Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts 28.
If you're looking in a pew Bible, that is page 937.
This morning we are concluding our eight-month-long series in the book of Acts
and reading the last half of the last chapter.
So let's read that together.
Acts 28, starting at verse 17.
After three days, he, Paul, 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.
When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty
because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.
But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar,
though I had no charge to bring against my nation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
And some were convinced by what he said,
but others disbelieved.
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,
Go to this people and say,
You will indeed hear, but never understand.
And you will indeed see, but never perceive.
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.
Therefore let it be known to you
that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles.
They will listen.
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.
Well, the book of Acts ends
with the apostle Paul confined
under house arrest in Rome.
Rome was the largest city
in the ancient world,
populated by over one million people.
The city was full of three- to five-story apartment buildings,
crammed against each other,
surrounded by busy streets on all sides,
perhaps with a small interior courtyard within.
Most people rented small cubicles,
or simple two-room apartments,
with no running water,
little climate control,
and no soundproofing.
Rental prices were exorbitant,
four times higher than elsewhere in Italy,
but the apartments were notoriously badly maintained.
This is where Paul found himself,
stuck.
For two whole years,
awaiting trial,
verse 16 says,
Paul was allowed to stay by himself
with the soldier who guarded him.
He was literally chained to a guard.
The guard would rotate every four hours.
He was confined to his simple apartment,
and perhaps the hallways
and adjoining courtyard of his building.
He could receive visitors,
but he was restricted
from moving about freely.
Now, some of you
may be able to identify with Paul,
understand what he was feeling.
Perhaps you've visited people in prison,
or even spent time in prison,
or facing charges,
whether rightly or wrongly.
Maybe you know what that feels like.
But even if you've never been confined
for legal reasons,
I wonder if you felt stuck,
or isolated,
or confined.
Maybe you feel financially stuck.
You're in debt.
Or you don't have enough money
to get what you want.
Maybe you feel relationally isolated.
Perhaps you feel stuck in your house,
raising your kids.
You feel like you have few opportunities
for intellectual engagement,
an adult company.
Maybe you feel confined in a marriage
that isn't what you hoped
or expected it would be.
Maybe you feel geographically constrained.
Maybe you're here in New Haven
for one reason,
because your spouse is here,
and you would never choose
to live here yourself.
Or you're here because you're homeless.
You literally have nowhere else
but the shelter to stay.
Maybe you look around
at all the people from Yale,
and you think,
what am I here for?
I have no value in this city.
Or maybe you are at Yale.
Maybe you feel swamped
by five extracurricular organizations
recruiting you to join them.
Freshmen just wait for the bazaar this afternoon.
Or by massive amounts of reading
expected by your professors,
or by the demands of your lab
and the pressure to publish.
Maybe you feel vocationally confined.
Maybe you're unemployed.
All the doors seem to be closing on you.
Or maybe you have a job,
but it feels toilsome
and futile and draining.
What we see here
at the conclusion to the book of Acts
is the Apostle Paul confined and chained.
He's been a captive in Roman custody
for four and a half years.
Two years in Caesarea,
six months on the way to Rome,
two more years in Rome.
He stood trial
before the Jewish ruling council
in Jerusalem,
before Governor Felix
and Governor Festus
and King Agrippa in Caesarea.
And at the end of the book,
he's still awaiting a verdict.
But despite his prolonged confinement,
the Apostle Paul was not just surviving,
he was thriving.
He was proclaiming the kingdom of God
and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ
with all boldness
and without hindrance.
That word boldness
can also be translated joyful freedom.
It's a word that means openness,
courage,
straightforwardness,
fearlessness,
clear,
candid,
confident speech
without hindrance,
without being prevented
or restrained,
without giving up
or holding anything back.
Well, this morning,
I want us to see how
even when we feel
most stuck
and isolated
and confined
that we can not only survive
but thrive.
that by the power
of the Holy Spirit,
we can speak
of the risen Lord Jesus
with all boldness
and without hindrance.
This morning,
I want to look at two things
that Paul was convinced of.
Two things
that made him bold
and unhindered,
joyfully free
to not hold anything back
despite his physical captivity.
First of all,
Paul was convinced
of God's faithfulness
in fulfilling his promises
to the people of Israel.
Now, I would imagine
that if you feel stuck
or confined
or isolated
that probably most of us
don't immediately think about
God's promises long ago
to the people of Israel.
But this is actually
a crucial point.
Let me explain.
The reason why
Luke wrote
both the Gospel of Luke
and the Book of Acts
was to introduce Gentiles
in the Roman Empire
to a faith rooted in
the land,
the people,
and the scriptures
of Israel.
If you look at
the first few verses
of Luke and Acts,
Luke addresses a man
named Theophilus.
He calls him
Most Excellent Theophilus.
Luke chapter 1, verse 3.
Which may indicate
that Theophilus
was a high-ranking
Roman official.
Because Luke uses
that same term
to refer to
Governor Felix
and Governor Festus
in Acts 24 and 26.
But whoever Theophilus was,
the recipient of these books,
he seems to have been
a recent convert
to Christianity,
a new believer
who had some questions,
some uncertainties.
Luke says,
at the beginning
of his Gospel,
I'm writing these things
to you
in order to assure you
of the certainty,
of the trustworthiness,
of the things
that you have been taught.
Now perhaps you,
like Theophilus,
are new to Christianity.
Maybe you're new to church.
Perhaps you have
questions or doubts.
One of the ways
Luke goes about
reassuring Theophilus
of the trustworthiness
of the Christian faith
is by showing
that in Jesus,
God has fulfilled
his ancient promises
to the people of Israel.
You see,
long ago,
God promised Abraham
that his descendants
would grow into
a great nation
and that through
his offspring,
all the peoples
of the earth
would receive
God's blessing.
Now if you read
the Old Testament
at various times
throughout Israel's history,
it seems like
God's plan
and God's promise
were hanging by a thread
and nearly tanked.
Right?
At one point,
the people of Israel
are living in Egypt
and they're gradually
enslaved.
They're living
under the tyranny
of Pharaoh
who wants to
annihilate them.
They were despairing
and embittered
but God was faithful.
He raised up
Moses and Aaron
to set his people free.
Well,
once they escaped
from slavery in Egypt,
they wandered
in the desert
for 40 years
and sometimes
God himself
became so angry
at their complaining
and disputing
and faithlessness
and rebellion
against him
that he nearly
wiped them out.
But God raised up
Moses
to stand in the gap
and intercede
for them.
God was faithful
to preserve them
through the desert.
Later on,
they entered
the promised land
but then they were
divided
by internal rivalries
and threatened
by enemies
who were more powerful
than they
but God was faithful
once again.
He sent his Holy Spirit
on a man named David
and to save David
through mocking
and suffering
and rejection
and exile
and death threats.
And after David's suffering,
God raised David
up to glory
as the king
who unified
the people of Israel
and defeated
their enemies.
But then after David,
it all went downhill again.
The kingdom divided.
The nation of Israel,
instead of becoming
a light to the world,
they became
often just as corrupt
and immoral
and idolatrous
as everyone else.
Over and over,
God sent the prophets
to call them back
but they refused
to listen.
When God called Isaiah
to be a prophet,
he said,
go and tell this people
they will hear
and not understand.
They will see
but not perceive
because their hearts
have grown dull,
their ears heavy,
their eyes blind
and so the cities
will lie waste
without inhabitants,
houses without people.
The land will be
a desolate waste.
And in 587 BC,
that's exactly what happened.
Jerusalem was destroyed,
the people were carried
into exile.
It seemed like
it was all over.
But once again,
God was faithful.
He preserved a remnant
through the exile
and he brought them
back home once again.
Over and over
through the history
of Israel,
we see this pattern
that despite the people's
rejection
and unfaithfulness
that God was faithful
to his word
and he was faithful
to his people.
And in the gospel
of Luke,
what Luke shows us
is that in the coming
of Jesus,
God was faithful
to his promises
to Israel
by sending Jesus
into the world
to be the promised Messiah.
If you read
in Luke chapter 1,
Mary,
the mother of Jesus,
proclaims,
God has helped
his servant Israel
in remembrance
of his mercy
as he spoke
to our fathers,
to Abraham
and his offspring.
And then Zechariah
says a similar thing,
blessed be the Lord,
the God of Israel,
he's visited
and redeemed
his people.
He's raised up
salvation for us
in the house of David
as he spoke
through his holy prophets
from of old.
God's faithful
to his promises
and as Luke unfolds
the life of Jesus,
the way Luke tells
the story,
he shows us
that Jesus relived
the story of Israel.
Jesus spent 40 days
in the wilderness
where the people
of Israel
had spent 40 years
and rebelled
against God
and Jesus faced
the greatest temptation
of all,
Satan himself
and he stood firm
and he held on
to God's word
and then Jesus
went up to Jerusalem,
the city where David
had reigned as king
and many people
hailed him
as the king
who comes
in the name
of the Lord.
But Jesus reminded
his disciples
over and over
that his kingdom
would not be defined
by military force
but by service
and love.
And finally,
Jesus relived
Israel's greatest tragedy
of all,
the exile.
In his death
on a cross,
he was condemned,
rejected,
mocked,
and laid waste
and buried
in a tomb.
Once again,
it seemed like
it was all over.
But once again,
in the most glorious way,
God was faithful
just as God
had sustained David
through his suffering
and later raised him
up to glory.
God sustained Jesus
through his suffering
and death
and raised him up
to glory
through his resurrection
and not only that,
he exalted Jesus
as the promised Messiah
of Israel
and the rightful Lord
of all creation.
The child of Abraham
through whom all
the nations of the world
would receive God's salvation
and God's blessing.
That's what Luke
wants us to know.
And you might ask,
what does this have to do
with the apostle Paul
confined in his house
in Rome
and what does that
have to do with us today?
Well, look at what Paul did
in verse 17
when he finally got to Rome.
After three days,
doesn't waste any time,
he called together
the local leaders
of the Jews.
He intentionally engaged
the Jewish leaders
in Rome
as he had done
in every city
that he visited
because Paul was
deeply convinced
of God's faithfulness
to his promises
to Israel.
Paul said in verse 20,
it's because of the hope
of Israel
that I'm wearing
this chain.
Paul was absolutely
convinced
of God's faithfulness
to Israel
and so on the one hand,
Paul gladly identified
with his people.
Look at verse 17.
He talks about our people,
the customs of our fathers.
Verse 19,
he said,
I had no charge
to bring
against my nation.
Now,
Paul had been
beaten up
by a Jewish mob
in Jerusalem,
nearly killed,
falsely accused
of a capital offense
by some Jews
from Asia
who then no-showed
in court
during the trial.
Paul probably could
have launched
a countersuit
against them
for malicious prosecution.
He probably had
some evidence,
but he says,
I have no charge
to bring.
Even though
he had been
badly treated
by many Jews
in many different places,
Paul calls together
the Jews in Rome
and he says,
I want you to know
I have nothing
against you.
I have nothing
against our people.
I want to speak
with you.
I mean,
isn't that how
many people
become prejudiced
against one group
of people
or another?
They have bad experiences
with some people
in a particular group
and then they see
everyone in that group
through that lens.
But Paul did not
do that.
You see,
the Christianity
that Paul preached
and Luke wrote about
is not anti-Jewish
or anti-Semitic.
In one sense,
Christianity is not
a new religion
that began
2,000 years ago.
It's an outgrowth
of God's covenant
with Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob
that started
long before that.
The Apostle Paul
would have been horrified
at the history
of Christian
anti-Semitism
over the last
2,000 years.
Not only people
like Hitler
who twisted the cross
into a swastika
and certainly
was not a true Christian,
but even great
Christian leaders
like John Chrysostom
and Martin Luther
expressed deep hostility
toward Jews
as a people
on several occasions.
And then think
of all the ordinary
German Christians
during the Holocaust,
some of whom
acted heroically,
but many of whom
remained silent.
There's an ugly history
of Christians
being violent
at worst
and passive
at best
toward Jews
as a people.
We should recognize it
and pray that God
will cleanse our hearts
and give us
the burning love
that Paul had
for his own people
even when he had been
badly mistreated
by some of them.
Paul gladly identified
with the people
of Israel.
But at the same time,
Paul courageously testified
to his fellow Jews
about Jesus,
their Messiah
who called
for their allegiance.
Verse 23,
he tried to convince them
about Jesus,
both from the law
of Moses
and from the prophets.
In verse 25 to 27,
he issued a warning
and challenge
in the words
that Isaiah
had spoken long ago.
Paul did not believe
that God has one covenant
for Jews
and another covenant
for Gentiles
and therefore Christians
who were assumed
to be Gentiles
should not seek
to persuade Jews
to become believers
in Jesus.
Paul did not believe that.
Paul himself
was a Jewish believer
in Jesus the Messiah
and he wanted
every one of his Jewish
brothers in the flesh
to become his brothers
in the Messiah as well
and some did.
Verse 24,
some were convinced.
Now what does this look like
practically for us?
To believe
in God's faithfulness
to his promises
to Israel
fulfilled in Jesus.
Well for some of us
I think the first step
would be to become familiar
with the first half
of our Bible.
It's called
the Old Testament.
Paul reasoned about Jesus
from the Old Testament.
Many of us
don't have a clue
what half of the Old Testament
is all about.
Where do you start?
First,
read through the Old Testament
in large chunks
so you get the big picture.
Lots of people
get bogged down
in the details.
Focus on the big story.
Listen to it
while you're driving
in the car.
Or if you're strapped
for time,
read the first
and last chapter
of each book
and skim the rest.
It works sometimes.
It doesn't work
in Leviticus,
just a warning.
It works mostly
in the narrative books.
If you want
a study guide
to help you get
the big picture,
there's a great one
called Full of Promise.
It's not a long book.
It's a study guide
that will help you
see the big picture
of the Old Testament.
I'll give you one for free
if you want it,
if you'll use it.
Or come to the evening service
this fall.
We're preaching through
the book of 2 Samuel.
Focus on the life of David,
one of the central characters
in the Old Testament.
That's a great way
to dig into the Old Testament
or join a study group
that's focused on
reading through
an Old Testament book.
So first,
let's get to know
the Law and the Prophets,
the Hebrew Scriptures.
For some of us,
the first step
might be initiating
relationship
with your Jewish neighbors.
If you're a Yale student,
go eat at Slifka.
The food's great.
Or visit one of the Jewish services
over the High Holy Days
later this month.
Learn from the wisdom
that God has given
to the Jewish community
over the centuries.
If you have Jewish neighbors
or coworkers,
ask good questions.
Like,
tell me more about Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement.
What does that mean to you?
In Leviticus 16,
it says,
on one day of the year,
atonement shall be made
to cleanse the people
from all their sins.
But before you ask
your Jewish friend
what they think
about Yom Kippur,
reflect on
what the Apostle John says
in the New Testament.
the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses us
from all sin.
That Jesus is
that ultimate
cleansing sacrifice.
He has actually provided
that cleansing sacrifice
that deep down
we all know
we really need
in order to draw near
to God
and be made right
with God.
See,
as we listen well
to God's word
in the Old Testament,
as we listen well
to our Jewish neighbors,
we'll be able to testify
as Paul did,
courageously and freely,
about Jesus the Messiah,
the fulfillment
of God's promises
to Israel.
So that's the first thing
that Paul was convinced of.
God's faithfulness
to his promises
to Israel.
But the second thing
that he was convinced of
was God's purpose
to bring his salvation
to the nations.
Verse 28,
therefore let it be known
to you
that this salvation
of God
has been sent
to the Gentiles.
They will listen.
And we've seen this theme
throughout the book of Acts.
In Jesus the Messiah,
God has not only fulfilled
his ancient promises
to Israel,
he's carried forth
his eternal purpose
to bring salvation
to the world,
to the ends of the earth.
And this isn't just
a New Testament innovation.
The prophet Isaiah said
to Israel,
I will make you a light
for the nations
that my salvation
may reach the end
of the earth.
That was God's promise
to Abraham in the first place.
You see,
this is why
in writing a book
for Gentile Christians
in the Roman Empire
like Theophilus,
Luke cared so much
to establish
how God had been faithful
to his promises
to Israel.
I mean,
if you're a Gentile Christian
living now,
why does it matter
if you know
how God fulfilled
his promises to Israel?
Well,
one of the answers is
because in Jesus Christ,
God has now made promises
to you,
too.
And you need to know
how God was faithful
to his promises
in the past
so that you'll be confident
that he will likewise
fulfill his promises
to you in your life,
just like he did to them,
even when it seems
like all is lost,
even when you've
seriously messed up,
even when you're depressed
and can't see the light,
even when you feel stuck
and confined
and isolated.
God is faithful
to his promises,
just like he always
has been.
Luke wanted Theophilus
and all his readers
to know that the gospel
of Jesus is not just
some fringe Jewish sect.
It's not just for one
kind of people
in one part of the world.
It's for all kinds
of people everywhere.
And this is why
in the book of Acts,
Luke has taken us
on a long journey
from Jerusalem,
the focal point
of God's promises
to Israel,
all the way to Rome,
the largest city
in the world,
the capital
of the pagan empire,
with many twists
and turns
along the way.
You know,
if you've been journeying
with us
through the book of Acts
or if you've read through it,
consider the variety
of different people
that the gospel of Jesus
has touched
and transformed
along the way
from Jerusalem to Rome.
Educated Jewish scholars
like Paul
who went from being
a zealous enforcer
of the law
to a joyful
proclaimer of grace.
High-ranking Roman centurions,
soldiers like Cornelius
whose prayers
were answered
and on whom
the Holy Spirit fell.
Lonely African dignitaries
like the Ethiopian eunuch
who found in Jesus
a treasure
better than sons
and daughters,
better than traveling
the world.
Intellectual Athenian leaders
like Dionysius
and Damaris
who joined Paul
and believed
even when others mocked.
Well-to-do businesswomen
like Lydia
whose heart
was open to God
and who opened
her home to the church.
But it wasn't just
well-to-do
high-ranking
intellectual types.
It was also
disabled men
like Aeneas
who was set free
from inhibitions
and restored
to a life
of meaningful activity.
Devout women
like Tabitha
who spent her time
and resources
clothing vulnerable widows
with honor
and dignity.
Sleepy teenagers
like Eutychus
who became living examples
of the life-giving power
of Jesus.
He fell out the window
died
and was raised to life
all in the middle
of Paul's sermon.
And a hardened
Philippian jailer
who nearly killed
himself in terror
and that same night
found joy
and salvation
through faith in Jesus
along with his entire
household.
Luke wants us to see
the gospel of Jesus
is for men
and women
for rich
and poor
for Jew
and Gentile
for world leaders
and ordinary folks
for prisoners
and jailers
for able-bodied
and handicapped.
It's for all kinds
of people everywhere.
It's for you.
The book of Acts
is not a biography
of early church leaders.
It's not written
to glorify the exploits
of Peter and Paul
or compare them
to one another.
Interestingly,
Paul's story
is left unfinished.
For four and a half years
for the last eight chapters
he's been awaiting trial.
Standing trial five times
and then it gets continued
and passed on
to another court.
On the boat to Rome
an angel of the Lord
assured Paul
he would certainly
stand before Caesar
and then he gets to Rome
and the story ends.
No trial before Caesar.
No final verdict.
We're left wondering
would he be vindicated
or would he be martyred?
If you want to know
what happened to Paul
you have to piece together
the story from other sources.
Most likely
he was vindicated
and released
then carried out
a mission to Western Europe
perhaps to Spain
where he always wanted to go.
That would have been
the end of the earth
seen then.
Two or three years later
he came back to Rome
where he was arrested
and this time
beheaded by Emperor Nero.
That's the most likely
conclusion to Paul's life
that we can't be totally sure
but that's not where Luke
leaves us.
Luke doesn't leave us
marveling at Paul.
He leaves us marveling
at the prevailing power
of the word of God
to overcome all kinds
of opposition
as it spreads
from Jerusalem
to the end of the earth.
He doesn't wrap up
the story neatly.
He leaves us in the middle
of an ongoing story
because we are invited
to step into that story
and continue it.
Turn in your bulletin
to page four
the middle page.
There's an outline
of the book of Acts.
Chapter 1 verse 8
quoted at the top
the risen Lord Jesus
said to his disciples
you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit
comes upon you
and you shall be
my witnesses
in Jerusalem
and Judea
and Samaria
and to the end
of the earth.
And that's the progression
of the book of Acts
as you can see
in the outline.
Now Rome
would not have been seen
as the end of the earth.
It would have been seen
as the center of the empire.
But as they said
back then
all roads lead to Rome
and therefore
if you get to Rome
you can get anywhere.
And if the gospel
of Jesus
can take root in Rome
it can go anywhere
and everywhere.
Now along the way
from Jerusalem to Rome
the Christian message
and the Christian messengers
have faced
all kinds of opposition
both internal
within the church
and external
from opponents.
They faced opposition
in Jerusalem
from jealous
temple authorities
who wanted to shut down
the Jesus movement
from the start.
From deceptive church members
Ananias and Sapphira
who wanted to appear
sacrificially generous
when they really weren't.
From grumbling
Greek speaking widows
and neglectful
Hebrew speaking Christians
that nearly led
to a church split
right from the start.
From greedy magicians
in Samaria
who wanted to buy
the gift of God
with money.
From zealous
Jewish Christians
who wanted Gentile believers
to adopt
not only
the faith in the Messiah
but also their culture
and their traditions.
From slave owners
in Philippi
who made a fortune
off a fortune telling slave
and were furious
when she was set free.
From a violent mob
in Thessalonica
who accused the apostles
of turning the world
upside down.
From mocking intellectuals
in Athens
who were addicted
to novel ideas
but allergic
to Paul's proclamation
of the resurrection.
From well-meaning
but mistaken believers
in Tyre
who urged Paul
to take an easier road
instead of the difficult
and dangerous visit
to Jerusalem.
From self-serving judges
in Caesarea
who postponed their verdicts
in hope of a bribe.
From raging storms
on the Mediterranean
and poisonous stakes
on Malta
but none of these obstacles
could stop
the progress
of the word of God.
There are six major sections
in the book of Acts
and they each concluded
the summary statement
about the progress
of God's word
despite internal
and external opposition.
At the beginning
of this last major section
1921
Paul resolved
in the spirit
to go to Jerusalem
and then to Rome
and that's exactly
what he did.
Perhaps not in the way
he envisioned
but he got there.
And so Luke's
final summary statement
verse 31
is a word of triumph.
Despite Paul's chains
and confinement
being stuck
in his apartment
the message
of the kingdom of God
and the Lord Jesus Christ
goes forth boldly
and unhindered.
Even in Rome
Paul's chains
were the gospel's wings.
He was chained
to a guard
that rotated
every four hours
for Paul
that was an ongoing
opportunity
to speak about the gospel.
He had a captive audience
who couldn't leave him
even if they wanted to.
In Philippians 1
he wrote
I want you to know
brothers and sisters
that what has happened
to me
has really served
to advance the gospel.
It has become known
throughout the whole
imperial guard
and to all the rest
that my imprisonment
is for Christ.
Furthermore
the Christians in Rome
were encouraged.
Most of the brothers
and sisters
having become confident
in the Lord
by my imprisonment
are much more bold
to speak the word of God
without fear.
Other Christians
also spoke
with this joyful freedom
without holding anything back.
At the end of Philippians
chapter 4 verse 22
Paul refers to some
in Caesar's own household
who had become
believers in Jesus.
When Paul wasn't
proclaiming the kingdom of God
to his guards
or his inquiring visitors
or meeting with
his fellow Christians
who came to visit him
and care for his needs
he was writing.
Philippians
Ephesians
Colossians
Philemon
Ben Witherington
in his commentary
on Acts
concluded it this way
no obstacle
could hinder
the word of God
from reaching
the heart of the empire
and the hearts
of those who dwelled there
in the end
God was sovereign
and God
was faithful
to his word
and his people
no obstacle
was too great
for the God
who raised Jesus
to overcome
in bringing salvation
to the world
that he loved
and brothers and sisters
in the Lord Jesus Christ
there is no obstacle
that you are facing
in your circumstances
in your past
in your present
or in your future
that is too great
for the God
who raised Jesus
from the dead
to overcome
because he is sovereign
and he is faithful
to his word
and his people
even when you feel stuck
and isolated
and confined
you too can live
with all boldness
and without hindrance
as the word of God
dwells richly
in you
and when the word of God
dwells richly in you
the word of God
will go forth from you
into your workplace
into your marriage
into your college
into your apartment building
into the homeless shelter
into the prison
your prison
whatever that might be
brothers and sisters
live with joyful freedom
live without holding
anything back
God has been faithful
to his promises
to Israel
and God has purposed
to bring his salvation
to the ends of the earth
to all kinds of people
everywhere
including us
and now we are called
to carry on that story
let us pray
Almighty God
we thank you
for your faithfulness
to your word
and to your people
for your faithfulness
to your promises
to Israel
and for your purpose
to bring salvation
to the ends of the earth
and we pray
that you would empower us
as you did Paul
by your Holy Spirit
that we would
live and speak
with all boldness
and without hindrance
in Jesus name we pray
Amen