goddess
justice
when a
snake
fastened
himself
on
Paul's
hand.
They
also
seem to
believe
our
action
influenced
God.
Treat
other
people
with
kindness
and
you'll
get
good
fortune
and
if
you're
unkind
or cruel
you'll
get
punishment.
In
verse 4
of chapter
28
when the
islanders
saw the
snake
hanging
from his
hand
they
say to
each
other
this
man
must
be a
murderer
for
though
he
escaped
from
the
sea
the
godless
justice
has not
allowed
him to
leave.
they
were
waiting
for
something
unusual
to
happen
to
Paul
after
he
shook
off
the
snake
into
the
fire
maybe
he
would
suddenly
drop
dead
and
die
but
nothing
happened
to
him
and
they
changed
their
mind
about
him.
I
don't
know
about
you
but
this
is
how
I
sometimes
think
about
how
to
hold
my
life
too.
I
think
I
can
earn
God's
favor
by
what
I
do
and
worry
that
I
have
done
something
wrong
to
upset
God
when
life
is
not
as
smooth
as
I
intended
but
instead
of
being
hostile
towards
us
God
has
treated
us
with
hospitality
and
unusual
kindness
he
is
not
out
to
get
us
instead
as
Psalm
103
says
Psalm
103
verse
8
the
Lord
is
compassionate
and
gracious
slow
to
anger
abundant
in
love
he
will
not
always
accuse
nor
will
he
harbor
his
anger
forever
he
will
not
he
does
not
treat
us
as
our
sins
deserve
or
repay
us
according
to
our
iniquities
Paul
sent
a
letter
to
the
believers
in
Rome
a
few
years
before
his
survival
and
he
explained
further
what
God
has
done
for
us
and
how
God
has
treated
us
and
most
importantly
how
we
should
relate
to
God
one
of
the
key
points
is
in
Romans
chapter 5
verse 6
to 8
God
died
for
the
ungodly
very
rarely
will
anyone
die
for
a
righteous
person
but
for
a
good
person
someone
might
possibly
dare
to
die
but
God
demonstrated
his
own
love
for
us
in
this
while
we
were
still
sinners
Christ
died
for
us
God made this world and everything in it
including all human
but we demand our independence
instead of honoring God
and knowing him for who he is
we imagine we can influence
or even control the divine being
and live an ungodly life
that suits our likeness
we live life for ourselves
instead of God
instead of living cheerfully under God's care
we live fearfully under strife
but God treat us with unusual kindness and hospitality
he gave Christ
his one and only son to die
to reconcile us to him
and while we were God's enemy
we were reconciled to him
through the death of his son
and having been reconciled
we will be saved through his resurrection
to resurrect the life
Luke wrote the book
wrote the gospel and acts
to demonstrate
how God fulfilled his word
through Jesus
and the Holy Spirit
in bringing salvation to all people
to the end of the world
and God welcomed all people
to his salvation plan
all different backgrounds
all different upbringings
and all different stages of life
in these two chapters of
last two chapters of Acts
we see the culmination
of that fulfillment
we have Paul
saved from a religious cellist
to be a faithful follower of Christ
we got Luke the doctor
acting as a narrator
as Tacos
a Macedonian
from Thessalonica
the Romans
the Anturian
with all the soldiers
sailors
and prisoners
all together
276 people
from the ship
saved from the raging sea
and saved the rich land
Paul reached many places
along the coast
of the province of Asia
God's mercy
reached the island of Malta
where many islanders
were cured
of their deceits
and finally to Rome
and surrounding Rome
believers were coming from areas
as far as
50 to 70 kilometers away
and in chapter 28
verse 17 to 23
many Jews
have the kingdom of God
explained to them
and allowed to be persuaded
about Jesus
in verse 24 it says
some were convinced
by what he said
but others would not believe
but Paul did not stop there
he said in verse 28 to 31
therefore I want you to know
that God's salvation
have been sent
to the Gentiles
and they will listen
for two whole years
Paul stayed
there in his own rental house
and welcomed all
who come to see him
he proclaimed the kingdom of God
and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ
with all boldness
and without hindrance
the salvation of God
has been sent out
to all people
and they will listen
and all are welcomed
we have seen
the salvation
went to all people
and those that believe
are all welcomed
but I found a statement
in between
that people will listen
very challenging
will they listen
in today's world
maybe the new immigrant
whose English
is their second language
will
they will be
more accepting
to our help
and the social activities
we offer
for them to find friends
but not Uncle George
or Aunt May
who is well-to-do
and busy pursuing
their career
you might say
if you think
people will listen
you should try
my friends
they went to
a private school
and doing great
in uni
and they already
have life figured out
they wouldn't care
less about
believing in God
they care more
about who they can
impress
or go out with
let me encourage you
to do what
Leland and Christian
do during this lockdown
we have been saying
our praise
and pray upon
in our community group
and Leland and Christian
have been sharing
with us
how they have
together with
another brother
persevered
during the lockdown
to regularly
meet up
with other friends
from uni
to answer
their questions
about Christianity
and introduce them
to God
over Zoom
in a season
where
most of us
are Zoomed out
they persevere
to listening
and encouraging
their friends
to turn to God
and to
the one
that can save them
you might say
if you think
people will listen
you should meet
my very opinionated
brother or neighbor
who think
they have the solution
to save the world
or also
my environmentalist
and feminist friends
if you think
all these people
will not listen
are you a good
listener yourself
how well
are you listening
to the reason
they become
who they are
today
are you ready
when you are
presented with
an opportunity
to proclaim
the kingdom of God
if we believe
our family
and relatives
are the most
challenging group
to persuade
about Jesus
and the kingdom
of God
our boss
and colleagues
will be a
cold second
because we spend
most of our
daily life
with them
and they know
the perfect need
my wife Vivian
managed a small
law firm
and the other day
her boss told her
one of their
kind sister
has suddenly
fallen ill
and they have
to prepare
documents
for their
client
to take
care
of her
sister
her boss
commented
that life
is fragile
and full
of uncertainty
and as she
listened
she replied
that is why
we need
to know
Jesus
God's salvation
has been
sent out
to all people
and they
will listen
so keep up
your courage
brothers and
sisters
have faith
in God
that it
will happen
just as
God told
us
let nothing
hinder you
and keep
proclaiming the
kingdom of
God
and teach
others
about the
Lord Jesus
Christ
with all
boldness
if you are
not yet a
believer
and have
stayed
watching
until now
I'm
confident
that you
have a
very healthy
hearing
and are
ready for
God's
salvation
keep
joining us
online
and come
to see us
in a few
weeks when
we can
gather in
person
or give
us your
details by
clicking the
connect with us
link or write
your comment
in our live
check to let
us know how
we can welcome
you into the
embrace of
God's family
as St.
Paul
we exist
to treasure
Jesus
together
for God's
glory
and the
joy of
all people
we seek
to unite
our diversity
in the good
news of
Jesus Christ
and joyfully
become like
him together
unlike the
word here
which is
stative
and without
action
listening
treasuring
seeking
ongoing
action
that can
take place
in the
past
in the
present
and in
the future
let's
join
with
Christians
through the
ages
to take
courage
to proclaim
the good
news of
God
as we
saw in
the book
of Acts
against
all hope
we can
have hope
of salvation
because
God's
unusual
kindness
to all
people
and God
welcome
all
to his
gospel
family
come and
join us
in sending
salvation
to all
people