[Acts 28:11-31]
July 17, 2011 Second Reformed Church
Today, we come to the end of our look at the book of Acts. Over the past three years we have read and heard Luke’s description of the growth of the early Church from the Ascension and the Day of Pentecost through the ministries of Peter and Paul and others. After three years, what can we say? What’s the point?
Paul and his companions spent the storm season on the island of Malta and then boarded a ship bound for Italy, bearing the twin gods of Castor and Pollux on its bow. (Castor and Pollux were, allegedly, the sons of Zeus – also called Jupiter – and they were the gods of sailors and navigators.)
The first stop was on the eastern shore of the island of Sicily, at Syracuse – a day’s sail of about sixty miles – where they remained three days – perhaps while the owners of the ship engaged in trade. Then, they sailed for another day to the “toe” of Italy, stopping at Rhegium. Finally, sailing up the western coast of Italy, they landed in the port of Puteoli, and they left the ship.
When they arrived in Puteoli, Paul found that there were Christians living in the city – we will remember, Paul had written the letter to the Romans some time earlier, so there were Christians in Italy prior to Paul’s arrival. Whatever arrangements the centurion and soldiers were making allowed Paul to remain with the Christians for an entire week before he had to move on.
From there, they had to walk the thirty-seven miles to Rome.
As they walked towards Rome, word began to spread throughout Italy that Paul had finally arrived – not under the circumstances he had desired in his letter – but Paul had arrived. And Christians came from the Forum of Appius and from Three Taverns and other cities – that they might walk and talk with Paul for awhile on his journey to Rome. And Luke tells us that – on seeing his fellow Christians – Paul gave thanks to God and took courage.
And we might ask, “Why?” Hadn’t Paul already been visited by Jesus, Himself, as well as an angel, who comforted him and assured him that he would make it to Rome and preach the Gospel to Caesar Nero?
Yes, that’s true. And while the Promises of God are infallible and sure, so they are enough in-and-of themselves, God has condescended to our weakness and given us to help each other. So let us understand first this morning that God has given us fellow Christians to be a comfort and encouragement to us for which we ought to thank God.
Look around the sanctuary this morning: God has given us each other to comfort each other – to encourage each other – to stand by each other in the good times and the bad. We ought to give God thanks for each other, just as Paul did.
After Paul spent time with these Christians on the road to Rome, he was comforted and encouraged for the work he knew God had for him to do in Rome. And when he arrived in Rome, rather than be put in prison with the general populace, Paul was allowed to have a private room – perhaps because he had so proven himself on the voyage to Rome, perhaps because he was a Roman citizen.
And after three days, Paul called the local leaders of the Jews of Rome to him, and when they arrived, he gave his defense, as Luke summarizes it: First, “I have done nothing against the people or the customs of our forefathers, yet the Jews brought me to the Romans for punishment.” Second, “The Romans found me innocent of all charges.” Third, “The Jews were so insistent that I be put to death, that, for my own safety, I had no choice but to appeal to trial by Caesar.” Fourth, “All I did – the reason I am in chains – was preach the Hope of Israel, as it is recorded in the Law and the Prophets.”
What is “the Hope of Israel”?
The Hope of Israel is that God would send a Messiah – a Savior – Who would make God’s people right with Him again. And the primary sign of the Savior would be that He would be put to death and then physically rise from the dead.
Our hope has not changed, because Paul explains that all those who believe in the Savior God sent are the Israel of God (cf. Romans 9). We ought to understand, secondly, that Jesus is the One and Only Savior God has sent – the Only Savior God will ever send, and God has proven that Jesus is the Savior by physically raising Him from the dead. And, therefore, we have the promise that we will also physically rise from the dead. Our hope is Jesus; the Savior Who makes us right with God and will bring us – alive – into His Kingdom on earth.
The Jews responded to Paul by telling him that they had not received any letters or any word from any individual from Jerusalem about Paul and what he taught and why he was now in prison. However, they were interested to hear what he had to say – what he was teaching – because they had heard about the Way – also called “Christianity” – and they understood that everyone spoke against it – every Jew said that Christianity was a heresy – it was not true.
Paul promised that he would explain himself and his teaching before anyone who would hear him. And Luke tells us that Paul invited them to meet him at his lodging – at his house. At some point, Paul had been moved from the prison and transferred to a house, which he was renting – as we see in verse thirty. Paul would have been under some form of house arrest at this time, and he would have had a guard watching over him, but he had a great deal of liberty. So, Paul invited all of the Jews of Rome to come hear him speak on the Hope of Israel.
They came early in the morning, and Paul preached from early morning until evening testifying of the Kingdom of God to them, and expounding the Scripture – showing them that the Law and the Prophets were fulfilled in Jesus – the long-awaited Savior. This is what Jesus did, as well, as Luke records, “And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-26, ESV).
This was the pattern of Jesus and the apostles and the disciples – show how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies. We also see that the order was to be first to the Jews: Jesus said, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Mark 7:27b). And Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).
Let us remember, thirdly, that the Gospel that we believe in – the Hope we believe in – is the fulfillment of the promise to the Jews. Christianity is a historical religion, which takes place and is proven in history. We can look at prophecies that were made and see them fulfilled in Jesus. “Here’s what was prophesied for the Jews. Here is where it was fulfilled in history. So, it is true.”
But what happened? After Paul preached for about twelve hours, Luke tells us, “And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.” How could that be? How could Paul show them that the Law and the Prophets say that the Savior would be this and that and do this and that and show them that Jesus was this and that and Jesus did this and that – and still some say “No, I don’t believe”?
Paul quoted from the Septuagint translation of the book of Isaiah, “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 with their eyes they can barely see, 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’” (Isaiah 6:9-10, Septuagint).
God is saying that we are to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ – Jesus is the One Savior that God has sent for all those who will believe – but it was never God’s intention that everyone would believe – and some will refuse to believe, even when the facts of Christianity are put before them.
When Paul quoted this text, the Jews began to walk out, and Paul said, “Therefore, [since you refuse to believe], let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, they will listen.” Paul talked about this in Romans 9 – since the Jews rejected Jesus, God sent His Salvation to the non-Jews – to the Gentiles.
We see, fourth, that in Rome, God fulfilled the prophecy made way back in the beginning of the book of Acts – some thirty years earlier, when Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV)
At the beginning of the book of Acts, we saw the Gospel being preached in Jerusalem. It went out through all of Judea and Samaria – through the territories of Israel and the descendants of Israel. And then the Gospel spread to the Gentile lands, finally ending up – now – in Rome – at the end of the known – civilized – world. God promised the apostles that the Holy Spirit would indwell them and lead them through Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth – symbolically, Rome. With Paul’s ministry in Rome – and preaching to Caesar Nero, this had happened.
Luke ends his book by telling us that Paul lived for two years in this house that he rented in Rome. He welcomed anyone who would come to hear him preach and teach about the Kingdom of God and Salvation in Jesus Alone. And he did so with all boldness and without hindrance. Paul was allowed to preach and teach from his house and no one tried to stop him for two years; Paul didn’t quietly preach the Gospel in his house, he preached boldly, and no one lay a hand on him.
Is that amazing? After being hunted down and driven to Rome, no one tried to kill him, no one tried to stop him from preaching salvation in Jesus Alone – for two years he freely and boldly preached the Gospel.
And then?
Well, that’s it; that’s where the book of Acts ends. And we might ask, “Why?” Why isn’t the death of Paul and the other apostles recorded for us in the Holy Scripture?
Because the point of the book of Acts is not Paul or Peter or Timothy or Luke or Barnabas or John Mark or any of the other people we have met over the past three years. Yes, these people are important and the history is given to us to guide us as we follow after God, but it’s not the point – it’s not the main theme -- it’s not the central theme – it’s not what’s most important. Neither is the point you or me or anything we might do or not do in response to what we have read and heard – though we ought to be different people than we were at the beginning of our study.
The point of the book of Acts – the point of every word of Scripture – is Jesus. God the Son came to earth in the Person of Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect – righteous – life under God’s Law – He never sinned. Jesus suffered and was put to death, taking on God’s Wrath for our sins – standing in our place – crediting His Righteousness to our accounts so God would look at us and see someone who has perfectly kept the Law without sinning. Jesus physically rose from the dead, and now we have the assurance of a physical resurrection. Jesus ascended back to the Throne of the Son at the Right Hand of the Father, where He now reigns Sovereign over all of Creation – and all things are coming to pass for the Sake and the Glory of Jesus. And Jesus will come again – to judge the living and the dead, and to bring in the new heavens and the new earth – where all those who believe in Jesus Alone for salvation will live with Him for all of eternity.
The point is Jesus.
The apostles and the disciples went forth proclaiming Jesus at home and to the ends of the world because He physically rose from the dead. There are many other wonderful things in the Bible, but without the Physical Resurrection of Jesus – and all of the things it proves – you’ve missed the point.
Before time began, God chose to create, and He planned that the Son would come to earth in the Person of Jesus to save us from our sins and the Wrath of God for our sin – to make us right with God – eternally.
God chose a people to bless, and God has kept every promise He ever made, including that Jesus would be born, a Son of David. Jesus lived, died, rose in the Body in which He died and then ascended back to the Father.
Jesus sent the apostles and the disciples – and us – to go out – to tell others Who Jesus is.
The point is Jesus. Our Hope is Jesus. Our future is Jesus.
That’s why we don’t have all the facts about the people through whom God worked – because it’s not the point. There are secular historians who report what happened to them, but Luke does want us to get confused: the Work of Jesus is not done. Jesus is still working through us. Jesus is the Only Savior. Jesus proved Himself by physically rising from the dead.
God has given us each other that we would comfort and encourage and help each other.
The Hope that we have is that Jesus is the Savior God has sent, Whom He proved by physically raising Him from the dead.
The Hope that we have in Jesus is first the Hope of Israel.
As God promised, that Hope was – and continues to be – preached and given to the Jews, and God has graciously given this Hope also to the Gentiles – the non-Jews – even to the ends of the world. We see this fulfilled in the end of the book of Acts.
And we understand – at the end of all this history – the point is that God the Savior, Jesus, came and physically rose from the dead, proving that He is the Only Savior – the Only Way to be right with God.
Let’s worship Him through prayer:
Almighty God, we thank You for the record of the early Church as Luke has recorded it in the book of Acts. We thank You for being Jesus, the One God, the Only Savior, and we worship You for Who You are and praise You for Your Mercy and Grace shown to us. Lord, use us that You would receive all the Glory. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
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