ACTS 23-28 PAULS JOURNEY TO ROME2014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Acts 23-28 Pauls Journey To Rome

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014. We're going to be this evening in Acts chapters 23 through 28, looking at the chapters that we read this week as we work our way through the Bible in three years. The book of Acts is written by Luke.

And he wrote the Gospel of Luke and then continued on the work that began in the life of Jesus through his disciples into the book of Acts. And so Luke records for us the beginnings of the church, the foundation upon which we rest and upon which, you know, we base what we believe as far as our practices and the things that we're to be involved with as a church.

He wrote this book probably around 63 AD, which is the time or the date that this book concludes, leaving Paul in prison, and we'll get to that in chapter 28 this evening.

And so he covers the period from 32 through 63 AD. In 32 AD is when Jesus was crucified and resurrected and then ascended to the Father. Then the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples and the church began.

And through that, God has been doing a marvelous work, starting, of course, in Jerusalem, as he promised the disciples, and then expanding on to Judea and Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. And so we've been tracking along this over this 30-year period of history that Luke spells out and records for us.

As we consider the chapters this evening, chapters 23 through 28, we're in the final section of the book of Acts. And so we're finishing up the last few years of, you know, this history as well as the last few years of Paul's travels that we have recorded in the scriptures. And so we'll be looking at a little bit before 62 AD and then Paul...

ends up in Rome around 62 AD, and then the book of Acts concludes around 63 AD. And so we'll be looking at that time period this evening.

The geography of Acts is a little bit more expansive than what we've been looking at in the Gospels. It starts out in Jerusalem there on the bottom right. That's where the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the disciples. But as Jesus promised, the Gospel then expands from there. And it goes to the region around Jerusalem and then up

into Antioch, which is up a little bit higher, a little bit north of Jerusalem. And it was there that the Apostle Paul really got his foundation in the church at Antioch. And then he was sent out from the church at Antioch to go to the Gentiles and the rest of the world. And so we've been following along his missionary journeys as he reaches out to Asia and Galatia and Macedonia, Greece and all those areas.

And then now we're going to be following his final journey here in the book of Acts all the way to Rome where he will preach the gospel there. And so we left off last week with Paul on his way to Jerusalem. He got there and he's spending some time in the temple. And the Jews were upset with Paul because of his, you know, mission and his preaching of Jesus Christ.

And so they see him in the temple and they begin to beat him almost to death. And the Roman commander on duty sees what's happening and he rushes in and he delivers Paul from their grasps so that he might find out what's going on.

And he holds Paul overnight so that he can, you know, find out really what's going on. And now the Jews are going to come and bring their accusations against Paul as we pick it up in chapter 23 this evening.

Now, as we continue on, the rest of this book is the record of these trials that Paul is going to go through, these legal proceedings and the imprisonment that he experiences. And as we walk through these various trials that Paul goes through, as we walk through his imprisonment and the journey and the shipwreck and all the things that happened to Paul step by step up until the end of the book of Acts,

I'd like for you to consider how...

how big your God is. Think about that. How big is your God? One of our missionaries that we pray for every week is Glenn Phipps. And I remember a long time ago, him and I, when he was back here and we were good buddies, we would hang out all the time. And there would be things though that he would be like, I don't know how this is gonna work out. And I don't know if this is gonna happen. And he'd be wrestling with things. And I would always tease him by saying, you have such a small God.

Because, you know, in his mind, the problem was bigger than what God could handle. And as we look at this last, you know, account of the book of Acts and the things that happened to Paul, it should be a really good reminder to us that we don't have a little God.

But that our God is big and that our God is bigger than whatever we might face and he's able to orchestrate things for his purposes no matter who is involved, no matter what is going on. And so consider that this evening as we work our way through these final chapters of the book of Acts.

Well, we pick it up this evening in chapter 23. Verse 11 is the key verse. It says, In verses 1 through 10, we see that the Pharisees and the Sadducees are divided over Paul.

Now, this is because the Jewish leaders, these religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, have come before the Roman commander to bring their accusation against Paul. And so they bring their accusations and Paul begins to give his defense, but he's a little bit strategic as he does because it's not going very well. But as he recognizes, okay, there's some Pharisees and some Sadducees in the mix here, and

He brings up then that he believes in the resurrection of the dead. And he says in verse 6 that it's for the resurrection of the dead or the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being judged. And so he threw out this line and it caused a great commotion because the Pharisees and the Sadducees

had heated discussions about this topic. Verse 8 tells us that the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, but the Pharisees believed that there is a resurrection. And so they would have this ongoing debate all the time, and these were the two, you know, main powers religiously there in Jerusalem.

And so they always had this debate going on. And so as Paul's on trial, he shares about, you know, the hope of the resurrection, which is indeed the truth, you know, because Jesus Christ was resurrected. And so he throws this line out and it causes this great commotion so much so that in verse 10, it tells us that the commander, the Roman commander feared that Paul would be pulled to pieces.

So this is a real fight. This is a real debate that's going on, a heated battle over whether or not there is resurrection. And so this kind of distracts from, you know, what they were trying to do against Paul in bringing these false accusations. Well, then in verses 11 through 22, we see that 40 Jews conspire to kill Paul.

This trial didn't work and they weren't able to put him to death there, you know, by the trial with the Roman commander. And so instead, they make a pact together to put Paul to death. And they take an oath to not eat or drink until they killed Paul. And so there's this great anger against Paul, this great enmity against Paul, and this desire to put him to death.

to death. But the Lord was with Paul in the midst of this. And so although there was this unfair trial going on, although there is this plot to put Paul to death, the Lord spoke to Paul in verse 11. And it says, "...be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome."

Here God meets Paul there in this what we would probably consider a dark situation. He's imprisoned. The trial is not fair. There's a plot now for his life and the Lord says, listen Paul, don't fear. I'm with you. You've done well in bearing witness to me in Jerusalem.

And now I'm going to send you to Rome. He gives him the direction that he's going to send him. He gives him the destination where he is going to share the gospel next. And so Paul takes heart.

And then in verse 16, it tells us that his nephew finds out about this plot to put him to death. And so he goes and he delivers the news to Paul who delivers the news or sends him to the commander to deliver the news. And then verse 23 through 35, you see that Paul is sent to

to Felix, the governor. So because of the danger of the situation and the great animosity that is there and the great attacks against the apostle Paul, the commander says it's better to move you out to Caesarea so that you'll be safer there and you can have a fair trial there. And so in verse 23, it tells us he gets quite an escort for Paul. 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen.

So almost 500 soldiers are dispatched to escort the Apostle Paul so that he's protected and that this assassination attempt will not succeed.

And so he sends him to Felix, who is the governor over the region. And he tells Felix in verse 35, I'm sorry, Felix says in verse 35 when he meets Paul, he says, I'll hear you when your accusers have come. So this trial has been relocated because of the dangers there in Jerusalem. And now Felix is going to be the one who presides over the trial. And he says, when your accusers get here, then I will hear your case.

Well, here's a quick look at the geography of what this looks like. So Paul is there in Jerusalem when all this takes place. At the temple, the Jews see him. They start to beat him. The Roman commander saves him.

The trial doesn't go so well. The assassination attempt is there. And so he sends him off first to Antipatris there in verse 31. The soldiers bring him there. And that was the most dangerous part of the journey. So once he's there, they let some of the soldiers go. And then a smaller group of soldiers escort him the final way to Caesarea there on the north shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

And so it's a total of almost 60 miles from Jerusalem to Caesarea as he's relocated there to have more of a fair trial before Felix the governor. Well then in verse 24, verse 14 is the key verse.

He says, but this I confess to you, that according to the way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. So now the trial continues, and in verses 1 through 9, you have a guy named Tertullus who accuses Paul of trying to profane the temple.

In verse 1, we see that the high priest and the elders come from Jerusalem to Caesarea, and they bring along this orator. He's kind of like a lawyer, except for he's not so much of a legal guy. He's more of one who could present a case really well. And so he comes and he brings this case against the Apostle Paul. He says in verse 5, we have found this man a plague.

This guy is bad news, Felix. This guy is causing all kinds of trouble. He's a creator of dissension among all the Jews. And he's a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. And then in verse 6 he goes on to say, He even tried to profane the temple and we seized him and wanted to judge him according to our law. Then he goes on,

To say in verse 7 that the commander, the Roman commander, took him with great violence. Now obviously, he is twisting the facts quite a bit because it was the Jews who were being violent and that's why the Roman commander came in and seized Paul. But he gives the impression here that the Roman commander here took his authority too far and used great violence and did what he was not supposed to do.

So that was their accusation, that he stirred up trouble, that he brought dissension, he was a ringleader, and that he tried to profane the temple. Now like a normal trial, that's the accusation. Now Paul is allowed to give his defense, and we see that in verses 10 through 21. And Paul declares there, I worship God according to the way. He tells Felix, now the judge, he says in verse 12,

They didn't find me disputing with anybody or inciting the crowd. I wasn't, you know, rising up a riot or anything like that. And he says in verse 13, they can't prove the things that they're accusing me of. So what they're saying is not true and they brought no evidence. They're just, you know, nice sounding arguments that they're bringing against me. But here's one thing that is true, Paul says in verse 14.

according to the way, which was a way or a phrase that they would use to refer to those who believed in Jesus. And so they referred to those who followed the way or to those who were of the way. And he says, they call it a sect, but here's what it is. I worship the God of my fathers. Paul, being a Jew, says, I'm still a Jew. I worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And he says in verse 14 at the end, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets. So believing in Jesus did not require for him to forsake the Old Testament, the law and the prophets, but he held to those things. He still believed the things that were written in what we refer to as the Old Testament. And so he says, I still worship the God of my fathers. I still believe in the old covenant and the scriptures that were written.

The thing that is causing them trouble, he says in verse 15, is that I have hope in God that there will be a resurrection. And so again, he's pointing to the gospel message, the fact that because Jesus resurrected, that we who believe in Jesus will be resurrected. And he says, not just us, but there will be a resurrection for the just and the unjust, those who believe and those who don't believe.

Now Paul says this is the truth. So they brought a lot of accusations. They're not true. They don't have any evidence to prove it or support it. But here's what's true. And these are the things that Paul believed. He believed in the God of his fathers. He believed in the scriptures. He followed what the word of God says. And he had the hope of a resurrection.

Now, we can see evidence by Paul's life that when you believe in the resurrection, it impacts how you live. If you and I will believe that there is a resurrection, as the scriptures declare, it will impact, it will make a difference in how we behave.

Paul in verse 16 says, look, I believe in the resurrection. And so verse 16 says, this being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. He says, because I recognize that I'm going to stand before God.

I do my best to have a clear conscience, to do what's right before God and to do what's right before men. So I haven't been doing all these things they've been accusing me of, but I have been seeking to please God because I know I'm going to stand before Him.

Well, that's Paul's defense. Then in verses 22 through 26, we go on now and we see that Felix and Drusilla, that's his wife, listen to Paul speak about faith in Christ.

In verse 22, Felix declares at the end of this trial where the Jews accuse him, Paul gives his defense, and then Felix says, well, when the commander comes, I'll make a decision on your case. So he decides, I'm not going to make a decision right now based on your arguments. I'm going to wait till the commander who intervened comes, and then when he comes, then I'll make a decision. Then I'll make a determination about you.

But that doesn't happen for a while. And so a little bit later on, Felix with his wife Drusilla send for Paul and allow Paul to share with them what he believes. In verse 25, I think it's interesting, it says, Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, Go away for now. When I have a convenient time, I will call for you.

So Paul is speaking to them about Jesus Christ. He's sharing the gospel. And even more than that, he's really giving this great opportunity for them to respond to the message. He's preaching to them about righteousness. What's right? What does God say is right? He's preaching to them about self-control.

which is something that wasn't, you know, what Felix was well known for. He was preaching about the judgment to come. Again, that idea of resurrection. We're going to stand before God and give account. And the message was effective because it tells us that Felix was afraid. Felix was afraid. He's hearing the message from Paul. He's getting the news. He's hearing what's going on.

And he's afraid. Now that's pretty appropriate. There is the right way to fear God. It is appropriate for us to have a fear of God knowing that we will stand before him. But Felix, at that point, this is decision time for him. Now that he's understanding the message, now that he's understanding the gospel, he is afraid and he has one of two choices. To accept it

which involves repenting of his lifestyle and turning to Jesus Christ, or to reject it. And we see that Felix rejects it. He says, go away for now, and when I have a convenient time, I'll call for you. I know what you're saying, Paul. I understand it. It gives me great fear. But I'm going to put off this decision for a little bit. I don't know if I'm ready yet to receive what you're saying about Jesus Christ.

Now we also learn from verse 26 that Felix was hoping that somebody would bribe him. He was hoping that Paul or maybe one of Paul's friends would give him some money so that he could let Paul go. And so you can see that Felix, well he was corrupt, but he also knew that Paul was innocent and that he really had no reason to be imprisoned in this way.

And so because he was hoping for this bribe, it says that he sent for Paul often. And so you get to see this picture where Felix here is getting many opportunities to hear the gospel message, to hear the good news. Now again, I would ask you to consider how big is your God? Remember a few chapters earlier in the book of Acts, we saw Peter in prison along with John and Peter.

The Lord set them free and delivered them from the prison and then told them, go back into the temple and preach the gospel. And then a few chapters later, Peter was in prison again. And again, God delivers him. He sends an angel and the guards are all asleep and he just leads him right out the front gates. God could have delivered Paul in the same way. There was no obstacle here. There was no challenge. It wasn't that this prison that Paul was in

you know, the security was much better. So God had a bigger, you know, a harder time trying to figure out how to get Paul out. How big is your God? God could have delivered Paul at any moment, at any time. But we can see from verse 25 and verse 26 that God was working on Felix. There was a plan in place here by the Lord. And he was using this situation with Paul being in prison to bring this message to Felix.

Now, all indications show that Felix did not receive it. But that does not make it any less important for God to accomplish this or to orchestrate this. Because God is intensely fervent in his desire for people to be saved. And he will go to great lengths to give people the opportunity to be saved.

And so Felix is sending, not with good intentions, hoping that he'll be bribed, but he's sending for Paul over and over again, hearing the gospel over and over again, because God is at work. It's important that Paul would be here to be able to share the gospel with him. It's worth it. It's worth it for Paul to be in prison for this time period. It lasts for a couple years. It's important for him to be in prison for these couple years,

So that Felix would have this opportunity. Even if Felix never received it, this situation gave him the opportunity to receive it. And so God is at work. He could have delivered Paul, but he wanted to do something through this situation with Paul and in Felix.

Well, it tells us in verse 27 that Festus succeeds Felix after two years. There was a lot of political things going on and Felix has to go back to Rome. Basically, he's in trouble because of the way he's been governing. And so he's sent back to Rome and now Festus takes over. And so now as we go into chapter 25, Festus is coming on the scene and he's going to be introduced to Paul and try to figure out what to do with him.

So chapter 25, verse 23 is the key verse.

It says, So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus' command, Paul was brought in. So as Festus comes on the scene right away, verses 1 through 12, the Jews come and bring complaints against Paul to Festus. Now, at least two years have passed, so...

The Jews now see an opportunity because now the new guy is in charge. So now is our chance to once again renew this attack on the Apostle Paul. And so they bring these complaints against Paul as Festus is there in Jerusalem. And verse 2 tells us that the Jewish leaders are trying to get Paul moved to Jerusalem because again their intention is to put him to death.

But Festus wouldn't have it. And so instead he went to Caesarea where Paul was in prison. The Jews who were bringing these accusations against him went with them. And now they're having another trial. Verse 7 tells us about the serious complaints that they bring against Paul. And again, Paul has his opportunity to defend himself. In verse 8 he says, I have not offended in anything.

I haven't offended the Jews. I haven't offended Caesar. I haven't offended in anything that I've been, you know, being obedient in the things that I've been doing. But the Jews are still not satisfied. And so Festus asked him, well, are you willing to go to Jerusalem, you know, for us to hear out this matter further? In verse 11, Paul responds. He says, for if I am an offender or have committed anything deserving of death,

I do not object to dying. But if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, then no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar. Here Paul makes a big move. He appeals to Caesar.

Festus is trying to please the Jews. He's saying, will you go to Jerusalem and be tried there in the religious court instead of a Roman court? And Paul says, look, if these guys are not able to support their charges against me, then no, you can't deliver me over to them. They're going to put me to death. And so he says, instead, I appeal to Caesar. Now, appealing to Caesar was the right of any Roman citizen.

If there was a situation as a Roman citizen, you thought, you know, justice isn't happening here. I'm not getting my fair trial. I'm not getting justice in this. The Roman law provided this option where you could appeal to Caesar. This is like, you know, in our culture, what we would call going to the Supreme Court.

And so he could appeal to Caesar and now his case is going to be taken before Caesar, the Roman emperor. And the case is going to be brought there and he'll be able to present, you know, his defense over there. Now remember, the Lord had told Paul back in chapter 23 verse 11, you must bear witness also at Rome. So this is part of God's instruction to Paul.

Remember how big our God is, okay? The Lord told Paul, essentially, how to handle this situation. The Lord gave him the direction. Why does he appeal to Caesar? Because the Lord told him, you're going to bear witness of me in Rome. And so he's giving Paul instruction here,

So that when Paul appeals to Caesar, now he's going to fulfill what God said. And he's going to go to Rome and he's going to bear witness of Jesus Christ. You see how God is orchestrating these things and directing these things by speaking to Paul and giving him insight into what he's going to do. Now this is really amazing and this is really important for us because there's a lot of times where we get in situations that, well, we just really don't know what to do.

There's great difficulty. And maybe there's some unfairness going on. Maybe there's some false accusations going on. And we can try to figure out all kinds of ways to get out and resolve the situation. But the most important thing is for us to hear from the Lord. That He would give us the instruction so that when it's appropriate that we appeal to Caesar or maybe something else. That God would give us the direction that we need for whatever situation

situation we face. God is big enough to have the direction, the solution, the answer for whatever situation that we face. Well, Festus now is kind of in a dilemma because Paul has appealed to Caesar. It's his right to take this case before Caesar. And so he says, all right, well, you're going to go to Caesar then. But the problem that he has is there's no real crime that's been committed.

And so he really doesn't know what to write down as far as the accusations against Paul as he sends him to Caesar. And so in verses 13 through 22, Festus explains Paul's situation to King Agrippa. So Festus was the governor, the king. Now he's over, you know, a bigger portion of the region. And so Agrippa comes and

Festus is like, I need some help with this Agrippa. I mean, here's the situation. He recounts the whole history. What do you think I should do? And so they decide, well, let's have Paul come and present

his case before Agrippa and before some others. And they'll then help Festus make a decision about what to do and what to write down as he sends him off to Caesar. So verses 23 through 27, Paul is brought before Agrippa, his wife Bernice, and then the prominent men of the city. I like how verse 23 describes it. It says, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp. It kind of

makes my mind go to something like the Academy Awards. There's just some great celebration. There's this great ceremony. Everybody's dressed up. All the commanders, the prominent people of the city are there. And now they're going to hear the Apostle Paul's case. Now, Festus explains, as the whole gathering of all these important people has taken place, he explains to them the situation. He says in verse 26...

I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him. And so I've brought him to you, especially you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place, I may have something to write. See, here's his problem. Paul has appealed to Caesar. It's his right. But he doesn't know what to write to Caesar about Paul because there's no real crime that's been committed. And so he's brought all these important people together.

And he says, help me figure out what to write so that I don't look like a fool to Caesar. But again, consider how big our God is. Because now Paul, he had opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to minister to Felix and to share the gospel to Felix. Now he's had the opportunity to share with the next governor, Festus.

And then now he's brought before even more of the prominent people and the governors and the leaders and the commanders and then even King Agrippa and his wife. And you see that God is big and he is orchestrating these things and using this imprisonment of Paul to bring the gospel to those who need to hear it. And so now as we head on into chapter 26, you'll have Paul's account of

That he delivers to this gathering of prominent people. King Agrippa and the rest. And so chapter 26 now verse 29 is the key verse. Here Paul says. I would to God. That not only you but also all who hear me today. Might become both almost and altogether. Such as I am except for these chains. Through this dialogue.

message that Paul gives to them, his testimony, he is essentially declaring here, my hope, what I would to God, is that you all would become like me, except for the change. That is, you all would become believers in Jesus Christ. That's Paul's intention. That's Paul's prayer.

And so to meet that objective, he's going to share his testimony. This is something that Paul used over and over and over again. And so we've seen it a couple times through the book of Acts already, where Paul has shared his testimony. It's a powerful tool and it's a good reminder for us. Our testimonies are powerful tools. And when we have the same objective as Paul, that we have the objective that those that we're sharing with, we would, that they would become believers again.

The testimony is a great opportunity to share with them that they might believe. Because you can share your experience. Now, Paul's was quite extreme. But that doesn't mean that your testimony has to be that extreme to be that effective. Your testimony is effective because it's your testimony. It's your experience. It's how God revealed himself to you.

And however that happened, whether it might be amazing in your mind or not so amazing in your mind, it's a powerful tool. God can use what He's done in you

To minister to others. In the same way we saw in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, God comforts us so that we can comfort others. God saves us. He works in our life so that we can help others experience God as well. And so he uses his testimony in verses 1 through 11. Paul says, I lived as a Pharisee.

So he kind of goes back to what we saw early on in the book of Acts, where Paul was very religious. And he followed the Jewish law. He was a Pharisee. He was very strict in his life as a Pharisee. He was very legalistic. He was very faithful to the written word of God and the traditions of the Pharisees.

And he says to the whole gathering there, if the Jews were willing to testify, they could tell you, I was with them. I was one of them. I was one of the best of the best. And he tells us in verse 9, I thought to do, that I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus. I thought I had to fight against Jesus, Paul says. And so I did.

And so I persecuted them. In verse 10 he says, I shut the Christians up in prison. And I cast my vote against them to put them to death. He says, I punished them. I compelled them to blaspheme the name of Jesus. And I even chased them to foreign cities to persecute them there. This part of Paul's testimony is always encouraging to me. Because it reminds me that if God could save Paul...

He can save anybody. I mean, Paul is the worst of the worst, torturing Christians in order to convince them to blaspheme the name of Christ. He was against Christ, as against Christ as you can be. And God uses Paul as a model for his amazing grace. As a model that we could learn the lesson that anybody can be saved. There's nobody outside of God's reach. There are people...

that we come across, there are people in our lives perhaps, that we think, it's just not possible. I just can't ever see it happening. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 1.16, he says, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus might show all longsuffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life. He says, I'm the pattern to show how merciful God is.

How he can take the worst of the worst and still bring redemption, forgiveness, and then even more than that, then to be used powerfully by God to work in his kingdom. Paul says, I'm the model for that.

And so he recounts this part of his life here before this gathering of important people. And he goes on in verses 12 through 18 and he says, And so now he comes to the point where he is converted. As he's on the way to Damascus to persecute the Christians there, the Lord Jesus appears to him. This bright light shines around him and Jesus reveals himself. And he says,

It's hard for you to kick against the goads. Paul, I've been speaking to you. I've been reaching out to you and you've been fighting against me and it's hard for you to fight against me. That's why you're miserable. That's why you're so driven because you're fighting against me. But I'm going to change that. In verse 16, Jesus says to Paul, rise and stand to your feet.

For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and the things which I will yet reveal to you. Paul, I'm revealing myself to you because I'm going to do a great work in you. And I'm going to do a great work through you. I'm going to send you to the Gentiles. I'm going to deliver you in all kinds of situations. And you're going to preach the gospel to

And many are going to be sanctified by faith in me. And so he goes on in verses 19 through 23. And he says, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. So as he's telling them the testimony. He's like, this is how it was. This is what the Lord did in revealing himself to me. And so what I've been doing is just in response to that. I wasn't disobedient to what the Lord told me to do. What I've been doing is.

is not some great crime, but what I've been doing is, well, I've been being faithful to what He instructed me to do on that day that He revealed Himself to me. I think verse 22 is pretty interesting as he's sharing this with them. He says, "...therefore, having obtained help from God to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come."

Paul says, I'm not bringing a different message. I'm bringing the fulfillment of the Old Testament. But he says, having obtained help from God to this day. Here I am witnessing to small and great because I have been helped by God. Even right now. Paul doesn't say, and now I stand before you having been abandoned by God. Again, I ask you to consider how big is your God?

Paul recognizes here, this isn't because God has failed me that I'm standing before this council that I've been in prison for a couple years. This isn't because God has abandoned me. This is because God has helped me. Now you and I in the same situation, we would probably wrestle with that truth. I don't know if I believe that, Paul. I mean, that's pretty hardcore. No, Paul says, I'm here because God is helping me. And I'm witnessing before small and great people

I'm witnessing to fellow prisoners and I'm witnessing to the important people of the city. I've obtained help from God. God is with me and God is at work. Listen, this is a truth that we need to grasp hold of and recognize how big God is. We have been praying for many months now for Pastor Saeed who is, you know, he's part of the Calvary Chapel family. He's a Calvary Chapel missionary and he's in prison.

for sharing the gospel this is very similar to what the apostle paul was doing not making any you know not doing any crimes not doing anything against people but by sharing the gospel and we're praying for him to be delivered just like well remember when the church was praying for peter to be delivered and it's not that iran's prisons are more secure than roman prisons it's not that god's unable to open up the doors and to lead him out it's not that god has abandoned him

But God is strengthening him. He's helping him to this day. And we don't know all the plans and purposes. We don't know what God's doing through that. But we know that God is with him. We know that God is able to do anything he wants to do in that situation. And then bring that close to home. Whatever we're facing, whatever we come across, we got to remember, how big is our God?

Am I in this situation? You know, late for work in traffic on the freeway because God has abandoned me? Well, when we have that view that God's that small, then we get stressed out. We get in the flesh. We start cursing at people. We start cutting people off. We get all worked up. It gets a big mess because our God's small. But if we'll just recognize, hey, God's bigger than this. If he wanted to part the red light, see? All those red lights in front of you, he could do that.

Our God's big. Or we get the news of that disease or whatever it is. Those things that we face that are out of our control, we need to remember that they're in God's control. And God can take something that happens in your life or my life. Now, I'm not volunteering for this. I'll volunteer you. But He can take something in your life and cause a situation to happen so that you take the message of the cross to the Supreme Court.

So that all those judges and all the nation will hear the message of the cross. That's what's happening with Paul. And he's delivering the message. He's faithful to trust God and deliver the message the whole way. Well, as Paul concludes his message in verse 24 through 32, King Agrippa responds. He says, you almost persuade me to be a Christian.

Almost. Now Festus really interrupts and so Paul doesn't really get to get to his conclusion. Festus interrupts and he shouts out, much learning is driving you mad. And Paul says, no I'm not mad. I just believe the scriptures. He says, Agrippa, I know you believe the prophets. And Agrippa says, he kind of sidesteps the question of whether or not he believes the prophets. And instead he says, you almost persuade me to become a Christian. And

I like what Warren Wiersbe says about this. He says, "...almost persuaded to be a Christian is like the man who was almost pardoned, but he was hanged. Like the man who was almost rescued, but he was burned in the house. A man that is almost saved is damned." You almost persuade me. Just like we saw earlier with Felix. He had come to the point where he'd heard the message. It was clear he understood it and he had a choice to make. But he's like, I'm not ready to make that decision.

And remember what Jesus said, if you're not for me, you're against me. And so it's like almost, I understand what you're saying, Paul, but I'm just not quite ready. But again, regardless of whether Agrippa or Festus or any of these prominent people received the message, it was important enough for God to bring Paul through the situation. It was important that they hear the message. It was worth it for Paul to be in prison, for Paul to go through these things, for them to hear Jesus.

The message of the cross clearly presented. Well, in verse 32, Agrippa says, you know, this man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. Although I'm not quite ready to become a Christian yet, I'm not ready to believe in Jesus. I can see that he hasn't committed any crimes. We could have just set him free, but he appealed to Caesar. We have to send him to Caesar.

And so now as we go on into chapter 27 and 28, we're going to see Paul's journey as they send him to Caesar. Chapter 27 verse 41.

It says, And so on the way to Rome, they're going to be shipwrecked. In verses 1 through 8, they make the decision to sail to Italy. Paul is delivered to a centurion named Julius.

And now they're going to make their way to Rome. Now it's late in the fall at this time. It's not a good time to travel on the Mediterranean Sea. And so they begin their journey and it describes it as being very difficult. And so they make it to the island of Crete with great difficulty. And there in verse 9 through 12, Paul advises them to stay where they're at, to winter there in the harbor at Fair Havens.

It tells us in verse 9 that sailing was dangerous at this time of year because the fast was over.

This is a reference to the Day of Atonement, which is in September or October, depending on which year it falls in. But so it's late in the year, it's late in the fall, and that means it's really dangerous to sail on the Mediterranean Sea. All the way from October, November, December, January, those were months that they would not be on the open sea because of the storms that would come. It would be too dangerous.

So Paul says, guys, I don't think this is going to work out very well. We should stay here for the winter. But it tells us in verse 11 that the centurion was persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship. And so he disregarded the things that Paul said. Also, it tells us in verse 12 that the majority advised to set sail. So Paul was outvoted and they went on.

Well then in verses 13 through 20, the ship is caught in the winds. And so they are now in the midst of this storm. And they're doing their best to try to save the ship. And they're putting cables underneath to strengthen the ship. They're throwing stuff overboard.

And for two weeks, they're going to be in the midst of this storm. It tells us in verse 20 that all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. And so they, in the midst of this storm, it was so severe, they had come to the conclusion, we're going to die in this storm. There's no way of getting out of this. Well, in verses 21 through 26, Paul urges them to take heart. I like verse 21 though, because here's what Paul says.

I told you so. Or like Cisco tells me, que te dije. I told you what I tell you. Don't leave. Winter here. But they didn't. And so Paul says, I told you. But then he goes on to give them encouragement. He says, take heart in verse 22. He says, there's not going to be any loss of life. We're just going to lose the ship. Because an angel stood beside me. He told me what's going to happen. We're going to be safe. And so take heart. Well, verses 27 through 38 says,

They dropped anchor and prayed for the day to come. And so they let go of the anchor. I'm sorry, they dropped the anchor to try to hold out. And then when the day was going to come, then they were going to try to find the shore because they had taken measurements and knew that they were close.

Paul urges them to eat because they hadn't eaten for this time while they're fighting for their lives. And so they eat a little bit. I think verse 35 is interesting. It says that he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat. And so even in the midst of the storm, he takes time to give thanks for the bread and to be continuing to be a good witness before these men of being grateful to God.

Well then in verses 39 through 44... They all escaped safely... To land... They made... You know... They tried to get to the shore... But their ship got stuck...

And it's being broken up. And so they jump overboard and they swim. And then Pastor Tom's favorite verse in verse 44, the rest made it to shore on some of the boards from the ship. And so the first account of surfing in the Bible. But they all make it as God told Paul that they would. They make it safely to this island. So here's what this looks like in the geography of chapter 27. They start out in Caesarea and they sail up to Sidon. They go up around Cyprus over to Myra.

Then that's where it gets really difficult. And so they're sailing here. They land in Fair Havens. This is where Paul says, don't go. We should stay here. They said, no, let's make for Phoenix. Now Phoenix, you can see, is also right here on Crete. It's right there. It's about 45 miles away. So they're thinking, we could just go like a little bit farther. It'll be much better. We can go a little bit farther, 45 more miles, and we're safe and we're good. But instead, they hit the storm and it drives them 600 miles away.

over to Malta. And so they land in Malta, or they shipwreck on Malta, and they're going to spend a few months there. Now, I think this is interesting because, well, who would you listen to in this situation? Remember, the experts, the owner of the ship, the navigator of the ship said, no, we should set sail. The majority, they took a vote, the majority said, oh yeah, we should set sail. But Paul said, nah, we shouldn't set sail. Sometimes the experts and the majority say,

don't have the best advice. And I would suggest to you that we should learn from this to listen to those who hear from the Lord. We need to listen. Now, even better than that is for us to have our own connection with the Lord and to hear from Him directly. And when we're not hearing from the Lord, then maybe listening to the experts and the majority isn't the best idea.

If you're not hearing from the Lord, maybe you need to listen to those who are hearing from the Lord. Because they'll provide much better counsel. As I think the psalmist said in Psalm 119, I have more wisdom than all my teachers because I meditate on your word. When we're hearing from the counsel of God, we have great insight from him. Well now chapter 28, verse 16 is the key verse.

It says,

They show great kindness to them, it says in verse 2. And so they're starting a fire and Paul's helping gather sticks. And he has this situation where a snake comes out and latches onto Paul's arm. And tells us that the natives, they're watching this happen, they're thinking, wow, he must be a really evil dude. Because the gods did not allow him to survive. I mean, he survived the shipwreck, but still he's going to die now by the snake.

But Paul just shakes it off in the fire and they're watching him. Is he going to swell up? Is he going to fall over? Nothing happens. And so then they decide, well, he must be a God then because he was able to survive that. Now, obviously he was not a God, but that he was protected by God because God is big enough.

And so through this, he stays there for three months and they heal many. Then they go on in verses 11 through 16 to Rome.

Verse 15, he talks about the brethren who come to meet him. He had written to them a few years earlier in the letter to Romans that we'll start reading tomorrow as we go on in the Bible in three years. And so now some of those who have been ministered to by Paul come and meet him as he's making his way up to Rome.

Then in verses 17 through 29, Paul explains and testifies of Jesus to the Jews in Rome. So when he gets there, he calls the Jews together and he says, hey, I want to let you know what's going on and why I'm here. And, you know, I'm not bringing an accusation against Judaism or anything like that, but here's what happened.

And they said, well, we want to know about Jesus. And we hear about this all the time. And so they set a day and they come and Paul explains the gospel to them. In verse 24, it tells us that some were persuaded and some disbelieved. And that's how it always is. As the gospel goes forth, some are persuaded and some will choose not to believe.

Well, the book of Acts concludes in verse 30 and 31 saying that Paul dwelt two years in his own rented house preaching and teaching. And so it leaves Paul off. He's there in Rome waiting to appear before Caesar to present his case, to share the gospel. In the meantime,

He's sharing the gospel with whoever will come. He's given a lot of freedom because there's no real crimes against him. And so he has a guard. You know, it's kind of like he's under house arrest, but he's renting a house. He has a guard with him and people are coming throughout that two-year time and he is ministering to them.

A quick look at the geography. They shipwrecked on Malta and stayed there for three months after the winter was over. Then they made their way up to Syracuse and then a couple other places and then ultimately up to Rome where he waited for two years. And so the whole journey to Rome is about 2,000 miles and you can see that there. It took about six months of travel time as they were working their way from Caesarea all the way to Rome.

Well, as we finish up this evening with the book of Acts, I would ask that you would turn with me to Philippians chapter 1. And I want to end with just a short passage here in Philippians chapter 1 where Paul is talking. He's actually writing this from prison, which is where we are at in Acts chapter 28. So Paul's there in prison for two years ministering to people as they come. And in Philippians chapter 1, he's writing to the Philippians from that prison during that time

And as he's writing to them, he says in verse 12, Again, considering how big your God is, Paul had a firm grasp that God is very, very big.

In the midst of prison, while he's waiting to appear before Caesar, having undergone all these unfair trials and the difficulties and the travel and the shipwreck and all of that, he writes to the Philippians. He says, hey guys, I want you not to worry. Don't be freaked out by this. I need you to know that this is all working out for good. And this has turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. You would think me being

in house arrests would limit the gospel because I'm not able to spread it. I'm not able to go from place to place to place to place. But no, it's amazing how this is working out guys. God has used this to make the gospel go further. So much so that it's even evident to the palace guard and to everybody else around me that my chains are in Christ. The name of Jesus Christ has been magnified and

and known as a result of this. And so he says in verse 18, jumping down a few verses, he says, what then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is preached and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. He's talking about the different motivations that people have as they're preaching Christ. And he says, look, it doesn't matter if I'm in chains or not. If they're preaching Christ, if I'm preaching Christ, the name of Christ is being promoted. I will rejoice in that.

Paul is able to have this awesome attitude of joy because he is trusting in a very big God. He knows God could set him free, but God has chosen instead to do a different work. And so he's resting in that. It's not that he's preferring prison, but that he's recognizing that God is able to work and use the situation

To accomplish his purposes. He's saying my God is big Philippians. My God is big enough to tell the future and tell me how to get to Rome. My God is big enough to deliver me from prison or keep me in prison. My God is big enough to give me the right directions. My God's big enough to heal me and preserve me. To make the viper harmless. He's big and he's at work. And so I rejoice in that. It's a great lesson for us.

To have that attitude of joy that comes from knowing that God is big. Whatever we face, whatever situation we're in, God is big. God is what? Amen. Let's pray. Lord, thank you that you reign on high, that you rule on the throne.

And God, that there's nothing that's outside of your control so we can rest and trust in you. And we can trust in your promise where you declare that you'll work all things together for good to those who love you and are the called according to your purpose. And Lord, we can't always see that, but we can have joy in the midst of great difficulty because we know that it's true. Because you are a big God. And so Lord, help us to trust in you and rest in you. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.