The Unhindered Kingdom

Unhindered

Acts 28:17-31

After the last 36 weeks, Paul has finally made it to Rome.

We are entering into the final section in the book of Acts.

These are the last 14 verses of this journey.

Some of you are excited that Acts is finishing up.

I have to be hones with you.

I have struggled.

I have enjoyed.

I have been encouraged through this journey.

I have never spent this much time studying and looking at Acts.

With all that being said. This isn’t our last week in Acts.

We will have one last overview of the book next week.

I will try to tie it all together, and give us a grander vision of how we can as FBC Louise, put what we have learned into action.

Next week will look a little different, but we will burn that bridge when we get there.

Today we get to look at that final recordings of Paul’s ministry according to Luke.

I’m gonna be honest, originally I was not a big fan of how the book ends.

I’m not alone.

It just stops.

There’s no real conclusion.

Luke doesn’t record Paul standing before Caesar.

Testifying about Christ in the highest court before the highest king.

In fact, the book ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger.

I don’t know if this has happened to you before, but have you ever got invested in a TV show, movie, or books that just ends.

Seemingly no resolution.

No Second Season.

No Sequel.

Just Gone.

A massive recounting of the shipwreck and the salvation of Paul and the sailors, then a quiet narrative of Paul preaching the gospel.

I believe that Luke, under the inspiration of the HS, penned this the exact way that it need to be.

Setting up the future followers of Jesus to continue on the mission of the Kingdom of God.

So let’s look at it.

But before we do let’s pray.

Acts 28:17–22 ESV

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.” 21 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.”

Up To Speed

On Paul’s agenda when he first arrives in Rome is to meet with the Jewish Leaders there.

He waits three days, probably exhausted from the travel and shipwreck.

He wants a little time to relax, recoup, and refresh before beginning his ministry there.

Paul then recounts all that had happened to him that brought him to Rome.

He was falsely accused of going against the history and fathers of the faith.

He was arrested in Jersualem and delivered into the hands of the Romans.

He was found innocent by all the the Roman Officials.

Not one charge stood against him.

But the Jewish leaders were having none of it.

They wanted to have his head.

They wanted to see Paul dead.

They wanted to rid themselves of him for good.

So in order to protect himself, he appealed to Caesar.

But the reason he is in chains is b/c of the Hope of Israel.

He is in Chains b/c of his love and devotion to Jesus.

B/c he followed Jesus.

B/c salvation has come.

The promised resurrection has arrived.

We’ve talked about this before.

Following Jesus will not always be smooth sailing.

In fact, following Jesus is going to cost you something.

Whether it be comfort, finances, free time, or ultimately your life you will be asked to sacrifice something.

Paul sacrificed his freedom b/c he was following Jesus.

He stood up for the truth and b/c of that he was bound in chains.

People wanted to imprison him

People wanted to kill him.

They thought he was a pest. A Plague. A waste of space.

But more than hate Paul, they hated Jesus.

When you stand up for Jesus, stand up for the truth, stand up for the gospel.

People may hate you, but in their hatred for you they ultimately hate Jesus.

But in turn. You are to love them.

You are to show them the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus even when they hate you.

Look at Paul, even though the Jewish leaders wanted to bring false charges against him, he refused to file a counter suit.

He didn’t want to exacerbate the situation.

He didn’t want to make things worse than they already were.

He didn’t want to give them more of a reason to hate him.

One thing I also want to point out, Paul didn’t play into the victim mentality.

He didn’t have a persecution complex.

He understood that as one who stands up for what is right he was going to face some trouble.

Too many Christians today have a persecution complex.

Which to me, sounds ridiculous.

In our Country, right now, we don’t face near the persecution as other believers in other countries.

Now I am not wishing for or desiring for us to face the reality that people hate Jesus so much that they will kill his followers, but the reality is that is happening this very minute to our brothers and sisters across the globe.

And guess what they aren’t backing down.

They aren’t stepping away.

They aren’t focused on the persecution.

They are focused on the message.

We get so focused on potential or future persecution that we miss sight of our freedoms.

We want to keep our comfort.

We want to keep our ability to gather publically.

We want to keep the status quo.

But we are unwilling to stand up when the going gets tough.

When people may mock us or isolate themselves from us.

When we might be embarrassed by how they think about me as a Follower of Jesus.

How they may label me.

How I may offend someone b/c I bring to them the truth.

I’ll tell you the biggest danger to the American Christian church isn’t those outside the doors.

It isn’t politicians.

It isn’t protests.

It isn’t our religious freedom being compromised.

The Biggest danger to the American Church is comfort and complacency.

Because with comfort and complacency come laziness and weakness.

We have brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and China willing to give their lives for the furtherance of the gospel message.

They are willing to be beaten, imprisoned, and beheaded for the cause of Christ.

Oh, that I wish we would be that bold.

Oh, that I pray that I could be that bold.

Jesus uses real persecution to further his mission.

He uses real persecution to purify his church.

He uses real persecution to strengthen his people

In fact, the fastest growing churches in the world are found in middle east and china where persecution is all but guaranteed.

They aren’t complaining about their lot.

They aren’t abandoning their calling.

They are focused and determined to make Jesus known, because their time is short.

Know, brothers and sisters, I don’t say this to condemn you.

But to encourage you.

To show you that we are blessed beyond measure.

But we are also going to be judged with what we are given.

Be bold.

Stand firm.

Don’t complain.

Preach the Gospel.

Love People.

Obey God.

Regardless of your circumstances.

Regardless of what may be forth coming.

Pause.

Paul recounted his story and what had brought him to the Jewish leaders in Rome.

And they didn’t know any of this was going on.

There had been no letter from the Judea and the Jewish Elders there about avoiding Paul or even that he was causing any trouble.

There had been no evil words spoken about Paul in Rome.

So they were intrigued about all the persecution that Paul had to endure.

They were also interested in the message that Paul was preaching b/c they did hear that it was being spoken against throughout the empire.

They wanted to hear from the horse’s mouth the good news.

And here’s what happened.

Acts 28:23–24 ESV

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.

Mixed Response

So everyone agrees on a time to get together.

The Jewish people are very interested in what Paul has to say.

“They came to him in greater numbers”

It wasn’t just the leaders that decided to show up.

Many people want to hear the message that Paul is preaching.

And like a good follower of Jesus he is ready to tell them what they need to hear.

How does he do that?

First, he spent time with them.

From Morning to Evening.

Explaining what God has revealed takes time.

The truths about God cannot be confined to short pithy statements.

Obviously there is room for those when it comes to sharing the message, but if you really want to know about the story of the bible it will take some time.

So when you feel like the messages get too long or there is too much information be grateful that I am not preaching from “morning to evening”

A little bit of Jesus is never enough Jesus.

Second, he expounded the scriptures.

Here’s the thing.

The Word of God is central to faith and practice.

That doesn’t mean that books, writings, and teachings outside of the bible aren’t profitable, but as followers of Jesus we need to have the Word of God in our minds, hearts, and souls.

When people teach the bible. Whether pastors, SS teacher, preachers, bible study leaders, one on one discipleship, the scriptures must be expounded.

Not soapboxes, preferences, politics, or opinions.

God’s Word to God people.

And in order to do that rightly, we have to know what God has revealed.

What has God revealed?

His kingdom and his savior, Jesus Christ.

Where can we find Jesus and God’s Kingdom?

All over the bible.

New Testament.

Old Testament.

The Law of Moses

The Prophets.

From Genesis to Revelation.

Much like Jesus taught during his earthly ministry, Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God.

That the king had come and his name is Jesus.

He is the ruler and savior.

He is the one who came to deliver captives from bondage.

Bring the dead back to life.

Restore our relationship with God.

This is what Paul was trying to convince them of.

The savior that they waited for was here.

The savior that they longed for had come

The savior that they studied and learned about came and fulfilled those scriptures.

Then come some of the most joyful and saddest words in this text...

Acts 28:24 “24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.”

Some came to a saving faith in Jesus.

Some did not.

The reality is that some people will come to believe in Jesus and some will not.

Some of those that we love and care about will come to faith others will reject the faith.

Much like Paul modeled we cannot save anyone.

All we can do is faithfully teach them the things of God.

All we can do is share the gospel with them.

All we can do is tell them about the amazing savior that we love, worship, and adore.

I want to take a minute and share the message of Jesus with us.

We should know that this isn’t a message just about salvation, but it is for those of us who are committed to Jesus already.

The gospel message is for both salvation and sanctification.

I’m sure this was similar to the message that Paul spoke to these people.

As we all know, humanity and the world is broken.

Things aren’t as they should be.

Relationships are broken.

Disease riddles our bodies.

Death is a reality.

Injustice abounds.

Hatred fills our hearts.

These are just a few examples of things aren’t as they should be.

These things all stem from our rebellion against God.

Which originated with Adam and Eve in the garden of eden.

They dwelled with God.

Walked with God.

Enjoyed a perfect relationship with Him.

Until their desire was to be like God instead of enjoy him.

Their rebellion and disobedience sent the world into turmoil.

We tend to call this event the fall.

But it was worse than that.

I had a professor who called it “The Colossal Collapse” and I think that More Accurately defines the reality.

When our relationship with God was shattered b/c of disobedience and rebellion all other things went with it.

This rebellion against God is what we call sin.

God is holy, just, and righteous and cannot stand to be in the presence of Sin.

So we are unable to approach God in our sinful state.

We are unable to be reconciled with God.

We are unable to be reunited with God on our own merits and accord b/c we are stained by sin.

And Because we are all born into a state of rebellion and stained with sin we need a way to be washed, renewed, and cleansed.

This way was predicted and prophesied in the Old Testament and is fulfilled in JC.

Jesus is God in Flesh.

God coming to live and dwell with his people once again.

Living, moving, and restoring our broken relationship with God.

He came to be with his people and provide for them the way to God.

He did this by living a perfect life.

Following and obeying all of God’s commandments.

Demonstrating to us what it Means to be truly human.

And because of his radical message.

Because of his holy life.

He was rejected by man.

He was rejected by those he came to save.

And their rejection placed him on the cross.

He suffered a horrendous death as the sacrifice for our sins.

He was beaten.

He was nailed to the cross.

He was left for dead.

Death by suffocation.

Pierced in the side.

Confirmed death.

He was buried in a tomb.

A stone was rolled over the entrance to seal him in.

Then on the morning of the third day the earth began to shake.

The stone rolled away.

And Jesus walked out of that tomb.

Resurrected to a new life.

Resurrected to confirm that he was who he said he was.

He appeared to more than 500 different people after his resurrection.

Ate with them, taught them, and instructed them on what to do when he ascends to be with the Father.

In his sacrifice and resurrection he promises us that if we believe in him and follow after him then we too will inherit eternal life.

That we too will be able to be in his presence for all eternity.

That we too will be resurrected to walk in new life.

This is the good news of Jesus.

My question to you is have you given your life to him.

Have you devoted your life to following Jesus.

He gave his life so that you could live.

So the Question is, do you accept or reject Jesus.

Those are the only two options. Accept or Reject.

And we see that right here with Paul and the people he was teaching.

Some accepted some rejected.

Paul has some words for those that didn’t accept the message:

Acts 28:25–28 ESV

25 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.”

Deafened Ears

Here Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10

This is one of the most quoted passages from the OT in the NT.

And it centers around the reality that the Jewish people are not going to accept the message of Jesus.

Paul begins by crediting the HS with saying this.

The HS is the author of all Scripture he just uses people to convey his message.

In this instance it was Isaiah the prophet.

From the beginning of Israel’s being called out by God, God has referred to them as a stiffnecked people.

Many of them don’t see the truth of who God is and what he is doing.

They are blinded by their privilege of being called by God and they think on that basis alone they are going to be saved and provided for by God.

But the mouthpiece of God, Isaiah the prophet warns them some 700+ years before that they are going t miss it.

They need to be on guard or they are going to miss what God is doing.

Who God is using.

Luke chooses this place in Acts as the definitive time in which Paul truly recognizes that Jesus is going to be rejected by his own people.

They have all seen. They have all heard.

They have closed their ears.

They have shut their eyes.

Because they have lost their first love.

Their Heart has grown dull.

They don’t recognize God when he is staring them right in the face.

They reject him because he isn’t what they wanted.

The messiah wasn’t what they expected.

They believed that he was supposed to bring revolution.

He was supposed to establish Israel as a kingdom like no other.

They were to be exalted as God’s chosen people.

But instead of revolution and an exalted kingdom, the savior suffered and died.

He taught against their traditions.

He taught against their sacred cows.

He taught against what they wanted to believe.

So they hardened their hearts.

They shut their eyes.

They turned their backs on God.

But if they would open their eyes, hear the message, and understand in their heart, they would be healed.

They would be restored.

They would be a part of the true kingdom of God.

Jesus wasn’t the savior they wanted, but he was the savior they needed.

But they rejected him.

And in rejecting him they rejected the promise made to them.

They rejected the restoration of relationship with God.

And God was going to now send this message to the gentiles.

They were going to be offered the promise to Israel.

They were going to be offered the salvation and restoration.

And because God brought the message to the gentiles, we can sit here today and worship God.

Because the promise was extended to us.

But just like them we can understand with our hearts, hear with our, ears and see with our eyes

or we can harden our hearts, stuff our ears, and close our eyes to what is offered to us.

But just because people don’t accept the truth doesn’t mean that we can stop.

Paul continued his ministry.

Acts 28:30–31 ESV

30 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.

Unhindered

For two years, Paul welcomed all who came to him.

Meaning that even with the stubbornness of the Jewish People if they wanted to hear the message he would talk to them.

He welcomed all people.

Can we say the same thing?

As a church body, are we willing to welcome any and all who would come?

Regardless of their past.

Regardless of the way that they look.

Regardless of how they act.

How often they have rejected the message.

How they have wronged us in the past.

I could go on, but our God welcomes all who will call on his name.

All who will recognize their sin and repent.

All who will lay aside their life, desires, and preferences and follow Jesus.

And if we say that we want to be like Jesus we will do the same thing.

So that we can proclaim to them the kingdom of God and teach them about Jesus Christ.

I want to make a connection for you real quick.

Acts 1:3 ESV

3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

At the Beginning of Acts, Jesus taught the disciples about the Kingdom of God before he ascended to sit with the father.

Paul now sits at the end of the book also teaching about the kingdom of God.

In the NT, the kingdom of God is an important concept for us to understand.

The kingdom of God is where heaven and earth overlap and intersect.

This is going to be a little heady, but I think you can handle it.

So bear with me as we work through this together.

So we have to ask the question…where is heaven?

I asked our youth this and they answered in the most popular way.

Up there.

What does that mean?

We can observe the universe.

We can see pretty far due to technology like the Hubble Telescope.

So is heaven way beyond the observable universe.

This is a deep rabbit hole that we could go down for a while.

So I think the better question to ask is What is Heaven?

and the simple question is where God dwells.

So where God has his dwelling is where heaven is.

Well if that’s the case.

Then we have examples in the Bible of heaven and earth meeting or intersecting.

For instance, the Garden of Eden.

Man and God dwelled together in the garden.

God walked with man in the cool of the day.

We also have the tabernacle.

When the Israelites were wandering in the desert God instructed them to build the tabernacle to be the center when they would camp.

God would come and dwell with his people in the tabernacle and as long as he was there, they would stay and when his presence left they would move.

When they enter into the promised land they would eventually build the temple.

This is where God dwelled with his people in the land that He had promised them.

So Eden, Israel, the tabernacle, and the temple was the place where heaven and earth intersected.

Where there was overlap.

Where the presence of the Lord and His Kingdom were manifest.

In John 1:14 we read about Jesus

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

That word in there “dwelt” is the same word used as tabernacle.

So it could be translated, “And the Word became Flesh and tabernacled among us.”

So Jesus, Immanuel, God with us is the premier example of Heaven and Earth Intersecting.

God coming to dwell in and with his creation.

As a man. As God. Fully God. Fully Man.

For there to be a kingdom, there need to be at least five different elements.

King

Rule

A People

A Law

A land

So the kingdom of God is where heaven and earth meet.

Where the King of the Universe reigns and rules.

Jesus is that king.

Jesus has established his rule.

He has come to redeem and govern his people

Jesus has called for himself a people.

Those he redeems are his.

Those that follow after him belong to him.

Jesus has given us the law to live by.

The law he has given us to live by is love.

Love God with all you have. Love people as you love yourself.

And the land is all the earth.

But as we all know the Kingdom has come in Jesus, but it is not completed yet.

This is the tension that we live in currently.

Kingdom is established, but the rule isn’t completely fulfilled.

This is what theologians call the state of already/not yet.

Here’s what we have to realize, when Jesus ascended into heave the kingdom isn’t just sitting still.

Because something absolutely amazing happens.

Jesus ascends into heaven and then his followers receive the Holy Spirit.

Now your body, Your life, Your calling is to be an ambassador for the Kingdom.

If you are a follower of Jesus, then your very existence is one place that Heaven and Earth intersect.

You are the temple of God.

You are a kingdom bringer.

You have the privileged and calling to tell others about the kingdom.

That there is a king.

His name is Jesus and you are either going to bow down in Worship or be cast out for ever.

And We are blessed that b/c of where we live we can proclaim this message without any governmental suppression or threat of jail or death.

During Paul’s two years in Rome he was unhindered by the government to preach the message of Jesus to all who would listen.

Even though he was in chains he used this opportunity to tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ.

We should be bold.

We should live unhindered in our proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Eternal King who put on flesh to save broken, hostile, and rebellious people.

This is how the book of Acts ends.

Paul doing what Paul does.

Preaching, teaching, and proclaiming Jesus as Lord.

Many early sources claim that Paul was eventually released from his imprisonment.

That he eventually made his way to Spain to preach the Gospel.

Then he was arrested again by the Roman Officials.

This didn’t end well for Paul.

The emperor at the time was Nero.

Nero was a lunatic.

his reign is commonly associated with unrestricted tyranny, extravagance, religious persecution and debauchery.

In July AD 64, There was a great fire in Rome.

Nero was accused of starting the fire, so to take the attention from himself he blamed the Christians for starting the fire.

Christian tradition states as early as AD 96 that Nero had Paul beheaded.

The Last writings we have from Paul are drenched with the feeling that Paul’s time is running short.

That his end is coming.

His death is imminent

But he is ready to go.

2 Tim 4:6-8 “6 For 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.”

As Followers of Jesus,

That should be our hope.

That should be our goal.

That when we come to the end we can say that we finished the race well.

That we have fought the good fight.

That we have kept the faith.

And we will go to be with the Righteous Lord.

Can you say that?

Have you given your life to Jesus.

Or are you holding back?

Have you submitted to his Lordship or are you living for yourself.

Jesus is calling out to you he wants to have a relationship with you.

Are you going to answer him?

Let’s pray.