Today, we conclude our 45 week series in Acts
Acts 28:11-16 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
(MAP) After three months they made their way off of the island toward Rome. For years we have been in this slow motion process moving towards Rome. When Paul finally reaches Rome, (encouraged by the people-thanks God) he was allowed to live under house arrest.
Acts 28:17-22 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
Paul calls the Jewish leaders together and gives the background of why he was in chains, explaining he did nothing against the Jewish people or the customs of their ancestors. Arrested and handed over to the Romans, he was found not guilty of any crime deserving death and they wanted to release Paul. The Jews objected so he made his appeal to Caesar.
He told the Jews that he was in chains because of the hope of Israel. Paul wanted them to know that he was a prisoner because of his belief in Israel’s Messiah, Jesus and that He was the hope of Israel.
These Jewish leaders say they had not received or heard anything about Paul, but they had heard about the Christian faith. They called it a ‘sect”, and said it was spoken against everywhere; but, they wanted to hear Paul’s opinion on it.
Acts 28:23-29 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29] *****
Paul witnessed to a large number of people for about 10 hours (TROAS). If there was anybody that should have had some spiritual understanding, it was these Jewish leaders – they have the OT Scripture (the Law and Prophets) (DOTS)
Some were convinced and believed, others refused to believe. Then Paul quoted to them from Isaiah 6, stating the FACT that their rejection had been prophesied.
With their rejection, Paul tells them, the Gospel will move on to the Gentiles and they will listen.
Paul finishes his sermon with the quotation from Isaiah 6:9-10. But I want to read Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Right after Isaiah says: “here am I send me” God gives him a message and tells Isaiah to go to the people and say this: Isaiah 6:9-10 He said, “Go and tell this people: “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” ISRAEL-JUDAH
The Jewish people had become so callused, so hard hearted that even though they can hear they never really hear. Even though they see they do not see the truth of what they have seen.
It‘s because of their callused minds they can hear the word of God and not recognize it. It’s because of their hardened hearts that they can see God work around them and not realize it. These people who were God’s chosen people had denied and rejected Him so many times that they didn’t even recognize His voice when it was among them.
Do you understand what God is saying here? His people had hardened their hearts so much that they can no longer hear God speak to them. So, God says to these Jewish leaders 700 years later in Acts 28 the same thing He said to His people in Isaiah 6: fine you don’t want to listen to me? I’ll go talk to someone who will. When God’s own people will not hear His voice He will go and find someone who will.
Paul warns them here around AD60 and just a short 10 years later in AD70 time ran out and an absolute national calamity struck a Jesus-rejecting Israel. In 10 years or so it would be clear that Jesus was the hope of Israel, yet a hope that most of them rejected.
See there comes a point in which we ignore God enough that He moves on. Imagine a spiritual line in the sand that if we cross it, we can no longer hear God and if we harden our hearts so much that we can no longer see/hear Him, God will find a new people to speak to. In Paul’s time the Jews stopped listening and so God began to speak to the Gentiles. What is interesting is to see how this principle applies to us.
If you look at Christianity today you will notice something. Incredible things are happening all over the world where people are listening to the Holy Spirit and hearing God’s voice. Christianity in places like China, India, and Africa is growing, But, here in American Christianity has become stagnant.
What Paul is saying to the Jewish leaders applies to us as well. Have we become so comfortable ignoring God that we no longer hear Him when He speaks. Maybe the reason we don’t always see the Spirit of God working in our lives is because we have shut our eyes, we no longer have the eyes to see.
This is one of the greatest dangers for the church in America. The more we get used to showing up and hearing the word of God without allowing it to change us and mold us the more accustom we become to hearing without listening. Every time we hear without really listening to what God is saying it makes it that much harder for us to listen the next time until we reach a point where the word of God is right in front of us and we don’t even realize it.
Could it be we are not as open to the Holy Spirit as we think. The Jewish leaders had everything they needed to hear God but even with Jesus who walked among them, they rejected Him. I wonder how long will God wait for us? How long can we reject Jesus before He moves on to someone who will hear Him?
There is a point where a nation walks so far away from God that He says: no more. God will not be ignored forever. He will not be rejected forever. We need to be very careful because at some point if we reject and ignore God there is a point that He will turn away from us.
Acts 28:30-31 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
In any story we expect a conclusion. We want to know what happens to the main characters. Jesus told Paul that he would stand before the emperor of Rome. Our story has been moving to this showdown between the emperor of the known world and the king who sits on the throne of heaven. We have been building to this climatic showdown and Luke doesn’t tell us about it.
He doesn’t even tell us about the death of Peter and Paul. Luke doesn’t tell us what happens to the main characters so this cannot be an ending.
This is not an ending which is why we need to turn to Acts 29. You may think there is not an Acts 29 but you are wrong, there is. It just wasn’t written by Luke. There is an Acts 29. It’s you. It’s us. We are Acts 29.
Luke doesn’t finish the story because the story of the church is not yet finished. We are the conclusion to the book of Acts. We finish the story. Remember Peter and Paul are not the main character of the book of Acts.
The truth is Acts is about one thing only: JESUS
If it weren’t for what Jesus has done:
— Paul would never have been saved
— The church would have never formed
— New Life Fellowship Church (we) would not be here to study this
And If we gather for ANY other reason than to hear from God and see God, and allow the Word of God to change us then we’ve lost our focus.
Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable
Ezekiel 14:12-14 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, 14 even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.
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