Turn to Acts chapter 28.
And we come to the last in our series in Acts.
We've been in it pretty much for a year.
We started it at the start of last September.
And so it is, isn't it?
I always feel slightly emotional when you come to the end of a book like this.
And I found preaching Acts very, very difficult.
And yet it's been really good for me.
And I hope you've found it the same.
There's lots of material to get through, isn't there?
How do you handle those big kind of narratives?
And yet I wish in many ways I could kind of go back and start again.
I know the book a bit better now.
But we're not going to do that.
We come to the end of Acts, but this isn't the end of Paul.
We read nothing about the death and the martyrdom of the Apostle Paul.
Many believe, and I think rightly, that Paul was released from this imprisonment about two years later.
He was kind of released during the reign of Nero.
You know, the emperor who fiddled while Rome burned.
We'll never know for certain, but there's some compelling reasons, I think, for believing that he was released.
And when he was released, I think that's the period where he wrote the pastoral letters of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.
Fits with that stage of his life.
This period ends with him in Rome.
That's the end of the book of Acts.
It's deliberate.
The book of Acts has been about the movement of the gospel.
It's been about how the church of the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ is unstoppable.
So do you remember where it started?
It started in the Jewish capital, didn't it?
In Jerusalem.
And it ends with the capital of the Gentile world, Rome.
It begins in Jerusalem.
And it ends in Rome.
Chapter 1, verse 8.
Do you remember?
That's really the content page of the book.
Where the risen and ascended Christ says to the apostles,
You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and the ends of the earth.
And so the central statement, the key of Acts chapter 28, is in verse 14.
And Luke gives you the climax of the book.
And so we came to Rome.
It's the climax of all that God has been doing in the apostle Paul.
There's four scenes in the chapter.
Verses 1 and 10.
Verses 1 to 10, you've got the three months that Paul and his companions spent in Malta.
And there's a shipwreck there washed up on the shore.
And after three months in Malta, after great hospitality, and verse 11, they set sail in a ship because they'd wintered on the island.
Why did they stay there for so long?
Well, three months.
Bad weather for sailing.
I expect they needed a bit of courage to get back out on the sea.
But then they set out on their journey to Italy.
Verses 11 to 16 is the second scene.
It describes their journey to Rome.
And it ends with the kind of party living in Rome.
And Paul is under house arrest.
He's allowed to live by himself.
Verse 16, with a soldier to guard him.
Scene 3 is verses 17 to 28.
And it's an encounter once again with the Jewish leaders.
Verse 17.
After three days of arriving in Rome, he's called his breath.
He calls together the local leaders of the Jews.
And when they gathered, he said to them,
Brothers, though I'd done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers,
yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of Rome.
And he goes on.
He speaks to them until the end of verse 28.
And then scene 4 is verses 29 to 31.
For two years, Paul remains in Rome under house arrest.
He lived at his own expense.
And he welcomed all who came to him.
Four sections.
The experience on Malta.
The journey to Rome.
The encounter with the Jews in Rome.
And two years living under house arrest.
And he preaches and teaches Jesus Christ.
And the book finishes, doesn't it, with that wonderful little phrase,
with all boldness and without hindrance.
Four sections.
But I think there are two themes.
The first theme, well both themes run right the way through this chapter.
The first theme is the theme of God's faithfulness to Paul.
And the second theme is Paul's faithfulness to God.
The faithfulness of God.
And the faithfulness of Paul.
Let's see, the faithfulness of God to Paul.
In our opening verses, you've got this experience,
a continuing experience that Paul has had throughout the book of Acts.
Paul has experienced, amidst all the troubles and all the persecutions
and all the opposition and all the false accusations,
the unchanging faithfulness of God to him.
In so many ways.
God had made so many promises to the apostle.
And right the way through the account, God has been faithful to his promises.
He's faithfully looked after the apostle Paul.
He's provided for him.
He has blessed him.
He's fulfilled everything that he's covenanted to do for him.
You find it in the beginning of the chapter.
And this group, this party of people,
who've come on the ship from Malta.
And they meet the native people.
Do you see what it says?
It says they were shown unusual kindness.
And they built a fire.
They welcomed us all.
There was shelter, because it was raining and cold.
And Paul has the experience with these Maltese...
Maltese...
Maltese is...
He has this great experience with these Maltese people...
Of extraordinary, unusual kindness.
And it's another evidence, isn't it, of God faithfully dealing with Paul in all his experiences.
In the midst of trial and difficulty and shipwreck and impending disaster and unfair accusation,
God shines through as a God of absolute faithfulness.
That's what we've seen.
He perseveres with the Apostle.
He preserves him from danger.
You see this in that strange incident, don't you, with the snake in verse 3.
And they gather up sticks for the fire.
And they didn't notice there's a viper.
There's a snake hidden away.
And it bites Paul on the hand.
Paul is under threat.
He's in some kind of danger.
And the people expose us, don't they, immediately to their view of what God is like.
What's their view of God?
Can you see it?
Their view of God is that he is an impersonal, superstitious God.
And these people have that contrast, don't they?
They think, well, Paul, you must have done something wrong.
They're very superstitious.
And that is contrasted to us with this view of God that is personal, loving, and faithful.
And fatherly.
The care that Paul experiences from God, day and night, the living God whom he serves.
The islanders, they see this viper hanging from his hand.
And do you remember the story?
He shakes it into the fire.
And they say, don't they, immediately the viper fastens on Paul's hand.
Ah, he's been a murderer.
The sea hasn't got him, so justice has finally caught up with him.
What goes around comes around.
He must have done something wrong.
Look at verse 4.
The ESV rightly has justice with a capital letter.
Because that is the impersonal view of God that they have.
He's escaped from the sea.
He's escaped from the sea, so justice has caught up with him.
Fate has got him in the end.
Paul shakes his hand into the fire.
And as they watch the snake curl up and die, they discover that Paul has survived.
And then they swing, don't they, these Maltese people, they swing from one extreme to the other.
And they deify him.
They say he survived the snake.
He must be a God, verse 6.
And so can you see, these people, they have no concept, do they, of a loving, gracious, unchanging, faithful, all-powerful Heavenly Father.
Who's dealing graciously with his servant.
What they have is this impersonal, this superstitious view of what God is like.
And Paul is experiencing, isn't he, the faithfulness of God, preserving him and keeping him.
And caring for him in the midst of whatever circumstances he goes through.
Notice in verse 7 how the chief Roman official provides hospitality to them.
Verse 7, now in the neighbourhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, namely Publius.
Who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
He was the man whom God was going to use to give to Paul the supplies for the rest of the journey.
Verse 10, they honoured us greatly.
And when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.
That link, that generosity comes not only through Paul's hospitality, but through Paul's apostolic gift of healing.
Look at verse 8.
It happened that this guy's dad, Publius' father, lay sick with a fever and dysentery.
And Paul visited him and prayed.
And putting his hands on him, healed him.
The word that Luke uses there literally is, Publius' father received medical attention.
Luke is a doctor, isn't he?
You wonder whether it's Luke and the Apostle Paul combining together in some kind of healing ministry.
They use Luke's medical skills and Paul's apostolic gift.
And he laid hands on them and they were restored.
Verse 10, all their needs have been supplied as they go on to the next leg of the journey.
And again, can you see the key to all of what God is doing?
God is faithfully and graciously and kindly supplying all their needs.
All the needs of his children.
He is keeping his apostle in the hollow of his hand.
We see that in the next stage, the next episode.
The journey to Rome in verses 11 to 16.
Notice how graciously God provides for the apostle.
The particular ways he provides for them.
When they arrive at Puteoli in the end of verse 13.
Can you see it?
Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for several days.
And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Regian.
And after one day a south wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli.
And they go on to these two towns that are about 30, 40 miles apart from Rome.
And there, verse 14, we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days.
And so we came to Rome.
What's the reason behind those details?
Why is it that God so ordained those circumstances?
It was that God recognised, didn't he, that the apostle Paul needed encouragement.
And so he brings these brothers, he brings these believers to meet with him.
And Paul thanked God and at the end of verse 15 he is encouraged by them.
Can you see, laced throughout this chapter is the thoughtfulness of the living God.
It's the personal touch of his faithfulness that reaches into the ordinary lives.
The ordinary daily lives.
Here is someone who greatly needs to be encouraged by God.
And God provides him the people that will bring him this encouragement.
And not only does God show his faithfulness in the provision that he makes,
but in the promises he fulfills.
Look at verse 16.
When Paul got to Rome he was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.
That's a very significant thing, isn't it?
Several times over we've seen in the narrative, God has been speaking with the apostle.
And encouraging him to believe that come what may,
whatever the circumstances may seem to the contrary,
Paul you are going to Rome.
So chapter 23 and verse 11, Paul has given that really clear promise.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said,
Take courage, for as you've testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem,
so you will do so in Rome.
And the circumstances that occur from chapter 23, verse 11,
to chapter 28 are pretty horrific.
But they are the living God unfolding his purposes and his plans.
And dealing with men and women and governors and accusers and storms and circumstances
so that in everything God's purpose may be fulfilled.
All the problems, all the false accusations, all the difficulties,
God is at work in the midst of them.
And it is a glorious thing to know God like that.
It is a glorious thing to have this God as your God.
And so I need to ask you this morning, don't I, what is your picture of God?
Who is the God whom you know?
Is he the vague, impersonal picture of justice or fate or luck?
Who gives you what you deserve?
But what goes around comes around.
Is it that superstitious view of God that the people had?
Or is it the personal knowledge of a living God who's come to us in the person of his son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and he transforms life?
And he is working out the unfolding pattern of his purposes of a loving Heavenly Father.
And if you know that God, it will bring you poise and peace and sufficiency and contentment into your life.
Do you know God in this way?
How wonderful it is to be able to discover the faithfulness of God as it is revealed here.
And that's not all, is it?
Because when you get to Rome with these promises in chapter 23 and chapter 27,
Paul is given this special privilege.
Look at verse 16.
He's allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.
It's a remarkable situation.
It's as if Paul has been put in Rome as an ambassador to Jesus.
And he calls people to his residence.
And they gather from all over this capital city of the world to come to him and to come to here.
He calls people to his residence.
He ministers to the Jews.
He preaches fearlessly to them.
And yet he's in a house with a soldier to guard him, probably chained to him.
Do you notice that verse 20?
For this reason, therefore, I've asked to see you and speak with you.
And since it is because of the hope of Israel that I'm wearing this chain.
Scholars think, don't they, that the Roman soldier has actually chained to him at this point.
Paul is bound to a Roman soldier.
You can imagine this poor Roman soldier didn't have the vaguest clue
when Paul was brought into the house what was going to happen to him.
When he clocked on for his shift that first day,
little did he know who he was going to be chained to.
And there were two Covenanter brothers.
Big units.
Massive, burly, strong men.
And these Covenanter brothers,
they had battled in Scotland for Christ's crown and covenant.
They wanted a stand for the freedom to worship Jesus Christ.
They were massive.
Absolutely massive.
And they were taken, one of them was taken prisoner by the English soldiers.
And they chained him to one of the brothers.
His mother said to his brother, and when he came back,
Malcolm, they've taken Davy away and chained him to an English soldier.
Malcolm and Davy were known as men of powerful spiritual impact.
Whoever met them was slightly in awe of them
because they were colossal physical figures,
but they preached Christ fearlessly.
And Malcolm said to his mother,
heaven help the man who's chained to Davy.
And I expect it was something like that
for the soldier chained to the Apostle Paul, wasn't it?
Heaven help the man who was chained to the Apostle Paul.
He would hear the gospel in different ways
to different people applied to him.
And so Paul continued the ministry that God had given him.
And so here is this reminder right at the end of Acts
of the faithfulness of God to his people.
But secondly, as we finish the book of Acts,
we see the remarkable faithfulness of the Apostle Paul to God.
The faithfulness of Paul to God.
The very qualities that God reveals in his dealings with Paul
are reproduced in Paul's life.
The faithfulness of God is mirrored in Paul's faithfulness to God.
That is, all of God's dealings with this man
have not kind of brushed lightly off his character.
They've gone deeply into his spirit.
And what he had known of the faithfulness
and the kindness of God
began to be mirrored and pushed out in his own life.
And here he is in his ministry in Rome from verse 17.
Just notice his zeal.
Three days after he arrives in Rome,
he calls together the leaders of the Jews.
And Paul is being faithful to what he recognized
as the pattern and the purpose of God in his ministry.
When he wrote to the Romans, do you remember?
That great theme verse of the book of Romans,
the gospel is the power of God to salvation.
To everyone who believes.
And we stop there, don't we?
But the verse goes on,
to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.
Wherever he went in Acts,
do you remember the pattern?
Paul goes to the synagogue first.
He goes to the plead with the Jewish people.
And only when they turn away from him
and refuse the message,
he says, then I will go to the Gentiles.
But here he addresses himself to the Jewish leaders.
And after he's described his own experience
of being arrested in Jerusalem
and being handed over to the Romans,
verse 21,
they arranged to meet him.
And they said to him,
well, we've received no letters from Judea about you.
And none of the brothers coming here
has reported or spoken any evil of you.
They arranged to meet him on a certain day.
Then they come in larger numbers
to the place where he was staying.
Can you see the sheer faithfulness of his ministry?
He witnessed to them.
And that appears, doesn't it,
to have been the characteristic
of these two years in Rome.
He bore witness to Christ.
And whatever they did to him,
wherever he went,
however they tried to confine him
and crush him,
he bore witness to Christ.
After the service,
somebody gives you two pints of water.
And as you carry the two pints of water,
one of the children running around
knocks into you.
What happens
with full pints of water?
What happens?
The water comes out, doesn't it?
And so this is the apostle Paul.
He is so full of the faithfulness of God
and the kindness of Jesus Christ
that when he is jostled,
when he is struck,
what comes out of the glasses?
The Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it?
Both in private and in public,
he speaks and he witnesses tirely.
Out of the abundance of the heart,
Jesus says,
the mouth speaks.
And so Paul speaks of Christ.
Verse 23,
when they appointed a day for him,
they came to him at his lodging
in greater numbers.
From morning to evening,
he expounded to them,
testifying to them the kingdom of God.
He speaks continually
during the whole period that he's in Rome.
He was tireless for two years.
Verse 31,
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
and without hindrance.
And so with that zeal
and eagerness and willingness,
that zeal marks the apostle Paul.
It would have been so easy,
wouldn't it,
for him to make the excuse,
I've been benched,
I'm out of the public frame,
it would have been so easy for him
to make that excuse,
well, I'm bound,
what can I do?
I'm in chains,
I'm confined in this situation.
Don't you know,
I'm the leader of the church
and yet I'm confined
within these four walls.
But in fact,
what we see,
like the pint glass,
whenever he's jostled,
Christ spills out.
this tireless zeal,
which has been given to him,
desiring to be faithful.
The second thing that marks
is faithfulness,
it's not only in the level
of his commitment,
the way that he's ready
to be spent for God,
but it's revealed in how he witnessed.
Can you see he witnessed biblically?
Luke is really insistent on this,
isn't he?
He says in verse 23,
from morning till evening,
he expounded to them,
testifying to them
the kingdom of God
and trying to convince them
about Jesus,
both from the law of Moses
and from the prophets.
Paul found that some of them
were convinced,
others did not believe
and they disagreed
amongst themselves
and they began to leave.
And after Paul
sees them leaving,
he makes this statement,
this final statement
from the prophet Isaiah.
Can you see it?
The Holy Spirit
was right in saying
to your fathers
through Isaiah the prophet.
And then he quotes
part of Isaiah chapter 6.
The important point
to grasp here
is this vital area
of Paul's faithfulness
being wed,
being tied
to the Bible
as the content
that he declared
concerning Christ.
The focus of his ministry
was Jesus
but the place
from which he taught them
about Jesus
was the Holy Scriptures.
He taught them tirelessly.
He taught them biblically.
And do you notice,
he taught them
with a faithfulness
which was no doubt
profoundly costly.
I've no doubt
that Paul found it
extremely costly
to quote what he did
to his own nation,
to the Jewish people.
He tells us,
doesn't he,
in the letter to the Romans,
that he has a special love
for the Jewish people.
It's a striking thing.
He says,
in Romans 9 verse 1,
I'm speaking the truth
in Christ.
I'm not lying.
My conscience bears me witness
in the Holy Spirit
that I have great sorrow
and unceasing anguish
in heart.
for I wish that I myself
were accursed
and I were cut off
from Christ
for the sake of my brothers,
my kinsmen
according to the flesh.
So here is a man
who's bearing witness
to the Lord Jesus,
testifying to the Lord Jesus
and he doesn't do it
in a cool
and detached way.
He's saying,
I've got anguish
of heart
for my brothers and sisters.
In fact,
I'm prepared
that I would be accursed
so that you might
believe this message.
In order that you
might find salvation,
it is incredible passion.
And that spirit
seems to be
the driving force
of the apostles' evangelism.
He was deadly
in earnest.
And yet he's ready,
isn't he,
to speak to them
with an extraordinary
degree of faithfulness
and thoroughness
as he takes
the word of God
and he explains it
and he applies it
to them.
The Holy Spirit
spoke the truth
to your forefathers.
When he said,
through Isaiah the prophet,
go to this people
and say,
you will indeed hear
but you'll never understand.
You will indeed see
but you'll never perceive.
For this people's heart
has grown dull
and with their ears
they can barely hear
and with their eyes
they have closed
lest they should see
with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand
with their hearts
and turn and I would heal them.
They hardly hear
with their ears.
They've closed
their eyes.
The apostle is taking up
this scripture
from Isaiah chapter 6
and he applies it
to the people of Israel
in front of him
of his own generation
like Isaiah had applied it
to his generation
and he's saying to them
and he's saying to us
it is possible
to hear God's word
Sunday by Sunday
and it not soften
but harden you.
The picture is
of calloused
of being calloused.
You know if you work
in the garden
we've got kind of
city hands
it's such a thing
as minister's hands
aren't there
kind of soft
wet minister's hands
but if you work
in the garden
and you work
with a spade
and you work
with it all day
what happens
your skin
bits of it
gets hard
doesn't it?
It gets calloused
so you go to
a country congregation
and you shake
a farmer's hand
and a farmer's hands
they're rough
and they're hard
and there's not feeling
so they're so calloused
you could get a pin
in a farmer's hand
and you could put
the pin into
the farmer's hand
into the skin
but it wouldn't
have an effect
would it
because the skin
is so hard
you can't get through
very easily
you don't easily
penetrate
a farmer's hand
and that's a serious thing
I'm sure
if it kind of
goes on and on
and on
doesn't it?
But
in a spiritual condition
it's more serious
isn't it?
It's desperately serious
the apostle Paul
on the prophet Isaiah
is saying
you can hear
God's words
so often
and you can hear it
but not hear it
and you can see it
but not see it
and your hand
can become callous
so that it doesn't
penetrate
and so these people
have heard God
speaking to them
since they were children
they've worked away
actually
the Jewish leaders
they literally
work away
with the word of God
and like a man
works with his hands
and his hands
becomes callous
so their hearts
become hardened
and that is a desperate
condition
but it is common
and it is really common
in churches like this
it's particularly common
with those
who've been
unusually privileged
and so these Jews
whom Paul is speaking
they really are a warning
to us
aren't they
at the end of
the book of Acts
their ears
have scarcely heard
their eyes
scarcely see
they've got
spiritual
glaucoma
they cannot
see clearly
they're looking
but they can't
make it out
they have eyes
but they do not
perceive
how do you get
like that?
you get it
really easily
and really simply
by not treating
the word of God
seriously
and when you have
that kind of
detached attitude
to it
when you sit here
Sunday morning
and Sunday evening
by Sunday morning
after Sunday evening
and you know
what God is asking
you to do
and you refuse
to do it
your skin
spiritually
becomes calloused
you'll be
ever hearing
but never
understanding
you'll be
ever seeing
but your eyes
will be closed
do you notice
Paul continues
to quote Isaiah
doesn't he
lest they should
see with their
eyes
and hear
with their
ears
and understand
with their
heart
and turn
and I
would heal
them
do you notice
there
there's a
progression
isn't it
it's not
something
they were
doing
at the end
of that
quote
it's
something
that's
being
done
to them
that's
the really
terrifying
thing
it's the
next stage
of the
progression
you refuse
to see
and at some
point you
can't see
imagine a
man who's a
prisoner
dealing so
realistically
with people
like this
what he's
saying
is what
Isaiah
said
that there
comes a
time
when people
who've
refused
to hear
and refused
to be
moved
and refused
to be
touched
by God
the Holy
Spirit
there comes
a time
when they
cannot hear
and they
cannot see
and their
heart cannot
respond
think of
Pharaoh in
Egypt
do you
remember
that phrase
that keeps
coming up
that Pharaoh
in Egypt
when he's
confronted with
the living
God
by Joseph
he hardens
his heart
he hardens
his heart
against God
and he does
it frequently
and you
think
what is
this man
doing
keeping
hardening
his heart
but then
there comes
the time
where
in the
story
you don't
read that
Pharaoh
hardened
his heart
you read
that God
hardened
Pharaoh's
heart
and look
verse 28
Paul applies
that to the
contemporary
Jews
and he
says this
he says
therefore
let it be
known to
you that
this salvation
of God
has been
sent to
the Gentiles
and they
will listen
verse 28
is said
by a man
who's told
us
I've got
unceasing
anguish
and unceasing
sorrow
I wish
that I
could be
accursed
for the
sake
of my
own
people
I wish
that I
could be
cut off
from Christ
so that
you might
believe
in the
Lord
Jesus
for the
sake
of my
own
brothers
for the
sake
of my
own
race
the
people
of
Israel
and then
he
says
to
them
at the
end
of
Acts
I
want
you
to
know
that
God's
salvation
because
you've
turned
away
from
it
has
been
sent
to
the
Gentiles
and
they
will
listen
I
have
little
doubt
what
Luke
wants
you
and I
to
see
at
the
end
of
Acts
he
wants
us
to see
this
picture
of
the
Jewish
people
here
at
this
point
having
lost
their
opportunity
and
from
now
on
the
gospel
goes
out
to
the
Gentiles
but
it's
true
in
IPC
this
morning
not
just
of
the
ancient
people
of
Israel
that
when
you
refuse
the
word
of
God
long
enough
the
day
comes
when
the
spirit
of
God
says
okay
and
he
moves
on
and
so
as
we
close
out
the
book
of
Acts
you
see
we've
seen
the
gospel
going
forward
haven't
we
breaking
through
barrier
after
barrier
the
church
growing
but
we
also
have
this
terrifying
warning
that
isn't
there
a danger
you and
I
who
have
so
much
privilege
who
are
so
familiar
with
the
word
of
God
that
our
hearts
become
calloused
and
God's
word
doesn't
get
through
anymore
and
we
can
sit
through
sermon
after
sermon
and
we
can
sing
the
songs
after
song
but
it
just
bounces
off
us
and
we
have
eyes
but
we
don't
perceive
and
we
have
ears
but
we
don't
hear
and
the
incredible
danger
of that
is that
God
says
okay
and
suddenly
we
don't
hear
God
speaking
to
us
anymore
and
the
gospel
goes
to
others
who
will
receive
it
and
hear
it
history
as well
as the
Bible
makes
it
abundantly
clearly
clear
that
this
pattern
of
God's
working
is
still
how
he
works
my
prayer
is that
as we
come to
the
end
of
Acts
we
might
see
that
this
faithful
witness
of a
man
this
man
that
God
has
used
to
be
a
blessing
to
the
ancient
world
and
a
blessing
to
the
Gentiles
that
he
might
be
a
blessing
to
you
and
me
what
do
the
Psalms
warn us
again
and
again
what
were
the
people
of
Israel
told
again
and
again
today
if
you
hear
his
voice
harden
not
your
heart
the
gospel
is
unstoppable
and the
church
of
Jesus
Christ
stands
and
grows
forever
the
gospel
will
grow
the
Gentiles
will
receive
it
we
are
caught
up
in
that
but
what
about
you
today
if
you
hear
his
voice
harden
not
your
heart
let's
pray
God
Thank you.