The End of the Beginning

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SERMON

Nearly three years after World War II began, the Allied Powers had little to celebrate. Before November 1942, the British forces had faced years of frustrating setbacks. Everything changed in the Battle of El Alamein (al-ah-mane). After a series of defeats from Dunkirk to Singapore, Winston Churchill could finally tell the British House of Commons that "we have a new experience. We have victory - a remarkable and definite victory."

On November 10, 1942, Winston Churchill gave a speech about that victory where he uttered these famous words: “It was a deadly battle. The Germans have been outmatched and outfought with every kind of weapon with which they had beaten down so many small peoples and, also, larger, unprepared peoples. . . . The Germans have received that measure of fire and steel which they have so often meted out to others. Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”i

On June 9, 2019, we began our study in the book of Acts. We titled this series Church on Mission because that’s exactly what this book is about. The early church was not a museum to tradition or a monument to the past. She was a movement on mission taking the Good News of the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Thirteen months later, we have finally arrived at the end of this book. But it matters greatly how we think of this ending. Is it the end? Is it the beginning of the end? Or is it, perhaps, just the end of the beginning?

Turn in your Bibles to Acts 28:11. Paul is on his way to Rome to stand trial before Nero, the most powerful man in the world. Last week we watched as he was shipwrecked and run aground on an island called Malta. This morning we’ll watch him arrive in Rome at last. And we’ll watch as his story ends, somewhat abruptly. But I want to suggest to you that the ending of Acts is merely the end of the beginning of what God wants to do in and through His people.

When I say the ending of Acts is merely the end of the beginning, I’m not saying we’re called to do different or better things than what Peter, John, Stephen, Phillip, Barnabas, Paul, and others did. Let us beware a “chronological snobbery” that believes we can somehow improve upon the wisdom of the ancients. By saying the ending of Acts is merely the end of the beginning, I’m saying we’re called to continue being a church on mission. I’m saying we’re called to follow in the footsteps of the believers in Acts and take the Good News to the next generation. So from Paul’s example in Acts 28, I want to show you four steps we must take if we want the story to continue through us.

1) Don’t Underestimate the Goodness of Christ’s Church

From the beginning of this study I told you that being on mission is not an individual activity, but a group effort. The Great Commission is a team sport. The local church is an essential part of God’s plan to reach the nations. And that’s certainly true as Paul’s story nears a conclusion:

Act 28:11-15—After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. (12) Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. (13) And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. (14) There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. (15) And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

We sometimes forget that the Apostle Paul was a normal human being with struggles just like us. He was not Jesus, and he was not a superhero. As we near the end of Paul’s story, he’s endured years of non-stop persecution. He’s been falsely accused, publicly beaten, wrongfully imprisoned, storm-tossed, shipwrecked, and snake-bitten. But oh, what a beautiful image we see in verses 14-15! Paul nears the city limits of Rome and in God’s kindness he is welcomed for a week by a local church. And notice Paul’s response to the local church: he thanks God and he takes courage.

Why do you need to take courage from the church? Think of a boxer in the middle of a fight. He’s taking a beating in the ring, but the bell rings and the round is over. The boxer sits on a stool in the corner. His mouthpiece is cleaned. The blood and sweat is wiped off his face. He’s given something to drink. The wounds on his face are treated. While all that is being done, he’s listening as his team speaks to him. And when it’s all over, the boxer has taken courage by being in the corner.

I think that’s the way we should think about gathering as a church. We’re in the middle of a spiritual battle as we strive to shepherd sinners from lost to leader. From Monday-Saturday we’re taking a beating. Then Sunday comes and it’s like sitting in the corner of the boxing ring. We’re washed up, are wounds are treated, and we hear words of truth that give us courage.

But here’s the deal, church. That stool in the corner of the boxing ring is only appealing from inside the ring. If you’re in the stands, you don’t want to sit on that stool. You don’t need to sit on the stool. Your life is fine! You’re comfortable! Could it be that many of us fail to see the goodness of the church because we’re in the stands instead of in the ring? If you’re trying to live your best life now, you don’t need the church. If you’re not interested in making disciples, you don’t need the church.

But just like the boxer in the ring wouldn’t dream of missing that stool when the bell rings, the Christian on mission wouldn’t dream of missing the opportunity to take courage by gathering with God’s people. And from that perspective it’s easy to thank God for the church, isn’t it?

I thank God for PBC!!!

The ending of Acts is only the end of the beginning. But if we want the story to continue through us, we must not underestimate the goodness of Christ’s church.

2) Don’t Underestimate the Wisdom of Christ’s Providence

Remember, the mission of the church is to go and make disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. In a sense, the city of Rome was the ends of the earth for the ancient world. It was the center of art, culture, wealth, power, entertainment, and education. It was a sprawling metropolis, an ancient superpower. Living in Rome was a lot like living in the United States today. It’s citizens were more educated, more wealthy, more privileged, better fed, and better entertained than anybody else in the world. Paul had wanted to visit Rome for years. But now that he’s there, look at the circumstances of his arrival:

Acts 28:16-22—And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. (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.”

Paul finally makes it to Rome, but he’s a prisoner in chains! The historian Josephus wrote that Paul was chained at the wrist to an imperial soldier on four-hour shifts. How can this be right? How is Paul supposed to be a faithful missionary in Rome if he can’t even go anywhere or do anything without the oversight of a Roman guard? Wasn’t Paul discouraged? Well maybe he was sometimes, but we know from Paul’s letters that he didn’t underestimate the wisdom of Christ’s providence. He knew that, whether he was chained or not, Jesus was in control and He had a wise plan behind whatever happened to him.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written during this time. Many believe he was literally chained to a Roman soldier as he wrote. Listen to what he said about this imprisonment in Philippians 1:12-14—I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, (13) so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. (14) And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Did you catch that? The entire imperial guard—a body of soldiers some estimate at ten thousand strong—heard the Good News about Jesus! How could they not? They took four-hour turns being chained to the wrist of one of the most powerful evangelists of all time! It might have seemed like Paul’s imprisonment was an obstacle, but in the wise hands of a sovereign God what looks like an obstacle is a Gospel opportunity. Don’t underestimate the wisdom of Christ’s providence.

What if instead of complaining about the obstacle of facemasks, we saw them as a Gospel opportunity? What would it look like for you as a follower of Jesus to see these executive orders as an opportunity to creatively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

What about protests? What if instead of ranting, raving or eye-rolling, we looked at the unrest in our nation as an opportunity to point people to the One who gives us rest?

What if instead of trying to bring America back to some former “golden age” before the rise of political correctness and wokeness, we saw these obstacles as opportunities? What if we really believed the Gospel light shines brightest when the lights go out? What if we stopped trying to win arguments and started trying to win people?

What would it look like if we saw closed schools and shuttered businesses as a Gospel opportunity? What if instead of signing petitions and sharing angry posts on social media we looked for opportunities to take the Good News of Jesus to a terrified age?

Christian: Jesus is not surprised by anything that has happened in our country in the past four months (or the past forty years!). He’s not a frustrated chess player trying to decide his next move. He is as sovereign now as He’s ever been, and He’s put you and me in this world at this time so that we can reach this generation with the Good News of Christ!

The ending of Acts is only the end of the beginning. But if we want the story to continue through us, we must not underestimate the wisdom of Christ’s providence.

3) Don’t Underestimate the Power of Christ’s Gospel

Paul is not content with merely doing good to the people of Rome. This is not a mere humanitarian visit. Paul has a message to communicate, the same message that has been given to us to communicate today, the message of the Gospel.

Whenever he goes into a new city, he has the same pattern. Explain the Gospel to Jewish people first, and then go to the Gentiles. In verse 17 he called the Jews together and began by explaining why he was in chains. Now let’s see what happens next:

Acts 28:21-28—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.

What are Paul’s hearers convinced about? They’re convinced about the truthfulness of Paul’s message; what Christians call the Gospel. The word “Gospel” literally means “Good News,” and it’s the message the people of God are proclaiming from the beginning to the end of this book. Although the word “Gospel” isn’t mentioned in this passage, it’s the message Paul is proclaiming in verse 23: “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.”

Paul is testifying about the Kingdom of God, which clues us in that this “Good News” is about a kingdom. And because it’s good news about a kingdom, there must also be a king. He’s trying to convince them about Jesus, which suggests the king is Jesus Himself. The fact that Paul is trying to convince them about King Jesus means that Jesus’ rule must be doubted or contested to some degree. The fact that all these discussions are rooted in the Law of Moses and the Prophets means the good news of this kingdom was long ago foretold.

At least three decades before Paul’s speech, Jesus Himself said this in Mark 1:14-15 about the good news of the kingdom: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, (15) and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

I was talking to a friend the other day about the Gospel. This brother was a pastors’ kid who grew up in the church, but admitted that until recently he couldn’t have clearly articulated the message of the Gospel. So here’s the question: can you?

Often we explain the Gospel using four C’s—creation, curse, cross, call—so let me give you another way to understand it this morning. Think of the Gospel using four words: God, Man, Christ, and Response.

First, the Gospel begins with God. He has existed for eternity as one God in three persons: Father, Son and Spirit. For eternity past God has needed nothing. He was and always has been the most satisfied Being in the universe.

Despite being completely satisfied in Himself, God decided to create a universe teeming with life to showcase His glory. And the pinnacle of that creation was the species Man. He made our first parents, Adam and Eve and placed them in a garden paradise. The Bible says they and their offspring were created in God’s image, which means they were designed to reflect and represent God to the rest of creation. In a way, Adam was created to be king.

But the throne of Adam and Eve would not last long. In a universe filled with “yes,” God gave them one “no.” Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet that’s exactly what Adam and Eve did. Their rebellion is what the Bible calls sin. When our first parents sinned against God, the entire human race was cursed. Instead of a garden paradise, we would now live in a world plagued by suffering. To make matters worse, the pandemic of sin would now infect every single person who descended from Adam and Eve. Every single person except One.

Because God loved us, He sent His Son Jesus the Christ to restore the Kingdom, to renew the paradise that was lost. But because God is holy, we could not be restored unless our sinful rebellion was first dealt with. So the eternal Son of God became a man, born of a virgin. He grew into adulthood and lived His entire life free from sin. Like Adam, Jesus was tempted by a serpent. But unlike Adam, Jesus resisted. The true King had finally arrived.

But God’s plan was not complete. It was not enough to crown Jesus as King, because His subjects were still plagued by the disease of sin. So Jesus did something that, at the time, nobody understood. Jesus willingly died. He was arrested, falsely accused, beaten, flogged, and crucified. But He wasn’t dying as a martyr. He knew this would happen. He chose this path. Why? Because He was taking the penalty we deserve for our sin upon Himself. He was dying in our place. Three days later Jesus rose from death, securing His rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That’s the Good News of the Kingdom of God!

But the story still isn’t over. God wants you to be a citizen of this Kingdom. Nobody is born a citizen, and it’s impossible to work for your citizenship. There needs to be a Response. You must do exactly what Jesus said in Mark 1:15, you must repent and believe. To repent means to turn away. You admit and confess your sin. You admit that (like Adam), you too have rebelled against God. You stop trying to live a life like you’re the king or queen. You give up control of your life and turn it over to King Jesus. Tobelievemeans to trust. Even though you can’t see the kingdom or the King, you trust that it’s all true. You believe that Jesus really did what the Bible says He did, and that He really is coming again to consummate His kingdom. And you live your life in light of these truths.

That’s the message we believe as Christians. But if we’re honest, we sometimes lose confidence in this message. We become discouraged because people don’t respond, or we get embarrassed because it’s not a popular message. But we dare not underestimate the power of Christ’s Gospel. As Paul says in Romans 1:16—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.

Even when people reject the Gospel, we dare not underestimate it’s power. Look at Paul’s example in Acts 28:25-28—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.”

Everywhere Paul went he proclaimed the Gospel “to the Jew first, and then to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Everywhere he went, Jewish people rejected the Gospel he preached. So in Rome he paraphrases Isaiah 6:9-10 to show them the folly of their rejection. By the way, Paul is in good company because in Matthew 13:14-15 Jesus quoted the same passage. People rejected Jesus’ message too.

But Paul wasn’t giving up. Paul knew, as one Bible teacher says, “There is nothing defective in the message. The defect is in the audience’s sinfulness.”ii

If you were a farmer scattering seed, and most of the seed fell on rocky ground and didn’t take root, what would you do? Would do you give up? Would you throw the seed away, concluding it must be bad seed? Or would you try different soil?

We know what Paul did, don’t we? He concludes, not that his Gospel seed is defective, but the soil of their hearts was defective. So in verse 28 he makes it clear that he’s going to take this message to the Gentiles.

If you’re not a believer, I want to plead with you not to allow these verses to be true of you. Don’t leave having heard, but not understanding. Having seen, but not perceiving. Don’t leave with a heart that’s grown dull, with ears that can barely hear, with eyes that are closed. If you want to believe, but you’re struggling I encourage you to pray a simple prayer: “God, I want to understand. Help!”

If you prayed something like that and you meant it, don’t leave here without talking to someone. You’re surrounded by people who know the only One who can rescue you! I promise, if you ask to talk to someone near you after the service, we’ll be happy to talk with you more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We even have Christians in this room who would be happy to spend some time during the week explaining to you in-depth what Christianity means.

If you’re a believer, don’t allow fear of rejection to keep you from spreading Gospel seed. Jesus told us this would happen. Think about how many times you had to hear the Good News before it finally sank into your hard heart. But don’t underestimate the power of Christ’s Gospel.

The other day I was finishing a book on evangelism, and the author mentioned in passing that many of our Christian brothers and sisters live in countries where evangelism is banned. My Christian extended family members live in countries with laws against evangelism, and I find myself occasionally complaining about laws against uncovered faces. That’s when it dawned on me. Which would be a greater personal inconvenience: laws against evangelism, or laws about facemasks? The truth is, if we’re honest, that for most of us (myself included) our lives would be far less disrupted by a law against evangelism. Perhaps for some of you, if our government made evangelism illegal it wouldn’t change anything about your life.

Could that be evidence that we’ve underestimated the power of the Gospel?

The ending of Acts is only the end of the beginning. But if we want the story to continue through us, we must not underestimate the power of Christ’s Gospel.

4) Don’t Underestimate our Responsibility to Persevere

Luke’s writing concludes with a short summary of Paul’s ministry in Rome. Acts 28:30-31—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.

That’s it! There’s nothing about Paul’s trial before Emperor Nero. Nothing about his eventual martyrdom. You might read this and think it’s like the ending of the TV show Lost. It was such a great journey, but the destination is underwhelming!

There’s all sorts of guesses about why Luke finishes the story this way. Some people think maybe something happened to Luke so the story remained unfinished. Others think Luke got separated from Paul and didn’t know what happened. I think the ending was deliberate. I think Luke is trying to make a point.

This story isn’t about the Acts of Paul, or anybody else for that matter. It’s about the Acts of Jesus by His Spirit through His people. And Jesus isn’t done working yet. So Luke ends the story on a cliffhanger because the story isn’t over! We must persevere until the end!

Paul’s story doesn’t begin well. When we first met him in Acts 7, he’s supervising the death of a Christian named Stephen. But his story ends well, doesn’t it? Listen to what he wrote in his final letter as he awaited his execution: 2 Timothy 4:6-8—I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. (7) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (8) Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

We know from several ancient historians that shortly after writing these words Paul was beheaded by Nero sometime between AD 64-68. Even though his life ended at an executioner’s sword, his life ended better than it began. Paul persevered until the end.

What about you, Christian? Will your story end better than it began? Will you persevere? The only way to ensure that is by persevering now. Be faithful today. And that’s not merely true for us as individuals, but for us as a church. God forbid that we become a museum or a monument. We’re called to be a movement, to be a church on mission, to persevere in faithfulness no matter the circumstances no matter the cost.

The ending of Acts is only the end of the beginning. But if we want the story to continue through us, we must not underestimate our call to persevere.

Just 11 days before his famous “end of the beginning” speech, Winston Churchill gave another memorable speech that may have turned the tide of history. I’m sure to many at the time this speech seemed small and insignificant. For one, it was a short speech. The entire thing can be read in just a few minutes. Most of the speech is rather routine and not particularly noteworthy. But it wasn’t just the content of the speech that would’ve made it seem insignificant. It was also the audience: it was delivered to a group of coal-mine operators and miners.

In those days, coal miners were low on the social ladder and were not well respected. Because of their brutal working conditions, many believed military service would be a welcome relief from their difficult circumstances. But Winston Churchill knew the work in the coal mines was not insignificant. He knew that without the miners faithfully harvesting coal, the battle could not be won. So on October 31, 1942, he concluded his speech to those lowly men with these words:

“We must not cast away our great deliverance; we must carry our work to its final conclusion. We shall not fail, and then some day, when children ask ‘What did you do to win this inheritance for us, and to make our name so respected among men?’ one will say: “I was a fighter pilot”; another will say: “I was in the Submarine Service”; another: “I marched with the Eighth Army”; a fourth will say: “None of you could have lived without the convoys and the Merchant seamen”; and you, in your turn, will say, with equal pride and with equal right: “We cut the coal.”iii

To many, Poquoson Baptist Church may seem like an insignificant people in an insignificant place. We don’t have a lot of the sparkle that other, seemingly more important churches seem to have. We don’t have massive crowds. We don’t have multiple campuses or services. We don’t have the newest technology or the flashiest facilities. We don’t have a million-dollar budget. We don’t have world class preachers, teachers, or musicians.

But here’s what we do have: we have a promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s church. Even if we seem small and insignificant in the eyes of the world, we matter in the eyes of our King. And in His unshakeable providence He has placed us right here, right now. And He’s given us an unstoppable message and an unshakeable mission. So let’s not grow weary in well doing, church. This is just the end of the beginning.

ENDNOTES

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i Sir Winston S. Churchill, The End of the Beginning (New York: RosettaBooks, 1943).

ii William J. Larkin Jr., Acts, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 390.

iii Churchill, The End of the Beginning.