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

Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta... But Paul shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm... And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. And Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him... And after three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers... (Acts 28:1–14)

After five and a half years, we reach the final chapter of Acts—and find a prisoner who turned his chains into a pulpit.

Where We Left the Story

When we left Acts a couple of weeks ago, Paul, Luke, their friend Aristarchus, a Roman centurion named Julius, and 272 others had run aground off the island of Malta. All 276 escaped the storm, and God went to work as He always does. He brought healing to Paul, who was bitten by a venomous snake. The islanders expected him to fall over dead; when he didn't, they were amazed.

One thing led to another, and they were ushered into the household of Publius, the leading citizen of the island. Paul learned the man's father was sick, prayed for him, laid hands on him, and God healed him. Word spread, and many others on the island brought their sick and were healed. The power of God was on full display, and they stayed three months through the winter.

The Journey to Rome

After three months they sailed in an Alexandrian ship. They landed at Syracuse on the eastern shore of Sicily, stayed three days, then came to Rhegium at the very tip of the boot of Italy. When the south wind blew, they made great time and reached Puteoli, about 120 miles southeast of Rome—modern-day Naples, where, incidentally, my family the DeBenedictis family is from.

There they found brethren and were invited to stay seven days. As they moved toward Rome, believers came out to meet them as far as Appii Forum, about 40 miles out, and Three Inns, about 30 miles out. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. When they reached Rome, the other prisoners were delivered to the captain of the guard, but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with a soldier who guarded him.

If you turn one page to the right in your Bible, there's no more Acts—the next page is Romans. We've been going through this book since November 2008. We're finally in the last chapter.

An Abbreviated Ending

Notice the abbreviated fashion in which Luke writes. These last twenty-one verses cover about two years of Paul's life and ministry, given as a snapshot from thirty thousand feet. This period is often called Paul's first imprisonment in Rome. History tells us he was imprisoned about two years, released for a short time, then taken again for a second imprisonment of about eighteen months before he was executed—even though he had done nothing wrong.

Luke gives no clear ending. It's almost as if he wanted to write a sequel. I kind of wish he had—though that probably would have taken us another ten years. But there's something important here: the work of God, the acts of God's people, are not done. This is a book that continues to be written in the lives of every one of God's people. If you follow Jesus today, a record is being kept of your life and ministry for the Lord, even if you don't feel you have one.

A Timeline of Delay

The timing helps us see the events clearly. Paul left Caesarea as a prisoner around mid-August of A.D. 60. They reached Fair Havens on Crete by late September or early October, around the time of a Jewish feast. They set sail on an ill-fated voyage, and after two weeks in a terrible storm, ran aground on Malta in mid-October. They stayed three months, through November and December, and began their journey north in late January, A.D. 61. They likely came into Rome around the beginning of February.

Now consider this: three to four years before, in A.D. 58, Paul was in Corinth when he wrote his letter to the Romans. In Romans 1:9–13 he wrote:

For God is my witness... that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you... that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

At the end of Romans, Paul said he expected to come to Rome after a quick trip to Jerusalem to deliver a financial gift, and then go on to Spain. But it didn't work out that way. When he got to Jerusalem, he was arrested. He spent two years in Caesarea, appealed to Caesar, and the journey that should have taken fourteen days in good conditions took six months.

Things Don't Happen the Way We Plan

This brings us to point number one: things don't often happen the way we plan. This point is obvious, but stating it doesn't diminish the frustration we feel when our plans fail. Some people are so constantly frustrated that they decide not to make plans at all. I don't think that's the best plan, but I understand it. Having kids only amplifies how plans never come to pass the way we intend.

The amazing thing is that God is not surprised by the failure of our plans. We're tempted to be frustrated and even angry, but God is still working. Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? We're moving along, everything going the way we think it should, and the doctor says "cancer," or the boss says "I have to let you go." That wasn't on our list—but it doesn't take God by surprise.

In Romans 8, Paul wrote, "We know that God works all things together for good to those that love Him and are the called according to His purpose." And in that very same chapter, surrounded by talk of suffering and death, he declares we are more than conquerors. God is at work even in the frustrating plan changes of our lives.

I don't know if Pastor Chuck coined it, but it's often attributed to him: "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken." You won't find that in the Bible—it's in First Smith chapter 2—but it's true. It's hard for us to be flexible because we don't like change. Had Paul been given the chance to write the script, there would be no two-year prison in Caesarea, no shipwreck, no two years in Rome. But looking back, we see God navigated this course to accomplish exactly what He wanted. We need to be flexible, ready for God to open new doors and plot new courses.

Encouraged on the Road

Look again at the end of verse 13 and into verse 14: "we found brethren." What a blessing for Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus to come into Naples, a place they'd never been, and find brothers in Christ. All along the 120-mile route to Rome, believers joined the procession—so much so that Paul "thanked God and took courage."

Think about what Paul was approaching: escorted by a centurion among prisoners facing capital crimes, heading toward a possible execution, having done nothing wrong except witness for Jesus Christ. And as he drew near, Christians came out to encourage him.

I wonder how many of these believers were the fruit of Paul's own ministry. He had sent that letter and many people—Phoebe who carried it, Priscilla and Aquila already there—to establish the church in Rome years earlier. How many of those who met him on the road had Paul as their spiritual father, though they had never met him face to face?

Your Prison Is Your Platform

Verse 16: Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with a soldier who guarded him. He had favor even as a prisoner. Early in the journey, at Tyre, Julius gave Paul liberty to be ministered to by Christians. Julius recognized Paul was no criminal. So in Rome, while the other prisoners went to a Roman prison, Paul lived in a rented house with a soldier as his guard.

Many say Paul lived under house arrest with little liberty—and that's true. But I see the providence of God in it. From the time Paul left Corinth, through Jerusalem and Caesarea, there had been Jewish assassins plotting his death for more than two and a half years. Now, here in Rome, he has his own personal bodyguard, day and night.

Some would consider this constraint an annoyance, a hindrance, an obstacle. Paul saw it as an opportunity, a platform. This is instructive. Many of you view your present circumstance as constraining—your job, your office, your campus, your construction site, the work of raising little children. You think, "I could do so much more, even serve the Lord more, if I didn't have this." But Paul recognized the prison was the place God had placed him for His purpose. Point number two: your prison is your platform.

The Word Cannot Be Chained

Though Luke records little about these two years, we know Paul was anything but idle. He knew that though the messenger was chained, the message was not. In 2 Timothy 2:9 (New Living Translation), written during his second imprisonment, he says:

And because I preach the Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained.

You may feel chained, hindered, constrained—by a classroom, an office, a construction site, the age of your young children. You may say, "I could be so much more useful to God if only I didn't have this." But that platform was given to you by God to use for His glory.

Calling the Jewish Leaders

After three days, Paul called the leaders of the Jews together (Acts 28:17–20). He told them his history: arrested in Jerusalem, delivered to the Romans who found no cause for death, compelled to appeal to Caesar though he had nothing to accuse his nation of. Then he said, "For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."

The hope of Israel doesn't mean much to most of us Gentiles, but in every generation it has meant one thing: the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Anointed One—the Christ, the Mashiach, the Messiah. Every Jew lived in expectation of His coming. And what Paul intended to do is what he had always done since meeting the hope of Israel on the Damascus road: take the prophecies of the Old Testament and join them with the history of Jesus of Nazareth, showing they come together in this one man.

Time Is a Perishable Commodity

Paul wasted no time, because point number three: time is a perishable commodity. He didn't know how long he had. He faced a trial date when Nero could order his execution at any moment.

In every city Paul ever entered—Lystra, Derbe, Iconium, Thessalonica, Corinth—he went first to the synagogue, seeking an audience among his own people. Had he come to Rome under his own power, he would have done the same. There were seven synagogues in Rome and some forty thousand Jewish men and women in the region. Since he couldn't go to them, he called their leaders to himself.

A few months ago I had a late-night conversation with Rich Gary, right after he met with his doctor, Dr. Dang, who told him he had six to twelve months to live. We talked until about three in the morning. I shared Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Just before that, the psalmist says the days of our life are seventy years, or eighty by reason of strength. Time is short—even when, in youth, it seems long.

I told Rich something a little morbid but true: ten out of ten people die. Every one of us faces the same shipwreck; for some it's closer than others. The enemy loves to keep us thinking it's far away—"I've got time." But Rich had been given a gift: clarity. A terminal diagnosis instantly reveals how many meaningless things don't deserve our time. It's as if each hour suddenly became worth a thousand dollars—and you'd be far more selective about how you spent every minute. Paul had that awareness. He waited as long as he could, then said, "Get these men here. I want to meet with them."

Make the Most of Every Opportunity

Point number four: make the most of every opportunity. Did Paul do that? Intriguingly, he wrote those very words to two churches in letters composed during this imprisonment. Four letters were written here—Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, the prison epistles.

In Ephesians 5:15–17 (NLT):

So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

This is the thoughtful life that follows Psalm 90:12. Even as a prisoner, Paul was a prisoner with purpose. In Colossians 4:5 he writes, "Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity."

Imagine what it was like for Paul to have a captive audience—a Roman soldier who had to be with him morning, noon, and night, hearing how he lived, how he prayed, what he wrote. In Philippians 1:12–14 Paul says the things that happened to him actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it became evident to the whole palace guard that his chains were for Christ, and many brethren grew more bold to speak the word. And in Philippians 4:22: "All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household." People in Nero's own household became Christians during those two years.

I think Paul was so restless—so unable to stay in one place—that God had to put him in prison just to keep him still. Can anybody relate? Because Paul was wise with his time, we hold in our hands Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and later 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus—all written in prison.

There's an old poem called "Tomorrow," about a man who kept putting things off:

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.

May that not be the banner over our lives.

One More Word for Them

The Jewish leaders said they had received no letters from Judea against Paul, but desired to hear his views about this sect spoken against everywhere (verses 21–22). What an open door. On an appointed day, many came to his lodging, and from morning until evening he explained and testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some were persuaded; some disbelieved.

A few months back I shared that when someone rejects the gospel, I often quote Hebrews 10: if you sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remains no sacrifice for sins, only a fearful expectation of judgment. Someone wrote me saying that wasn't very nice and puts unbelievers in a tough spot. You're right—I want to put them in a tough spot, and I take that from Paul. Notice what he says when these men disbelieved (verses 25–28), quoting Isaiah:

Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand... For the hearts of this people have grown dull... lest they should... understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.

In my updated version: "You are a bunch of fat-hearted, thick-headed individuals. You won't receive this, so you won't receive the healing the Lord brings. Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"

Every Gentile—every non-Jew—here this morning: the salvation of God has been sent to you, and you have heard it. And Isaiah prophesied that God will heal them. So when Paul dropped that bomb, the Jews departed, disputing among themselves.

No "The End"

Verse 30: Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, receiving all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. And notice—there is no "The End," because it continues. May it be that when you and I enter eternity, there is a book longer than twenty-eight chapters written over our lives.

Closing Prayer

Father God, we thank You for Your word. We pray that You would help us take to heart these things—that even though this week plans will fall through and we'll feel constrained, hindered, with obstacles in front of us, tempted to be frustrated and angry, help us to recognize that the prison is the place You've placed us. It's a platform to share the gospel of grace with the people around us. So many times brothers and sisters have said, "I wish I didn't have to work in this secular place where there are no Christians." Yet, God, You've placed them there because You want them to be a light. Help us to recognize the shortness of time, that it is a perishable commodity, and to make the most of every opportunity for Your glory in this world. In Jesus' name. Amen.