Kiss the Rod and Spread the Word

Acts 28:16-31

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 teaches us God’s providence. He works all things in his will - good or bad - for our salvation and comfort. Do we believe it? Yes we do - theologically, doctrinally, scripturally. But when the rod of God comes, when he leads us through deathly dark valleys and difficult times, we struggle to trust in God’s providence - we struggle to weather difficulties. This is doubly true if God’s rod has led us into deep valleys of prolonged difficulties. But what do God’s people do in those times? Are we paralyzed by grief? Do we escape trouble rather than deal with them? Or do we stir ourselves to trust God as we go through dark valleys, learning from him, living out the gospel?

We’re at the end of Acts. Paul has come to Rome. But it doesn’t look encouraging. Paul was still imprisoned - under close guard. He wasn’t out of the valley. What would happen? Would he be freed? Would he be imprisoned for 2 more years? From this passage, we learn Paul continued to press on despite the circumstance. But in these dark over and undertones, Christ was accomplishing his will. In the midst of dark times, Paul experienced light. There are 3 points in this passage. Firstly, the unending burden of a Christian. Secondly, the unfinished work of the gospel. Thirdly, the unrelenting support for the kingdom.

Firstly, the unending burden of a Christian. Why was Paul in Rome? In verse 20, he said - “for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” He was imprisoned because of the gospel. Jesus said he’d bear witness in Rome. And now, he was in Rome. And the way he got there was in handcuffs. This was Christ’s will. And Paul knew it. He trusted in God’s providence. That’s why, despite the long journey, the trouble he experienced, the first thing he did was proclaim the gospel. That’s why he was in Rome. We see him defending his testimony. When the other prisoners were delivered to prison, Paul was allowed to stay by himself under guard, verse 16. He was actually under house arrest, verse 30. Prisoners who were Roman citizens were allowed to rent a house, but they weren’t allowed out. They were under guard. But Paul made the best of the situation and his calling. Verse 17 says after 3 days he invited people over. He probably had to get a place and sign the lease. But once he did that, the first people he got over were the leaders of the synagogues - it says, “Paul called the chief of the Jews together.” Historians estimate at that time, there were 40,000 Jews and 10 synagogues in Rome. Why did he call for them? Because the gospel is first for the Jews. Wherever he went, he went first to the synagogues. Even though he experienced trouble each time, he still did it. Just because you’re in the valley of the shadow of death, doesn’t mean you neglect your testimony. So when they came, he defended himself. He told them why he was in Rome - he was falsely accused, even the Romans found him innocent. But because of repeated accusations, he appealed to Caesar. That’s why he was in Rome. But his purpose was not to charge his accusers, verse 19. Falsely accused, but not retaliating. But he did want to clear his name. Why? Because if he was guilty, why would they hear the gospel? That’s why in verse 20, he called them - to speak to them - so they’d know why he was in chains. “I’m imprisoned not because of anything I had done, but simply because I preached the gospel and called people to repentance.” And this intrigued them. No, they hadn’t heard about him, but they’d heard about Christianity and the controversies, so they wanted to hear what he had to say, verse 22. So they made an appointment to come to his house.

When they came, Paul preached the gospel message. In fact, a great number came, verse 23. So it wasn’t just the leaders. The gospel got Paul into trouble the first time - living it out, preaching it. He was in this dark valley now. Just be quiet Paul! But no. Paul spoke from morning till evening - and they listened for all that time. They were a very willing audience. They squeezed into his home to hear him. And what did he teach? The gospel. Verse 23 says that he “expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets.” That's why it took so long. Paul was teaching through the Scriptures - going through the law of Moses and the prophets. Why? This was life to him! Remember, Paul had been a man driven by pride, success, honor, hatred, revenge. But Christ changed him.

So he spoke about Jesus and God’s kingdom to them. He knew them. They were like him - these first century Jews. He wanted to correct their thinking. The restoration of a Jewish kingdom was very important to all Jews - and especially to these Jews. They were living in the very center of the Roman empire. They saw the paganism around them. They saw the oppression of their people. Even the disciples asked Jesus at his ascension - when will you restore the kingdom to Israel? They wanted a strong Jewish nation, they wanted to triumph over their enemies, they wanted to make their enemies pay!

So Paul had to explain what the kingdom really was. You see, these Jews had forgotten what Abraham himself knew about the kingdom. Abraham was searching for a spiritual kingdom. He was after forgiveness of sins, joy in God, spiritual blessings. He looked for a city which whose builder and maker was God - for a better country - a heavenly one. They were looking for a powerful king who would come and destroy the enemies. But Paul led them through the Psalms. Psalm 2 described that king - Jesus. Yes, he would subdue his enemies. But how? Psalm 22 taught how he would die. That he would be crucified - his hands and feet would be pierced through. Wait, they were waiting for a conquering king who would give them what they wanted - and Paul would’ve come to Isaiah 53 - this king would have to suffer for his people to bring them into the kingdom. Why? Because ultimately, the kingdom is spiritual - by his death, he’d form a kingdom of citizens who were born again unto holiness and righteousness.

Beloved, this is the gospel message that we need to hear again and again. For many Christians, we love that Christ has come to save us and take us to heaven; but we live our lives exactly like the Jews. We forget the spiritual kingdom of God. The gospel is not the most important thing to us. We don’t want to deny ourselves. We live in sin. We’re looking for a glorious earthly future. We want brilliant careers and successful children. We want to build our empire. But beloved, Christ didn’t come to give us a brilliant earthly future. He didn’t come to bring success to our children or to our careers. He didn’t come to destroy our enemies. He came to suffer for us, to conquer our sins, so that we can enter his kingdom. And he commands us to deny ourselves and die to self. That we may live for his kingdom and hope for that heavenly city. Dearly beloved, this must be our unending burden as believers.

Paul was going through a difficult time - but this was his theme. This world’s not my home - I’m just a pilgrim going to heaven. The gospel was foremost on Paul’s mind. That’s why he pursued a holy testimony and that's why he preached the gospel. It was his burden. What’s your burden? A brilliant life on earth? Fun and good times? Or a life lived out for Christ? Even though Paul went through his dark valley, his burden was for the gospel. He loved to tell the story. But what happened? What always happens when the gospel is lived out and preached - some will believe it and others will reject it.

Secondly, we see the unfinished work of the gospel. Paul preached - but not everyone believed. Until the kingdom of God is fully complete, with all the saints saved, the work of the gospel is not complete. But it was still accomplishing its purpose. Verse 24 says, “And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.” We learn some believed and were softened. They believed what was spoken. When Paul taught them what the kingdom of God really was, some received the gospel. They understood. The kingdom of God is not about making it big here. It’s not about comfort here. It’s not about earthly pleasures. It was not God coming to destroy their enemies. But they saw how Jesus Christ was their savior and king. They saw how he had to suffer and die for their sins. And they understood that the way to be saved was by repentance. This is what Jesus taught in the parable of the sower. The gospel would find fertile ground and bear forth much fruit. What’s wonderful is that these Jews were raised hearing about the kingdom of God. And now, they finally understood, they embraced it wholeheartedly. They knew their home was in heaven and not earth.

But at the same time, the gospel was rejected by others. They disbelieved because they were hardened. Now, Paul was preaching the same gospel to these who rejected as he did to those who accepted. This means that not everyone who hears the gospel will believe it. And this is the scary thing. Not everyone raised in the gospel will believe the gospel. These Jews grew up hearing about the kingdom of God. And when they finally understood what it was - a spiritual kingdom - they didn’t want it. They wanted to live in and for the kingdom of man. They didn’t want Jesus as king and savior of their lives. They didn’t want to deny self. And that’s why in verse 25, they departed.

And as they were departing, Paul said why they didn’t believe. He quoted Isaiah 6 - “For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” These words were spoken to Isaiah at his commissioning. When God asked - who will go for us? Isaiah responded - here am I, send me. Then God commissioned him with these words: “Go and tell the people that they’ll hear but they’ll never understand, they can see but they’ll never perceive. Why? Because their hearts are heavy. Their ears can’t hear. Their eyes are closed to the gospel. They’ll never believe nor understand; they’ll never repent and because they won’t repent, I won’t heal them.”

Now, why did Paul say these things to them as they were leaving. Shouldn’t he have pleaded with them? Instead he told them why they didn’t believe - “it’s because your hearts are hardened!” Now, Paul wasn’t afraid to use these words. It was the truth. The gospel itself was driving them away. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation of everyone that believes. But the gospel is also the key that shuts the door to those who refuse to believe. So it wasn’t that the gospel was insufficient to excite them - it was their hearts that were unwilling to accept it. Paul knew that if he tried to convince these people more, the more they’d be hardened. They wouldn’t hear anyway. You see, it’s like the parable of the sower - the gospel will fall on hardened hearts - the devil comes and takes it away.

But here’s a sobering thing. Paul went through the valley of the shadow of death - these were tough times. But he was bearing fruit. The rod of God was comforting him. He still pursued the gospel. In the parable of the sower, there are those who identified as Christians - they received the gospel seed. But when they went through their dark valleys, they gave up the faith. For some it was persecution. For others it was the cares of the world. All of us will go through these deep valleys. But some of us won’t make it because we aren’t truly sheep. And the deep valleys will reveal that. The rod of God comes, but we won’t heed it. We don’t want the gospel anymore. We don’t want to deny self. We don’t want to be soft. We want to be hard. We love the world too much - we won’t give up our sins. Children, you grow up hearing the gospel - that Christ is king; he’s savior; he can save you if you call to him; and will bring you to heaven. Don’t harden your hearts. You will say - Christ is not as good as an unbelieving girlfriend or boyfriend. Christ will not give me happiness. If only I give into sin - I will have a much happier life. Why do I want to live this Christian life? Look at Paul - he was imprisoned, but he remained obedient to God. Because he knew that Christ was better. In the valley of shadow of death, Paul knew he’d dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my eternal life. So even though the rod of God had led him to these dark valleys, he lived and preached the gospel of eternal life.

Paul was committed to his work of preaching. He knew the kingdom would grow despite these children of Israel rejecting their God. Verse 28 says - “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.” Paul’s burden and goal in life would be blessed by God.

Thirdly, the unrelenting support for the kingdom. Beloved, if your goal is to live for the gospel, live out the gospel, even in difficult times, God will bless you. Paul was imprisoned, but he was free. Verse 30 says, “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him.”We learn that Paul continued to work and also that he was cared for. He received all that came in unto him. He was preaching the gospel at his house. The Jewish believers would’ve brought others to him. He continued to preach. But he couldn’t go out. He was there for 2 whole years. Another 2 year imprisonment. He couldn’t work. But here, he would’ve received the support of fellow Christians. How do we know? If he didn’t work but had a rented house, he would’ve been receiving funds for food, for rent, clothes, etc. Verse 16 tells us he was guarded. Earlier, the Puteoli Christians had taken care of him for 7 days. Other Christians from Rome met him along the way and refreshed him. And here in Rome, the brethren helped him. God supplied all his needs in this valley of darkness.

To be sure, he was still suffering. But through his suffering there was growth. This was house arrest. He was under guard. Verse 20 said - “because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” Literally - he was chained to a guard. This arrangement was known as a custodia libera. Free, but not free - he had his own house, but was chained to a guard. He described this in many of his prison epistles. He wrote he was a prisoner - Ephesians 3 and 4; he was in chains - Ephesians 6. He was in bonds, Philippians 1. These guards were members of the Praetorian guard. Highly trained and high ranking soldiers loyal to the emperor. And they were guarding someone who was accused of being a dissident. Some may have been enthusiastic in their guarding of him. The “chain” he wore was an 18-inch long chain connecting him to a guard. He was always 18 inches away from a guard. Each day, every hour - a guard. And the guards took shifts of 6 hours. 4 guards a day. So for two years, Paul met different soldiers each day. They were attached to him for 6 hours each time. This was no dark valley! This was gospel opportunity. The guards were there when he received guests. When the guests were not there, he preached to the guards. You see, Paul was not only in bonds to Rome, he was in bondage to Christ. He belonged to Christ. And where Christ led him, he would go. And in prison, that’s when he wrote the prison epistles - Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. He was so confident in the gospel that he said that when we submit to Christ and his Spirit and Word, even in tough times, husbands can love their wives, wives can submit to their husbands, masters can take care of their servants, servants can serve their masters as they serve Christ; children can obey their parents, and parents will not provoke their children. He was confident that the Philippians would know how to rejoice in their great suffering. He was confident that all class barriers would be broken down because of the gospel - that Philemon would forgive his repentant slave and free him. This is what the gospel does. And what’s amazing is this. The rod of God had brought him to Rome, it seemed like a dark time, but when the gospel was preached, even members of Caesar’s family were saved, Philippians 4:22. Paul was in prison, but other people were preaching the gospel. Others were living out the gospel.

We see here, even in dark valleys, Paul kissed God’s rod that brought him there. He was comforted. He continued to serve and to experience the grace of God upon him. May this be our experience. How shall we then live? Let us live in dark valleys knowing that:

Your life is not your own, but you belong body and soul, in life and in death, to your faithful savior, Jesus Christ; who has fully paid for your sins with his precious blood and set you free from the power of the devil. He watches over you in such a way that not a hair can fall from your head, without the will of your father in heaven, and in fact, all things work together for your salvation because you belong to Christ. And the Holy Spirit assures you of eternal life and makes you wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him. That is the kingdom of God. That is the gospel of Christ.

1. The Unending Burden of a Christian

A. Paul’s testimony

B. Paul’s message

2. The Unfinished Work of the Gospel

A. Some believed and were softened

B. Some disbelieved and were hardened

3. The Unrelenting Support for the Kingdom

A. Paul’s work and their care

B. Paul’s suffering and their growth