Looks Like We Made It (Journey To Rome pt 4)

For the last five and a half years, we've been studying through the Book of Acts here at Cross Connection. This weekend, we're finishing the Book of Acts in Acts chapter 28, as Paul comes into the city of Rome for the last time during his two-year imprisonment there. We will explore all the great things that God did in and through him during that time.

So, open your Bibles to Acts 28. I think you'll be encouraged as we look at this passage. Would you stand with me and open your Bibles to the Book of Acts, Acts chapter 28? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one.

Although we looked at the first ten verses last week, we're going to read them again this morning. Acts 28, verse 1. Luke records, "Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold."

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened to his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow him to live."

But Paul shook off the creature into the fire, and he suffered no harm. However, the islanders were expecting that he would swell up and suddenly fall down dead. After they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

In that region, there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius. He received us and entertained us courteously for three days. It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul went into him, prayed, and laid his hands on him, and he was healed.

When this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. They honored us in many ways, and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary. After three months, we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the twin brothers, which had wintered on the island.

God, would you give us...

We trust that Your word is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. You have given it to us for instruction, teaching, rebuke, and correction, so that we would be ready and thoroughly equipped for every good work. As we rightly divide Your word of truth, God, transform our minds. Lord, help us to be those who bring glory, honor, and praise to Your name. We pray for anyone here today who may still be skeptical about who You are and how great You are. We ask, God, that You would reveal Yourself through the Scripture and by Your Spirit as we study these things. We pray in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen."

You can be seated.

When we left the story in Acts a couple of weeks ago, Paul and Luke, along with another friend named Aristarchus, a Roman soldier, and a centurion by the name of Julius, were on board a boat that had run aground off the coast of the island of Malta. All of those men—276 of them—escaped the storm, and now they are alive on the island of Malta. Not only were they alive, but we see God working, as He always does. Amen? God works, and He is there, working in an awesome way.

He first brings healing to the Apostle Paul, who was bitten by a venomous snake. The people of the island of Malta were anticipating, as we just read, that Paul would fall over dead, but that didn't happen. When that didn't happen, they were quite blown away by this. One thing leads to another, and they are ushered into the household of the leading citizen of the island, a man who was a great estate owner named Publius.

In his home, over the course of a few days, Paul learns that this man's father is sick. We just read that he goes in, lays hands on him, and prays for him. God heals him, and then many other people on the island hear about this. They bring their sick and diseased people to the Apostle Paul, and God heals them. We see this awesome work of the power of God manifested there on the island of Malta.

They stayed there for three months through the winter, and then, after three months, we read in verse 11...

We sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the twin brothers. This ship had wintered at the island, and from there, going north, they landed at Syracuse. Syracuse is on the eastern shore of Sicily, and there they stayed for three days. After that, they circled around and came to Regium, which is at the very tip of the boot of Italy. You can kind of picture in your mind Italy, the big boot; right at the very tip, there is this area, this city called Regium.

After one day, the south wind blew, providing perfect conditions. The next day, they made great time and arrived at Puteoli, about 120 miles southeast of Rome, right in central Italy on the western coast. This area is what is modern-day Naples. Naples is actually the place where my family, the Benedictus family, is from, so it’s a great place where we found brethren.

In verse 14, we were invited to stay with them for seven days, and so we went toward Rome. When the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, which is about 40 miles southeast of Rome. They continued with us until Three Inns, which is now 30 miles southeast of Rome. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

Now, when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself. Even though he was a prisoner of Rome, he was allowed to stay by himself with a soldier who guarded him. It came to pass that after three days, Paul called the leaders of the Jews together.

As we venture into this text, I want to point out that if you turn one page to the right in your Bibles, there is no more Acts. The next page is Romans, which means that we are in the last chapter of the book of Acts. There were some naysayers who thought we would never get there, but I just want to say we are here.

If you have not been around for a while, we have been going through the book of Acts since November of 2008. You can do the math; that’s a few years. We are finally in the last chapter. In fact, we were in the last chapter two weeks ago, but we only covered the first ten verses. Now we are in the final 21 verses of this book. As we zero in on the last words of the book of Acts, I think it’s important to recognize the significance of this moment.

In an abbreviated fashion, Luke, the author of the book, writes these last 21 verses, which cover a period of about two years of Paul's life and ministry. As you look at it, it just goes by very quickly, as Luke gives a snapshot from 30,000 feet, if you will, of the last happenings in Paul's life up to the point that he was released from his first imprisonment.

In fact, this last two years that are recorded here in the book of Acts are often referred to as Paul's first imprisonment, as he was there in the city of Rome. It is believed, although we don't have anything in Scripture about it, that Paul was imprisoned in Rome for a couple of years. History tells us this, and then he was released for a short period of time before being taken once again as a prisoner for a second imprisonment, which lasted about 18 months. Ultimately, he was executed as a prisoner of Rome, even though he had done nothing wrong, as we have seen repeatedly in the book of Acts.

Luke doesn't record a clear ending; he finishes this text and this record of the things that were happening in the life and ministry of Paul with no real conclusion. It's almost as if Luke is wanting to do a sequel. I don't know about you, but I kind of wish that he would have, although that probably would have taken us another ten years or so to get through. So maybe it's good, by God's providence, that he didn't. When we get to the end of Acts 28, we will see that it is just kind of left hanging there.

I think this is important because it helps us to see that the work of God, the ministry of God, and the acts of God's people are not done. In fact, this is a book that continues to be written in the lives of every one of God's people. If you're a follower of Jesus today, there is a record being kept of your life and your ministry for the Lord, even though you may not feel that you have one. I hope that in some ways what we will look at today might change that focus.

If we consider the timing of the things that are happening here in this passage, it helps us to see the events more clearly. Remember, Paul was on trial in the region of Judea, in the chief city of Caesarea. Several chapters ago, he was put on a boat with Luke and Aristarchus, two of his co-laborers in Christ. He was there as a prisoner of the Romans, under the supervision of a centurion named Julius. There were other prisoners on board this boat and other soldiers as well. They took this boat around, leaving the area of Caesarea, which we believe occurred in about the middle of August.

In the middle of August in A.D. 60, they traveled from modern-day Israel, near where the city of Tel Aviv is today, about 30 miles north of there. They left from there and were on the Mediterranean Sea, ultimately making it to the island of Crete, which is right in the middle of the Mediterranean. We know from what Luke records that they were on the island of Crete, specifically in a port called Fair Havens, at the time that the Jewish people celebrated one of their feasts. This brings us to the end of September or early October.

From the middle of August to the end of September and early October, they were on the island of Crete. They set sail on what ended up being an ill-fated ship run, an adventure that didn't quite go as planned. After two weeks in a terrible storm, they ran aground on the island of Malta in the middle of October in the year 60 A.D. They stayed there for three months. Luke tells us this at the beginning of the passage we are looking at today. They went through November and December, and by the middle to the end of January in A.D. 61, they began their journey back to the city of Jerusalem.

We are given a timeline of this journey: one day here, three days there, and seven days there. When they finally arrived in the city of Rome, it was probably about the beginning of February in the year 61 A.D.

Three to four years before this trip, in A.D. 58, Paul was in the city of Corinth, which is in modern-day Greece. While there, he wrote a letter to the people living in the city of Rome, to an early church that was being established there. Not only did he send a letter, but he also sent many people. Romans chapter 16 records the names of a whole bunch of people that Paul sent to Rome to help establish the church there.

He wrote this in Romans chapter 1. Since it's only one page to the right of Acts chapter 28, you can turn there. Romans chapter 1, look at verse 9. This was written three to four years before Paul came into the city of Rome as a prisoner. He says in Romans 1:9, "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making requests, if by some means now at last I may find..."

A way in the will of God to come to you, for I long to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gifts so that you may be established. That is, that I may be encouraged together with you by mutual faith, both of you and me.

Now, I don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of how often I planned to come to you, but I was hindered until now, that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. Paul, in Romans chapter 1, about three to three and a half years before he actually got to Rome, wrote to the church there and said, "I want to come and see you."

Now, the desire that he had is being fulfilled; the dream that he had is being seen as he comes into Rome. At the end of the book of Romans, in Romans chapter 15, he says to the church at Rome that he expects to come to them after he makes a short trip down to Jerusalem because he had a financial gift to bring to the Christians there. He was planning on spending the Feast of Pentecost there, and he said, "So I'm going to come and see you, but first I've got to go the opposite direction to Jerusalem. I'll be there quickly, and then I'm going to come to Rome and pass through Rome on my way to Spain."

If you have been with us for a little while, you know that this didn't work out the way Paul had anticipated. His intent was to have a brief trip down to Jerusalem, stop off there, say hello, drop off a financial gift, and head on to Spain, stopping in Rome on the way. However, that didn't happen. When he got to Jerusalem, he was taken in as a prisoner, and there he remained for two years. He was in Caesarea for two years, and then ultimately he appealed to Caesar, as we have considered.

He then went on this journey to Rome, which, under good conditions on the Mediterranean Sea, should have only taken about 14 days. Instead, it was a journey that took six months—half a year. When Paul wrote that letter in A.D. 58 and said, "I long to see you and I want to come to you, but first I have to make this brief trip to Jerusalem," I'm sure he never thought it would take two and a half years for him to ultimately get there. Nor did he ever intend that when he got there, he would be coming in as a bound prisoner of the Empire of Rome.

This highlights for us what I think is an important point. If you have your sermon guide handy, point number one is: things don't often happen the way we plan. I realize this point is tacitly clear; it hardly needs to be stated. Be that as it may, the truth of the matter remains.

The statement does not diminish the frustration that we experience when our plans don't go the way we want them to go. How many of you have ever had plans not go the way you wanted them to go? We have all experienced this to some extent. Some people are so constantly frustrated by their plans going awry that they have decided not to make plans at all. They think, "Every time I make a plan, it just falls apart, so I'm just not going to plan." I don't think that's the best plan, but I understand why people would say those things.

We are easily frustrated by our plans that fail. I know that I am, and I would assume that you are as well. There are many things throughout our day and week that don't go the way we intend them to go. Things come up that we didn't plan for, and unexpected events derail the plans we want to accomplish. The amazing thing is that as soon as you have kids, it amplifies the fact that plans never come to pass the way you intend them to.

I was going up to teach the Wednesday night service at Calvary Thousand Oaks this last Wednesday. My wife and I planned to leave the house sometime in the mid-morning, just before noon. Of course, that never happens. We didn't get out of the house until about 1:30 in the afternoon. This meant we were sitting in traffic for the rest of the way. Our plans just never quite go the way we want them to go.

Although we are often confounded or constrained by the reality that our plans fail, we need to understand that God is not surprised by the failure of our plans. He is not surprised by those moments. We are tempted to be frustrated and angry, but we must recognize that the plan changes of life happen, and God is still working. He is not frustrated by those things.

Things pop up for us, and we think, "I don't know where that came from. I didn't think about that. I didn't have a contingency for that." Yet, it comes up, and it doesn't surprise God. Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? There is never a time when He says, "Oh, I didn't see that coming."

We go along with our business, and everything seems to be moving just the way we think it should. Then, the doctor sits down and says, "Diagnosis: cancer." We respond, "Wait, that's not on my list. I didn't plan for that. I didn't think that was going to happen." Or your boss says, "I don't have any work for you starting next week. I'm going to have to let you go." You think, "I didn't have that written down in my plans. I didn't see that coming." And then you wonder, "Oh, what am I going to do?"

But God is not surprised by that. It doesn't take Him by surprise or shock Him in any way. God is at work even in the frustrating plan changes of our lives.

Now, when Paul wrote that letter to the Romans, he expressed his longing to see them and his plans to come to them. In the eighth chapter, he wrote what has become an important verse to many: "And we know that God works all things together for good to those that love Him and are the called according to His purpose." So, God is at work even in the things that don't go the way we plan them to go in our lives. This includes the difficult, challenging, and trying things.

In the very same section of Scripture, Romans chapter eight, where he says we know that all things work together for good, he also speaks about suffering, death, and all the terrible things that happen in our lives. He weaves that in and says all things work together for good, so much so that we are more than conquerors in Christ and through Christ. God is at work in the frustrating plan changes of our lives.

I don't know if it was Pastor Chuck who coined the phrase originally, but it's often attributed to him: "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken." That's right, blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken. You won't find that in the Bible; it's in 1 Smith chapter 2, which is not Scripture. However, blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.

It's hard for us to be flexible because we don't like change; we are rather rigid. This makes it difficult for us, especially when we have our hearts and minds set on a course. This is the way we are going, and when things deviate, even if it's just a minor degree to the right or the left, we go, "Wait a minute, this is not what I was expecting or planning."

Certainly, had Paul been given the opportunity to write the script, there would have been no two-year prison sentence in Caesarea, no shipwreck on the island of Malta, and no two years in prison in Rome. None of that would probably have happened because if we were given the opportunity to write the script, we would write everything perfectly.

But now, looking back at these things as we've gone through the book of Acts and seen the way that God navigated this course for the Apostle Paul, we can see that God had a plan. He takes us to the places He wants us to go to accomplish the things He wants us to accomplish, even though we would never originally have plotted that course. So, we need to be like...

Yoga-like, we should be flexible in the way we approach these things. We must be ready for God to open new doors and to plot new courses through the changes He brings us through.

Now, that said, I want you to look back at Acts chapter 28, specifically the end of verse 13 and the beginning of verse 14. In Acts 28:13-14, it says they came to a place called Puteoli. When they arrived in Puteoli, they found brethren. What a blessing it must have been for Paul and his companions, Luke and Aristarchus, to come into a place they had never been before—a wonderful place called Naples. Many great people have come from there.

As they arrived, they found these brethren, just about 120 miles southeast of Rome. Luke writes that when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. So, all along the route from Naples to Rome, this 120-mile journey, believers in Jesus were joining the procession.

The result of this was significant. At the end of verse 15, it says Paul saw them, thanked God, and took courage. Think about what Paul was approaching—the uncertainty of it all. He was being escorted to Rome by a Roman centurion with a group of prisoners, all of whom were probably facing capital crimes; otherwise, they would not have been extradited to Rome to appear before Caesar. He was facing what would likely be the end of his life, and ultimately, it was. He was facing a possible execution for having done nothing wrong other than being a witness of Jesus Christ.

There he was, 120 miles south of Rome, moving in that direction. As he got closer, more and more Christians were coming to encourage him. In fact, in one place in Puteoli, they said they wanted him to stay with them for seven days, and so they were able to stay for a whole week and be ministered to. As they approached, the number of believers grew, providing encouragement to Paul to the point...

He thanked God and took courage. Now, three and a half years, or three to four years before this, Paul sent a letter and many individuals to Rome to establish the church. I wonder how many of these Christians that Paul met in Naples or the Puteoli, how many of them came to him saying, "Wait, the Apostle Paul is the one who wrote that letter?" How many of them were a product of the ministry that Paul had sown there in Rome, even though he had never been there before? How many of them had ultimately Paul as their spiritual father, even though he had never met them before? Now they were drawing near and encouraging him as he was on this road to Rome. I imagine that many of those people were a direct result of Paul's ministry.

Verse 16 says, "Now when we came to Rome, Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him." As they came to Rome, Paul again had favor. He was granted favor even though he was a prisoner of Rome. Early on in this journey, after they had left Caesarea, the first place they stopped was a city called Tyre. When they were in Tyre, this same Roman centurion, Julius, had given Paul leave; he had given him liberty to go and be ministered to by some of the Christians that were there in the area of Tyre.

Julius recognized that Paul was not a criminal; he should not be treated like the other prisoners. So, he was given great liberty. In fact, the very fact that Julius was still alive had much to do with the fact that Paul was on board that ship that was in the Mediterranean in the first place. When they came into Rome, all the other prisoners were delivered to the captain of the guard and taken into a Roman prison, but not Paul. He was permitted to live by himself.

The end of chapter 28 says that he lived in a rented house there in the city of Rome, and he had a Roman soldier as his guard. Many people comment that Paul lived these two years under house arrest and didn't have very much liberty, which is true; he didn't have a whole lot of liberty during this period of time. Yet, I see the handiwork of God, the providence of God in this. If you remember, from the time that Paul left the city of Corinth in the year 58 A.D...

When he wrote that letter to the Romans, Paul had just left the city of Corinth and traveled all the way down the Mediterranean to the city of Jerusalem. During the entire time he was in Jerusalem and then Caesarea for more than two and a half years, a group of Jewish men was plotting his death and wanting to kill him. Assassins were trying to find a way to kill him. Now, here he is under the guard of Rome for the last two and a half years. As he comes into Rome, he has his own personal bodyguard. I realize some people wouldn't see it as a bodyguard; Paul was under house arrest and had very little liberty. Yet, he had this Roman soldier with him day and night throughout his stay in Rome. Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier that guarded him.

I am certain that some would consider the constraint Paul was facing—the lack of liberty he had—as an annoyance. However, as we see throughout the passage, Paul did not view it as an annoyance or a hindrance. What some would consider to be an obstacle, Paul saw as an opportunity. What others might complain about as a problem, Paul recognized as a great platform. This is instructive to us. I think it's so important for us to see what's happening here in this passage because there are many sitting here in this room today who view their present circumstances as constraining.

You might see the current situation you are living through as holding you back and hindering you. You might even look at the job you have, the office you occupy, or the school campus you attend. You might see the construction site you work on as a prison of sorts, holding you back. You might feel that the work you are doing at home, taking care of little kids, is just holding you back, and you could do so much more if you didn't have this responsibility. You might even think you could serve the Lord in many other ways.

Yet, Paul recognized that the prison he was in was actually the place that God had placed him for His purpose. So, point number two on your outline: your prison is your platform. You might feel held captive by whatever it is that you are in, but recognize that the place you are in is where God has placed you for His purpose. Your prison is your platform. Previously, as we've already seen, Paul had spent two years as a prisoner in Judea and then six months under guard as a prisoner.

Aboard a doomed ship on the Mediterranean, Paul ultimately stayed on Malta for three months. During his route to Rome, he was under the guard of Roman soldiers. Although Luke records very little about what happened during the two years after Paul arrived in the city of Rome, we know that he was anything but idle. He didn't view this situation as holding him back; he didn't see it as keeping him from the cause of Christ. Instead, he saw it as the very place that God had placed him. He understood that although the messenger, Paul, was chained, the message of the Word of God was not bound or chained.

We know this is the case because he wrote those very words in his second letter to Timothy. You can turn there if you'd like. Second Timothy, chapter two, was actually written during Paul's second imprisonment. Paul was in the city of Rome under house arrest for two years, then he was released for a period of time before being taken again as a prisoner of Rome for about 18 months before his beheading. In Second Timothy, chapter 2, verse 9, I will read from a different translation than you may have, the New Living Translation. There, Paul says, "And because I preach the gospel, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But notice this: the Word of God cannot be chained."

So, although Paul, the messenger, was chained, the message of the Word of God was not chained because the Word of God cannot be chained. You may feel today chained, hindered, constrained, or held back because of the classroom or the office that you occupy, the construction site you're on, or because of the age of your young children. Whatever it may be, you may feel held back and think, "I could be so much more useful to God in His kingdom if only I didn't have this thing that was holding me back." Yet, you must see that this platform has been given to you by God to use for His glory, to minister His grace and His truth.

Paul was anything but idle, and we see that in Acts 28:17. Now it came to pass that after three days, Paul had come into the city of Rome.

The centurion Julius parted ways with the Apostle Paul and said, "Here is the Roman soldier who's going to guard you. You can stay in this rented home. I guess the church has set up a home for you here, so you can stay there. You're under house arrest; you have limited liberty."

Paul arrived at the home and took a few days off. After three days, he called the leaders of the Jews together. When they had come together, he said to the men and brethren, "Though I have done nothing against our people, the Jewish people, or our customs, the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. They examined me and wanted to let me go because there was no cause for putting me to death, even though our brothers wanted to put me to death. When the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not having had anything of which to accuse my nation."

After three days, he called the leaders of the Jews to himself and said, "Listen, I want to meet with you. Come here; I have something to say to you." When they gathered, he gave them a little history about who he is. "I was in Jerusalem, and I was taken as a prisoner. They wanted to put me to death, but the Romans stepped in because I'm a Roman citizen. Still, our Jewish brothers and sisters wanted to put me to death, so I appealed to Caesar. So here I am."

"For this reason, therefore, I have called you." They were probably at this point saying, "Well, why do you want to talk to us?" Paul continued, "I called you for this reason: to see you and to speak with you. Why? Because for the hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain."

This statement, to us Gentiles, may not mean a whole lot, but in every generation, the hope of Israel has always been one thing. Whether it was 2,000 years ago or here in the year 2014, the hope of Israel is still the same: the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding one called the Anointed One, the Christ, the Mashiach, the Messiah. Every Jew has lived in expectation and hope of the coming of the Messiah.

They have had different views about what the Messiah would do or accomplish when he would come, but they live in hope and expectation of the coming of the Messiah. From time to time, a rabbi will rise to prominence and say, "The Messiah is about to come," and there will be a heightened sense, especially among those who are practicing Jews, that things are going to be wrapped up and good things are coming. So, for the hope of Israel, I am bound.

In this chain, what Paul intends to do is what he has always done since he personally met the hope of Israel on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9. He takes the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the Messiah and joins them together with the history of one named Jesus of Nazareth. He shows that these two things come together in the man Jesus the Christ. He says, "For the hope of Israel, I am bound in this chain." Immediately, he does this; he wastes no time.

Point number three on your outline is that time is a perishable commodity. Paul did not consider his present circumstance as a constraint. He didn't look at the fact that he had little liberty and was bound under house arrest as something that was holding him back. Instead, he used the opportunity he had because he knew that time was a perishable commodity. He did not know how much time he had. He came into Rome as a prisoner and was facing a trial date that he did not yet know when it would come. The possible outcome of that trial could be that Caesar Nero could say, "Kill him." Therefore, he didn't want to waste any time.

It is important to see that in every city where this missionary, Paul, went—whether it was in the region of Galatia, Macedonia, Greece, or Asia—he would immediately wait until the first Sabbath day. He would go to the synagogue, the meeting place of his own people, the Jewish people, and seek an opportunity to share the good news of the gospel. He had a platform from which he could speak because he was a leading Jewish man from the city of Jerusalem, which was significant to every Jewish person.

Had circumstances been different, if Paul had come into Rome under his own power and had liberty, he probably would have waited until the first Sabbath day to look for the synagogue in the city of Rome. Historians tell us that there were seven synagogues in Rome during that period, and they were very large, with some forty thousand Jewish people.

Men and women lived in that region, and so Paul called to the leaders of the synagogues. Each of them came; perhaps there were only seven, maybe there were more. This group of rabbis came to his house, and he sat down with them. He did what he would have always done at any time when he entered a new city: he sought an audience with his brothers and sisters because time is a perishable commodity, and Paul wanted to use his time wisely.

A few months ago, I had a late-night conversation with Rich. This was right after he met with Dr. Dang. You guys remember last week when Rich shared a little bit about meeting Dr. Dang and the news he received? The doctor had just given him the news that he had six to twelve months to live. I was sitting down with Rich, and I think we talked until late that night, maybe until three in the morning. I don't remember exactly, but as we were talking, one of the things I shared with him was Psalm 90, verse 12. Psalm 90, verse 12 says, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Just before that, the author of Psalm 90 says, "The days of a man's life are seventy years, and if by reason of strength, eighty years."

The application is clear: teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Time is short. When you're younger, it seems very long—seventy years, maybe eighty years—but time is actually very, very short. What I shared with Rich is that every single person, and I realize this is a little bit morbid, so just hang on with me for a second, but the statistics are staggering: ten out of ten people die. That's right. This means every single one of us is looking forward to the same shipwreck. It doesn't sound very nice, but it's a reality. For some of us, it's closer than for others, and some of you may think that it's very far away, but in fact, it's closer than you realize.

What I shared with Rich was that every single one of us who sits here on a Sunday morning has the same expectation of the ultimate end. We don't like to think about it as something that is very far away, and I think the enemy likes to keep us in a place where we believe that it's very far away. "I've got time" is the idea that the enemy loves to feed us. "I can push it off. I can delay. I can wait." I said to Rich, "You know what? You've been given a gift." He may not have thought of it as much at that moment, but the reality is he was given an opportunity to realize something that none of us know: the time of his death was much closer than he might think.

When a person receives a terminal diagnosis from a doctor, it instantly brings everything into clarity. All of a sudden, you realize that there are a lot of meaningless things that you don't need to waste your time with. I said to Rich, "You need to recognize that now, with the diagnosis that you've received, it's as if your time just became much more valuable. It's as if each hour is worth a thousand dollars. Imagine if you were paid a thousand dollars an hour to do your job; you would be far more selective about how you spent every minute of that hour."

Time is a precious commodity, and it's something that we cannot grasp without recognizing its shortness. Paul had that understanding, and Rich had that understanding. Some of you have experienced that to some extent, but for most of us, we have not. We think we have time, and we push things off until tomorrow. However, Paul didn't have that luxury. He waited as long as he possibly could, and then he said, "Okay, get these guys to come here. I want to meet with them."

"Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." For Paul, time was short, and it was very clear what he had to do.

Point number four on your outline is to make the most of every opportunity. Did Paul do that? Interestingly, he wrote those words to two different churches in two different letters. He wrote those letters while he was serving his prison sentence in Rome. These letters are known as Paul's prison epistles: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Three of those letters were written to churches in the cities of Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae, while one was written to an individual named Philemon.

Did Paul use his time wisely? Let me read to you from Ephesians chapter 5. This was written while Paul was in prison in Rome. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 15, from the New Living Translation states, "So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but live like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Do not act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."

To do this is the thoughtful life. This is the life that follows Psalm 90, verse 12: "Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." Paul says to the church at Ephesus, and he would say the same to you and to me: be careful how you live. Don't be thoughtless about this. Don't be foolish, but wise. Make the most of every opportunity that you have.

Even though Paul was a prisoner in Rome, he was a prisoner with purpose. Even though you might feel hindered by your job, your schooling, your kids, or whatever it may be that is holding you back, be a prisoner with purpose. Paul was careful. He was careful to reach out to his brothers and sisters from the Jewish heritage and background. He was diligent to dictate four different letters to people while he was there during this prison term. He was also faithful to reach those who were not believers.

In Colossians chapter 4, verse 5, also written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome, he says, "Live wisely among those that are not believers and make the most of every opportunity." Can you imagine what it must have been like for the Apostle Paul to have a captive audience? This Roman soldier must have thought, "Well, you're the captive," but Paul said, "No, really, you're the captive. You have to be with me every single day, morning, noon, and night. You get to see how I live. You get to hear how I pray. You get to hear what I write to these churches in Ephesus, Colossae, and Philippi."

Paul writes this to the church in Philippi at the time when he was in prison in Rome. He says in Philippians chapter 1, verse 12, "But I want you to know, brethren, that the things that happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. Don't be depressed that I'm in prison in Rome; it's turned out for the furtherance of the gospel." It has become evident to the whole palace guard, to the soldiers of the Roman palace of Caesar Nero, that my chains are in Christ. I am not a criminal, and the only reason I am here is because I preached Jesus. Most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

He writes this at the end of his letter to the Philippians in Philippians chapter 4, verse 22: "All the saints greet you, but especially..."

Those who are of Caesar's household, amen. What does that mean? Paul was not idle while he was in prison. People who lived in the household of Caesar, related to Nero, became Christians during the two years that he was a prisoner. He didn't have any liberty; he was held back, constrained, and hindered. I think what it rather was is that Paul was so active and couldn't stay in one place for very long that God had to say, "I have to put you in prison to keep you here." Can anybody relate to that?

Paul was wise with his time, making the most of every opportunity. He took time to write letters of encouragement and exhortation to equip the Christians at Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae. I would suggest to you that we should be grateful that Paul was in prison. Why? Because we have in our hands the books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. We also have in our hands First and Second Timothy and Titus, all written while Paul was in prison.

There's an old poem called "Tomorrow" about a man who kept putting things off until tomorrow. The last bit of the poem reads this way: "The world would have known him had he ever seen tomorrow, but the fact is he died and he faded from view, and all that he left here when living was through was a mountain of things he intended to do tomorrow." I pray that's not the banner over our lives.

So, Paul called the Jewish men of the city of Rome to himself and said, "These are the things that happened to me in Jerusalem. They wanted to put me to death." Then they said to him, as recorded in Acts 28:21, "We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken evil of you." They said, "We don't know what you're talking about, but we desire to hear from you what you think concerning this sect, these followers of Jesus of Nazareth."

We know that it is spoken against everywhere. What an awesome open door! Paul says, "This is who I am. I was arrested because I believe in the hope of Israel and I believe in Jesus of Nazareth." They say, "Yeah, we've heard about this sect. We'd love to hear what you have to say." So, they desire to hear from him concerning this sect.

When they had appointed a day, many came to him at his lodging. To them, he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the prophets, from morning until evening. Some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. When they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said this word.

A few months back, I shared with the church here on a Sunday morning that when I share the gospel with someone and they reject it, I often share a passage of Scripture with that person from Hebrews chapter 10. It says, "If you sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth..." A person who continues to walk in open sin after hearing about the gospel is in a serious situation. I say, "If you sin willfully after hearing the knowledge of the truth, there remains no sacrifice for your sins. There's nothing you can do to clean up your life before God. The only thing you have to look forward to, as Hebrews chapter 10 says, is a certain and fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation."

After I shared that with the church, I received a letter from someone who said, "I don't think that's very nice. You shouldn't say things like that to unbelievers. It really puts them in a tough spot." And you're right; I want to put them in a tough spot. I take that from the Apostle Paul. Notice what he says to this group of people when they disbelieved and departed from him. He said, "I have one more word for you," and he quotes from the prophet Isaiah.

The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, "Go to this people and say: Hearing, you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing, you will see and not perceive. For the hearts of this people have grown fat, dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts in turn, and I should heal them."

Paul says, "Listen, I have just one more word for you. You guys are a bunch of fat-hearted, thick-headed individuals." That's my updated version. He says, "You won't receive this, and so you won't receive the healing that the Lord brings. Therefore, let it be known to you..."

The salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. How many Gentiles are here this morning? Non-Jews, raise your hand. The salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it. What is the response when we hear it? We know that Isaiah prophesied God will heal them. So, you've heard it, and God has healed.

When he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. I love this; he just drops this bomb on them and says, "See you guys later." As they're going, they're bickering with each other. It's just wonderful.

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, and no one forbidding him. Amen. Notice there is no "the end" because it continues. May it be that when you and I enter into eternity, there is a book longer than 28 chapters written over our lives. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, we thank you for your word. I pray, God, that you would help us to take to heart these things. Even though this week, things that we have planned are going to fall through and they're not going to work the way that we want, we are going to feel constrained and hindered, with obstacles in front of us. We will get frustrated and be tempted to be angry and upset.

But Lord, help us to recognize that that prison is the place that you've placed us; it's a platform to share the gospel of grace with the people around us. Lord, so many times I've had brothers and sisters come and say to me, "I just wish that I didn't have to work in this worldly environment, this secular place where there are no Christians. I wish I could work in a Christian environment." Yet, God, you've placed them there because you want them to be a light.

Lord, help us to recognize the shortness of time; it is a perishable commodity. Help us to make the most of every opportunity for your glory in this world. In Jesus' name, amen.