Half Full or Half Empty?

ILLUS: have a glass of water only half full. ask: can anyone tell me what this is? It is a glass. It is a glass with water in it. Is the glass half full or half empty? It is both, right? But my perception may persuade me to think one way vs another.

In Northern NY it can rain quite a bit, and it can even be rainy and cold. BUT, there are some of us that will chime in with, “it could be worse.... it could be ___________” (snowing). Perspective. There is probably always something better or someone that has it better. There is also probably something worse and someone worse off.

Last week we left off with Paul in Rome, under house arrest. While most of us might think of being stuck in a house all the time a very unpleasant thing, for Paul this might have been a bit of a relief!

no vipers

no shipwrecks

no threats on his life

no going 2 weeks without any food

Perspective really is everything when our circumstances are less than our ideal. As we wrap up the book of Acts we are left with the question - was Paul’s glass half full or half empty?

We finished last week with these verses: ⭐

Acts 28:17–22 CSB

17 After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; even though I had no charge to bring against my people. 20 For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.” 21 Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”

Paul called the Jewish leaders together and gave his defense. Apparently, he did not need to because they had not heard anything about him. BUT, they had heard about these “Christians”. They called them a “sect”. And they said that people everywhere are “speaking against them”.

Well, that would only be a partial truth.

Those who were offended or threatened by the teaching of Jesus and those who could not accept Jesus as the Messiah might have been speaking bad about followers of Jesus. However, those who did believe, and for those who felt the positive effects of the ministry of Jesus, they would have spoken well of the “sect”. We saw this on the island of Malta.

This is really no different today. Many see the teachings of Jesus as freeing and life giving, which they are! Others see Jesus and his teachings, and therefore us, as a threat or nuisance and will speak ill of Christians.

So, lets continue and see how the story ends: ⭐

Acts 28:23–24 CSB

23 After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.

So Paul does what he does best… he talks all day long! He shared what the Law & Prophets said about the Messiah and then attempted to show them that Jesus fills the description. Paul was obviously passionate about the gospel, and a great communicator.

ask: so why didn’t everyone believe?

Because faith in Jesus is not automatic. For some it is a logical conclusion. For others, it is an emotional commitment. Some will find it amazing and irresistible and other might find it hard to believe, illogical or perhaps even repugnant. Though Paul was a great communicator, well educated, and passionate, not every was willing to believe his message.

Remember: we share, but God has to do the work of saving people. WE can try to persuade people - that is what it says Paul did. But we cannot MAKE people follow God. You cannot legislate, mandate or coerce people into it. You are not born into it either. Each person must hear and respond - one way or the other.

Some were persuaded. Others did not believe. That is, and will continue to be the way that people respond to the good news of salvation. Forgiveness by faith, a gift from God will draw some in and push others away.

But, Paul’s desire is for ALL of them to believe! But he understood that no matter what he said, or how hard he tried, only some would believe. ⭐

1 Corinthians 9:22b (CSB)

22 I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.

There are a lot of absolutes in Paul’s words, but when it comes to people responding to the gospel, he says he hopes that “some” will be saved. That is not a lack of faith. That is an understanding of the heart of men and women.

So, Paul spoke to the Jewish leaders in Rome first. Again, that was his practice to speak to the Jewish brothers and sisters first. Normally he would have gone to the synagogue to meet them, but he could not - so they made a house call. The leaders listened all day - until.... ⭐

Acts 28:25–28 CSB

25 Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said, Go to these people and say: You will always be listening, but never understanding; and you will always be looking, but never perceiving. 27 For the hearts of these people have grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, 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.”

Paul certainly knows how to pull a quote, right? I think he is the kinda guy that would quote Romans 8:28 to you after a shipwreck and imprisonment. lol

He quotes Isaiah: ⭐

Isaiah 6:9–10 CSB

9 And he replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. 10 Make the minds of these people dull; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.

In Isaiah 6, Yahweh tells Isaiah to go to the Jews and give them a message. Paul does a great job of repeating that message. But before we delve into that message, I want us to see what he added verse 28: ⭐

Acts 28:28 CSB

28 Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

That was not in Isaiah, at least not in 6:9-10. But that is certainly what we have seen throughout the book of Acts. The Messiah did not only come to the Jews, but to the world - the the Gentiles as well. I think we will be looking at that theme more next week as it has been a major theme.

So lets go back to the passages in Isaiah 6 and Acts 28 and see what they say:

You will

always be listening -> but not understanding

always be looking -> but not perceiving

This was a judgement from God to the nation Israel back in Isaiah’s day and a sentence was issued: you will always be listening and looking but never finding or understanding.

Sentences are handed down because of the actions or a people group. I might get a fine for breaking a speed limit. My action, speeding, would cause a judgement to be handed down on me, a sentence given - perhaps a fine. We refer to this as justice.

Why did Yahweh choose to sentence Israel to this? What did they do to receive such as judgement? ⭐

FOR their

hearts are callous

ears are hard of hearing (deaf)

eyes are blind

OTHERWISE they might

see with their eyes

hear with their ears

understand with their hearts

AND TURN

and God would heal them

The chiasm here a-b-c-c-b-a is a common way to make a point. In this case it is to show the problem: they have heart, ear and eye problems. It is not just that they are slow to believe.

Callous hearts are hard hearts. I have calluses on my fingertips from playing guitar. The skin is dead and I cannot feel anything. They had hearts that were hard and unfeeling towards God, and ultimately God the Son.

They were choosing to be deaf to what they were hearing. They had the Law and the Prophets telling them what the Messiah would be like and what God would do through the Messiah and they were choosing not to listen.

And they were choosing to be blind to what had been seen. The miracles should have been enough, but they kept seeking signs because they chose to ignore what their eyes saw.

This passage from Isaiah is actually referenced in each of the four gospel accounts, as well as in Romans. We also had a reference to it in the beginning of Acts - which is somewhat ironic.

Stephen said to the Jews in Jerusalem: ⭐

Acts 7:51 CSB

51 “You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your ancestors did, you do also.

While not a direct quote, it is an obvious reference. Their hearts are not committed to God and their ears are deaf to God’s words. After saying that, he was dragged out of the city and stoned to death - under the direction of a man named Saul. That Saul is the same man who now says the same message to the Jews in Rome.

The difference between the Saul of Acts 7 and the Paul of Acts 28 is NOT a name change, but a change of heart because of an encounter with the risen Jesus.

The missing verse 29?

ask: can someone read verse 29 for me?

Acts 28:29 (GB) ⭐

29 And when he had said these things, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among them selves.

Your bible may just jump from verse 28 to 30. You might have a footnote, or you might have a commentary entry that looks like this: ⭐

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (28:29)

28:29. Some Greek manuscripts add, “After he said this, the Jews left, arguing vigorously among themselves” (NIV marg.). Probably this verse should not be included in the text, though this undoubtedly was their response (cf. v. 25).

Often, when we read something like this, or see a verse skipped, it is because the older translations like the YLT had it in the manuscripts that were available at the time of the translation. Since that time more manuscripts may have been found that did NOT include that verse. This would then be considered by most a scribal comment and not part of the original text.

While the content of verse 29 may have been true, it is omitted from the text in most of our modern bibles. So let’s continue on to verse 30:⭐

Acts 28:30–31 CSB

30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

2 more years! Paul stayed in a rented house and had to provide his own food as well as rent, all without leaving the house because he was under house arrest the entire time.

The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Twenty-Four: Paul Arrives in Rome (Acts 27–28))

Paul kept “open house” and received anybody who wanted to discuss the things of the kingdom of God. He was chained to a guard who was relieved every six hours, but who was forced to listen as Paul preached and taught and prayed. No wonder some of them were saved!

So as we wrap up the book of Acts, we have record of 4.5-5 years of Paul’s life being spent chained to a soldier, in prison for doing nothing wrong. This is a man who traveled great distances to share the good news with massive crowds - now confined to a single house, chained to a guard.

ask: Was Paul’s glass half full or half empty?

I can assure you, those years were not wasted! Here is how Paul referred to his time under Roman house arrest:⭐

Philippians 1:12–14 CSB

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. 14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly.

This passage encourages us to share their faith regardless of their circumstances. Just as Paul bore witness to the Gospel in chains, we are reminded that our circumstances do not limit God’s ability to work through us. It challenges us to be bold and persistent in sharing the Good News, even when it feels difficult or uncomfortable.

ask: can any of you tell me what your favorite NT books are?

One of my favorites in Ephesians. During these two years in Rome, Paul wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon.

So during those years, the roman guards heard the gospel and Paul wrote letters to the churches he visited previously, which we still have in our Bibles and learn from today.

But at the end of Acts we are kinda left hanging. We are not told if Paul got out of prison. We do not know about his appeal. We are told that some of Caesar’s household came to believe - so we may assume he got to see Caesar at some point. ⭐

Philippians 4:22 CSB

22 All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

If we were to look at Paul spending 4-5 years of his life in prison, unjustly, we might think that his glass was half empty. But if we see that soldiers, Caesar's household and many others came to place their faith in Jesus, we might choose to see his glass as half full.

The difference? Kingdom perspective. If I focus only on my kingdom, in this world, I may see any inconvenience or injustice as a bad thing. But if I focus on God’s kingdom, which is not of this world, I might see that the things of this world are controlled by a God who is always in control. I might see what God is doing, I might hear what God is saying, and I might believe and do what God has put in front of me.

You and I remain on this earth because there is still kingdom work for us to do. There are still people who need to know Jesus. There are still people with hearts of stone, deaf ears and blind eyes that need to encounter Jesus.

When people are reconciled to God, when they turn to the God who created them, there is a work that is accomplished in them. Since Paul used the words of Isaiah to speak of the hardness of man’s heart, I thought it might be fitting to refer to another prophet to see what God would rather see. Ezekiel prophesied when he said this: ⭐

Ezekiel 11:19–20 CSB

19 I will give them integrity of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so that they will follow my statutes, keep my ordinances, and practice them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

This is what happens through Jesus. We saw it in Paul’s story, and we see it in the life of everyone today who chooses to trust in Jesus. God puts his spirit in us and replaces our heart of stone, our callous hearts, with hearts of flesh so that we can see God, and hear him so we can obey and follow him.

And when we spend our days living “in Christ” and sharing the good news of reconciliation through Jesus, even our most unpleasant circumstances can lead to kingdom glory.

At the end of the day, no matter what our circumstances, if we are in Christ and being obedient to him, our glass is not half empty, it’s not half full.... it is overflowing!