Acts 28- The Final Chapter

Okay, let's not walk through this story. So first off, here's a map. This is the kind of story that is really helpful to have a map for it started in cesarina down on the bottom right. Paul took a ship he's a prisoner so as a prisoner he's put on a ship that sails to Myra they get on a different ship in Myra which is green and passenger ship a large ship and it gets caught in a northeaster and blown way off course and they end up ship-wrecking. On the island of Malta. So that's where the story that were reading today starts and obviously the rest of the book of Acts is that last little journey up to Rome drop in that a couple of points in the story. So, first of all, next slide is verse 1. Whoops. There we go. 150 on sure, we found out that the island was called Malta. So I did a little research and I found out that Malta became famous overtime for milkshakes. Called malteds. I think of jokes all the time, most of them don't make the cut, that one was pretty good. It's the one that's all I got. There's nothing more than a chance for me to tell a joke and most of the students left but I've been practicing my corny jokes because I've been told teenagers love corny jokes. So I'm planning to tell them all week.

Right. Am I, right? No, I'm not right. That it's gone and they said to each other, this man must be a murderer for though. He has escaped from the sea, the goddess justice has not allowed him to live but after waiting a long time and saying nothing unusual happen to him, they change their minds and said he was a god. What I see in that little paragraph are two things. Paul is so calm. At least as the stories told he's calm. We have watched him become a person of amazing Faith, because he's gone through so many things. So after all that, he's gone through this snake hanging on his hand, I guess is at least he knows one thing, he's going to roam, God has told him that so he's not, he he knows that and he shakes it off. So we see calm Paul. The other thing we see are human beings hungry for knowledge of God. These people have not heard the god of the Bible. They haven't heard about Jesus, but there they have a sense about Justice and they have a sense about the power of God to save you. And yeah, they just remind me of a quote that I think is attributed to Augustine which is that every human being has a god sized hole and we're all trying to fill that hole we stuff all this inappropriate stuff in our, the whole of our hearts to try to fill it, but the hole was designed to be filled and fitted by The God Who created us. And I think we see that. All right, let's go on. Verse 14. And so we came to Rome. I told us along the way that if we studied the book of Acts we were going to get the whole New Testament of the Bible. Sort of laid out for us. We would get resources from our study of the book of Acts that would inform any other part of the New Testament that we might read. So, one of the books of the New Testament is the book called Romans, and it seems that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, when he was in Ephesus. So if you were around for that, we read that part of the story when Paul was in Ephesus, and Romans is written to a group of people that Paul's never met and it's just meaningful to us. If, if you studied the book 2, Realize you read the book of Romans. Oh yeah, I know that story. So let's just read the introduction to the Book of Romans. Here's a few verses to All In Rome where are loved by God and called to be his holy people. So this is Paul writing. What we call the book of Romans in the New Testament, Grace, and peace to you from God, our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported All Over The World. God, whom I serve in my spirit and preaching the gospel of his son, is my witness, how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times. And I pray that now At Last by God's will, the way may be open for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong. That is that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. I don't want you to be unaware brothers and sisters that. I plan many times to come to you but have been prevented from doing so until now in order that I might have a harvest among you just as I have had among the other Gentiles. I'm obligated both to Greeks and non-greeks both to the wise and the foolish. That's why I am so eager to preach the gospel. Also to you who are in Rome. For, I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes first to the Juventus, the Gentile, for, in the gospel. The righteousness of God is revealed a righteousness that is by faith From First to Last. Just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith. If you read the book of Acts now you're reading the book of Romans you read that little section before I would have just got. Yeah, there's some kind of backstory there but I don't necessarily know it. Now you can say I know that I know that back story. I know that person I know his longing to go there and Having studied the book of Acts, there's some coming alive to the New Testament of the Bible that I'm expecting for you first of 26 and 27, go to this people and say you will be ever hearing, but never understanding you will be ever seeing but never perceiving for this people's heart has become calloused. They hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes, otherwise they might see what their eyes hear with their ears understand with their hearts and turn and I would heal them. This is God, this is a quotation from Isaiah. So Paul is quoting it at the end of his talk with the Jews who came to visit him in Rome and this is Paul giving voice to the frustration of God, about the deliberate unbelief of his own people. The Jewish people, not all of them deliberately Did not believe some of them believe, but many of them would not believe in God is expressing his frustration and his condemnation but notice that God's longing and God's willingness never stops. He continues. What he's longing for is that they would see in that their eyes will be open at their ears would hear. And that they would turn and that they would receive healing. Okay? And then, this is the last words out of Paul's mouth in the book of Acts. Therefore, I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles and they will listen. Why would a person write this story and choose those to be the last words out of the mouth of Paul? Because this is not the end of the story. This really the ending introduces, a new phase of the Gospel spreading to the world. What's going to happen next is is Paul, is present, in Rome. He's not bringing the first Christians are, because there are Christians there already that probably goes all the way back to Pentecost Sunday. That story in the book of Acts, be strengthening the Christians who are there, because he understands that there's going to be an explosion of the Gospel around the world that's going to be focused in Rome. Okay, that's enough for kind of scanning. What's in the text? I would like to just talk about a few things because this is our last day in the Book of Romans. So the first thing is, if you want to summarize the whole book, I said Romance the whole book of Acts, this would be the best way to summarize the book of Acts. What's the book of Acts about? If somebody asks you you could say well actually there's one verse that's got the whole book summarized 1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my Witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea, and Samaria. And to the very ends of the Earth. That's the story that we were just completing and the ends of the Earth aren't really reached even when Paul makes it to roam. So the story. Continues God meets the deliberate unbelief of many Jews with persistent invitation to them by his messenger. So we see Paul. He he's been going from City to City. He always goes to the synagogue first to reason with Jewish people that Jesus is the Messiah. And there's always somebody who believes, but there are often numerous Jewish people, who don't believe and you, we wouldn't blame him at all. If he just said, I'm not doing that anymore. But here he is, in Rome. The last place we see him visiting and he does it again. He invites Jewish people to come. Why is he doing that? Because he's reflecting this persistent Heart Of God. God's heart is broken that his own people that are not receiving his son, but he's not slamming the door on them, he's continuing to speak to them. And I've seen this in the in the circles of my own family, in a really cool way. My favorite uncle largely because he lived close by was Michael Dave and Uncle Dave was a Jew who had become a Christian, my uncle Dave's dad, Isaac rotenberg was a rabbi who became a Christian pastor. When Sarah, when Isaac rotenberg became a Christian, who became he was a rabbi, he was a pastor already, you became a Christian pastor and he toured around Europe. And in the United States, especially in the Chicago area, helping Jewish people to understand the Gospel of Jesus, the back in the Netherlands, where he was from, he was arrested by the Nazis in World War II and put into a camp. And at first he was in a camp close to where his son Dave was. And so, Dave got to go visit his dad and his dad said, I think that God has placed me in this Nazi camp so that I could share the gospel with my brother and sister Jewish people. And Isaac Rottenberg died in a concentration camp in Austria. One of those camps were the method was to work people to death carrying Stones up and down from a quarry but and nobody knows they just know that. That's where he died. But we presume Isaac. Rotenberg spent his final days reflecting This Heart of God, to continue to invite his people to faith in him. So would you want to take God killed, Isaac Rottenberg? I don't think so. I think Adolf Hitler killed, Isaac rotenberg, but God doing what God does used. One of his people to present the gospel to the very end And I'm inspired by this God, still Long's that the people who most naturally would receive Jesus as the Messiah would become followers of the Messiah. Alright, another thing is becoming the face of divers kinds of people makes Unity a challenge but Jesus said by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. So we've been watching this happened in the book of Acts Jews became followers of Jesus. And then Gentiles became followers of Jesus. And there were some some pretty big arguments about what the rules ought to be. And now we have pretty big arguments in the Church of Jesus, right? So many that, the miraculous thing to happen would be if a bunch of Christians got along with each other.

And isn't it interesting? That Jesus said, here's the thing that will happen that will cause the world to go. My goodness. There really is a God and these people are the poorest, if they if they get along with each other. So on Thursday, I got a little glimpse of it. I was at a chamber of commerce mixer. At the end of the work day, what what the Chamber of Commerce mixer? Its business people join the Chamber of Commerce because they want to network with other business people. And rise up church is a member of the Cedar Springs Chamber of Commerce. So I was at the Chamber of Commerce mixer, and I was talking to two women and one of them I know she's on the Chamber of Commerce board and tell him, I the other, I don't know, but they are both members of the rotary is, are you at that your thing, Jeff? Okay, so they're both members of the rotary. So the person I know you said John, we were talking about you today at The Rotary meeting and I said, don't she said we were talking about our Seven Pillars and one of them is peace bringing pieces at the sound familiar. You bringing peace in the world. and what came up was your church did that Community worship service back there in June What we did was we found one other Church who was willing to partner with us and so, two churches did church out in the community together. And they they, they were impressed by that, that two churches got along well enough to do a community worship service. So much so that when they were having this rotary conversation, how might we bring what? What might it look like to bring? Peace in Cedar Springs.

Somebody said well there's that that thing rise up Church did. So this person the one I don't know. Said you think we could collaborate with you about? Bringing peace in the city of Cedar Springs.

I said, absolutely not. We don't work with

We don't work with.

Feed. Some of my jokes are decent. I said, yes. So exciting. Let's do it. All right. Acts 29, others have written their share. And now we're writing our as there is no Acts 29.

Except we're riding x, 29 and other people. I just mean there's a long time between that story and now and there are many people who have written their piece of Acts 29, but they've gone, they've gone, you know, Uncle Dave. I was coming down his father's, come and gone. Dr. Now We're riding Acts 29 and sort of thinking about the generations behind reminds me of my own father, who is a Preacher Man, Who, who had a few poems that he pulled out of his bag of ruins? Well, so I heard this phone on her times, but I think it's pretty good. He didn't write it. I believe it's author unknown, you are writing a gospel a chapter each day by things that you do by words that you say, Folks, read what you write weather faithless or true. Say what is The Gospel According to you?

The book of Acts ends, not so much with a. But with a baton and it passes it to you. So, if you're willing to put your hand out like this, like somebody's about to hand, you a baton, and I'll be the book of Acts, and I'll hand it to you, to grab it and run.

So good. Let's pray, Jesus. You are amazing. And now you invite us into your life with you, so it's a little scary to take the time. But we take it and we ask you to show us what to do next. In your name we pray. Amen.

Show. My favorite thing about all of this is that Jesus Is with us.

We don't worship a person who lived two thousand years ago because he was really remarkable person. So we're kind of elevating him. We worship the father, a Son and the Holy Spirit who are present every day who are present right now and Jesus has given to us. A few ways baptism would be one. The Lord's Supper would be another ways to continually be reminded. That Jesus is present with us. So, we're going to end with communion. And as I'm looking around, I just want to make sure that everybody has communion elements. We have a little packet for everyone. So Genie is in the back, and if you need communion elements, would you raise your hand and Genie will come over and make sure you're, he's got what you need. But the point I want to make as we do this little, is this simple thing here. At the end of our worship service is that Jesus is present. Today with you right now and he's reminding. You of the most important parts of what he has done for you. He's reminding you about his body and his blood given for you, but it's about his presents with you right now. So let's remember what God's word says about all this. I received from the Lord. This is Paul writing I received from the Lord. Would I also passed on to you, the Lord Jesus on. The 90 was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks, he broke it. Shall we start by saying thank you Jesus for bread for this picture of his body. Jesus, we thank you for bread as a symbol of provision for our everyday needs Jesus. We say thank you. And when he had given thanks, he broke it. And he said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

And then after supper, he took the cup and he said this cup is the New Covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. Do you have a little packet by you? Whenever you're ready? Open it up. There's a piece of bread in there. There is a little bit of grape juice in there that Jesus talk to you about his presents.

Let's end with a blessing. Would you all stand up?

It's God's blessing. We need somebody to speak it so I'll speak it but it's God. Who is giving it? Now to him, who is able to do in measurably more than all we ask, or imagine according to his power that is at work within us to him, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. And everybody said, amen.