I would invite you to turn with me to 1 Samuel 23. I'm going to read verses 15-18. This is the word of the living God. Now David became aware that Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God. Thus he said to him, Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you, and Saul my father knows that also. And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord, And David stayed at Horesh while Jonathan went to his house." Now I also want to turn to another Old Testament passage from Proverbs chapter 17. And just one verse, verse 17 of chapter 17. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." And now to Acts chapter 28. And this morning we are considering verses 11 through 22. At the end of three months we set sail on an Alexandrian ship, which had wintered at the island, and which had the twin brothers for its figurehead. After we put in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. From there we sailed around and arrived at Regium, and a day later a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days, and thus we came to Rome. And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the market of Appius and three inns to meet us. And when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who was guarding him. After three days, Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel. They said to him, We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are. For concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere." Let's pray and ask the Lord's blessing. Lord, we thank You for this, Your Word, and we pray that You would open now this passage to our understanding that our hearts might be transformed by Your truth. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Every so often, a word or a phrase will become popular, and suddenly everyone is using it. One recent example is a bucket list. A bucket list includes all of those things you would like to see or do before you die. I suppose before you kick the bucket. But these things may or may not happen, but they are certainly on your bucket list. And I think that Paul had such a list and it was about to be realized in part. Paul wanted to go to Rome. In his epistle to the Romans that was written three years before these events, Paul said the following to the believers in Rome, First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of his Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request, if perhaps now at last, by the will of God, I may succeed in coming to you. for I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you that you may be established, that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine." So you see, the apostles' fond longing was to visit those believers in the imperial city. and to encourage them and to be encouraged by them. And now, finally, by the will of God, Paul is about to arrive in Rome. So as we look at this section this morning, I want to focus first on the last leg of the journey. Then we're going to consider the kindness of the brethren and finish with Paul's ministry instincts. But when last we observed Paul and Luke, they were carrying on a ministry of healing among the sick people in Malta. Everyone with various sicknesses and diseases were healed and Paul was held in high honor. But now the winter was almost past and the sailing season was recommencing in the Mediterranean. The Maltese gave Paul and Luke tokens of their esteem, supplying whatever they needed for the rest of their journey to Rome. Meanwhile, the Centurion Julius had been busy finding alternate transportation for them. An Alexandrian ship had wintered at the island, and it was very likely another of the grain transports bringing wheat to the Italian peninsula. The captain of the ship was willing to take on passengers, and so it was that they set sail from the harbor in Malta. They were now on the last leg of this long, arduous journey. and everyone was anxious to complete the voyage. From Malta, they sailed to Syracuse, a harbor on Sicily. They stayed there for three days. Next, they sailed around and they arrived at Regium. A day later, a south wind sprang up and they were off again. And on the second day, they came to Puteoli, which was the southern harbor about a hundred and twenty miles southeast of Rome. After a week-long respite there, Paul and Luke finished the journey by land, arriving in the city of Rome. And Luke summarizes the conclusion of the journey in a rather understated way, saying, and thus we arrived to Rome. Due to the kindness and the influence of Julius, Paul was allowed to stay by himself in Rome with only a soldier guarding him. He was not put into prison as other prisoners would have been. In fact, Paul enjoyed house arrest for most of the rest of his stay in Rome. and under house arrest he could entertain visitors at his own discretion and carry on significant ministry from this home base. The whole journey from the very start through this fitting conclusion was guided and governed by the sovereign God. The Lord had determined that Paul would testify in Rome just as he had testified in Jerusalem. And providentially, the Lord led Paul every step of the way. Along the way, the Lord granted Paul ample and significant opportunity to minister to a wide variety of people. Though we ourselves are not apostles and have not received any divine direct instructions as Paul had, We also are under God's providential control and government. His purposes for us are certain and sure. He can and He will carry us along the road of life. We have no cause for doubt, worry, or fear. And even when things seem to be bleak, we are still in God's almighty hand. He will do for us as He pleases, and we must contend ourselves to trust in Him and to follow along as He leads us. We are like children being led by the hand. Our Heavenly Father lovingly leads us wherever He wants to take us. And we can be comforted and contented in knowing that He does all things well. Now, if you've been in church for much of your life, as I have been, you've heard this before. This is not news. And we will say, yes, I believe in God's providence. Especially when we are sitting in a nice, safe, serene sanctuary on a Sunday morning. We will nod our heads and say, yay, yay and amen. That is right. And then it's Thursday. And it seems like life has turned absolutely upside down and inside out and you don't know if you're coming or going. Maybe it's some crisis in your family. Maybe it's some shake-up at work. Maybe it's just some political event that you didn't see coming, and life suddenly seems out of control. Is it? No. Never. God is always the one who is shepherding us, who is leading us, who is guiding us through easy times and through hard experiences, through periods of great joy and times of sorrow, with the anticipated and expected twists and turns of life and in those unexpected, unanticipated events which catch us flat-footed. And so as good and right as it is to believe in God's sovereign, providential control on a Sunday morning in church, we've got to carry it into those Thursdays. Because it's at that time where we need to cling most tightly to it. When you don't know what is about to happen, you need to remind yourself God is in control. He does all things well. And whether this turns out one way or another, God is the one who is governing my life. And I trust in Him, and I rest in Him, and I will not fear. I will not worry. I will not let my mind and heart run to all of the worst case scenarios and let myself think, oh, well, that's inevitably what's going to happen. We just don't know. What's going to happen after church this morning? What's going to happen tomorrow afternoon? We don't know. We can't know. And say, well, you know, Pastor, my car is going to break down on the side of the road as I'm driving home from church today. You don't know that. You can't know that. Don't let yourself become one of these negative Nancys who is always just dreaming about, fantasizing about the worst case scenario, so I have fodder to worry. If you love to worry, if you delight in worrying, you need to put that off. That's not healthy, that's not good, that's not right. Replace your worry with trust in the Sovereign God. And believe that He is in control of your life. Believe that He is guiding your steps and He will not leave you or forsake you. You see, that's the antidote to worry, to anxiety, to fear, turning in faith to God who does all things well. And as we see Paul's life being shepherded along, we see our own lives in the same way. God is doing that for us even right now. So along the way in his journey, Paul and Luke experienced the kindness of the brethren. And this point is subtly emphasized even by a seemingly insignificant detail about the ship that they traveled in. This is such a subtle point that Dr. Simon Kistemacher, who is a very good commentator, admitted he had no idea why this was included in the text. I'm not smarter than Dr. Kistemacher was, but I think there is some significance here. Like many of the ships in the ancient world, this Alexandrian vessel had a figurehead. And the figurehead on this vessel was featuring the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux. Kistemacher explains that the Greek word refers to Castor and Pollux who were the twin sons of Leda and the Greek god Zeus. Sailors regarded these two brothers as patron deities who would protect them from the dangers of the sea. Not only does this remind us of the thoroughly pagan atmosphere of the Roman Empire, but it shows us the vain hope of the unbelieving pagan. They believed that these two imaginary brothers could and would protect them from danger on the sea. Now, historically speaking, sailors tend to be a very superstitious group, and these particular men are no exception. Their false gods are their best and only hope for safety. And yet, really, what could Castor and Pollux actually do? What could they accomplish? Could these twin brothers offer protection? No, not at all, because they didn't actually exist. They aren't real beings, much less divine beings. They're just stories made up by the imaginations of men. And so these wooden carvings on the ship were powerless to do anything good or evil. In sharp contrast are the Christian brethren that are highlighted along the way. Not only are these brethren able to do much good, but they do accomplish much for Paul and for Luke. The first appearance of Christians was in Puteoli. It says Paul and Luke found some brethren there and these Christians invited Paul and Luke to stay with them for seven days. Now, it's somewhat unclear how that actually happened. Did Julius allow them just a week of break from the trip? We don't exactly know. But the text does seem to suggest that Paul and Luke enjoyed a week's hospitality with the church in Puteoli. And that would certainly include a ward stay where Paul undoubtedly preached and led the congregation in worship. Setting off from there and headed toward Rome, they encountered another group of Christians. These were Roman believers who came down from the imperial city to meet Paul and Luke. Now remember that they had never seen one another face to face, although Paul had written them his epistle some three years previous. So they knew him through his letter. Now they come to meet him in person. Again, Dr. Kistemacher explains helpfully this situation. The messenger from Puteoli had alerted the Christians in Rome that Paul was on the way to the imperial city. Thus, two groups of believers set out to meet him halfway. One party traveled as far as the Forum of Appius, which is about 40 miles southeast of Rome. The other came to a place called Three Taverns, some 30 miles southeast of the city. This is a long way to go, especially just to meet someone and then to turn around and come back. So for some of them, it was a 60-mile journey For the others, it was an 80-mile journey on foot. When's the last time you walked 30 miles and then turned around and walked 30 miles back? 80 miles? That would take a long time. That would be wearisome. We hop in our cars and we cover that distance in no time. They didn't have cars. And so these Christians put out a certain amount of effort to come and greet Paul. They knew that he was coming as a prisoner of the Roman Empire. And what outcome awaited him in Rome, nobody knew. So supporting him, at some expense to themselves, was an important display of kindness and Christian hospitality. Now this reminds us again of the value, the great value, of Christian kindness and the importance of demonstrating hospitality. We are a body. We are united to one another in and through Jesus Christ. That means that we all have a duty to love one another to consider each other's needs ahead of our own. And we should be looking for ways to serve our Christian brethren and to encourage them. Yes, it may take time. Yes, it may cost us some expense. Would we really be willing to travel 30, 40 miles on foot? simply to meet a fellow Christian who is coming to our area. But this is the kind thing to do. I don't have to tell you that in our day and age, kindness is almost extinct. Compassion, tenderness, Christian hospitality, it is rarely seen. We live in a very sharp-edged, competitive, destructive age. Our culture is always looking out for itself. They go by the creed, the survival of the fittest. And if they want to destroy someone else for their own advantage, they will do that without blushing. We don't see much kindness. We don't see much tenderness. We don't see even basic friendliness all that often. And yet this is something that is core to the Christian Church. We are to be a body that loves each other, that is known for showing kindness and offering hospitality. It should be one of our defining marks. One of the things that sets us apart from the world and the culture in which we live. Now the impact of these brethren upon Paul was profound. When Paul saw these Christian brethren waiting for him, first at the market of Appius and then at three inns, it says, he thanked God and took courage. Even for such a brave person as Paul, he needed encouragement. He was dependent upon God. He thanked God for his fellow believers. And again, this is precisely what he had told them earlier in his epistle, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all. And so it is not only good and right for us to extend kindness and to show hospitality, it's also appropriate for us to gratefully receive it and to enjoy such displays of love and care. Now when this becomes commonplace and typical within a church, It is a beautiful and vibrant thing to see people just connecting spontaneously. People extending to others without being asked or expected. Where there are displays of this kind of kindness that just dot the landscape. Where it's everywhere you look. Where hospitality is not the exception, but it's the rule. where people are always looking for ways to love and serve their fellow Christians, rather than sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves, saying, I wish someone would love and serve me. And when we're tempted to have that kind of attitude, boy, nobody's loved or served me much lately, we need to get out of that and say, who can I love and serve? Who can I show kindness to? Where can I be of some encouragement? And it's been my experience, maybe you've seen this too, when we extend this kind of love and care, people tend to reciprocate. So if I am showing you hospitality, I'm not particularly surprised when you return the favor and show me hospitality. And where there's back and forth, give and take, a vibrant living body which is loving and serving each other. And when outsiders look in and see that kind of dynamic going on, that kind of community life, they often say, I'd like to be a part of that. Because I don't get that in my workplace. I don't get that in my neighborhood. I don't get that among my friends. I don't get that at the packer party that I go to. The church has something unique to offer. But in order for us to really offer it, We have to be doing it. We have to be practicing kindness. Now, it's not all that hard. It's something you could do conceivably even before you leave the building today. You could be thinking, even as we close this service and as you go out into the fellowship hall, who is someone I could show kindness to? Maybe there's someone standing by themselves who always seem to be standing by themselves, who don't have a friend to come alongside and say, hey, how was your week? What's going on in your life? How can I pray for you? That kind of connectedness is very basic, very simple, but it really communicates, I care about you. I care that you're here. And as you extend that to someone else, They might just say, well, but how are you doing? How is your week? What can I pray for you? And we experience that mutual encouragement that Paul talked about. Remember back in that quote I read from Romans 1, that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith. both yours and mine. Let me encourage you. Let you encourage me. As we're together, as I'm among you, let's give and take. Let's share. Let's encourage each other's faith." And so that's what Paul received. Now, while these sailors are vainly hoping that Castor and Pollux will keep them out of trouble, Christian brethren, that's where the action's at. That's where real help is extended. Once Paul had settled in Rome, his mind turned in a familiar direction. It's what I'm calling Paul's ministry instincts. Now it's well documented that Paul had a sincere concern for his brethren according to the flesh, the Jews. There's even a chapter in Romans that he speaks very openly about this. So three days after his arrival in Rome, he calls together the leading men of the Jews in Rome. And this must have been an interview in his apartment since he was a prisoner under the guard of a Roman soldier. So why did Paul do this? Why not spend those precious early days just getting to know his fellow Christians? Why devote this time to people outside the church. Paul was an evangelist at heart. He wanted to make some immediate inroads among the Jewish population in Rome. Even though he was the apostle to the Gentiles, he still longed for the salvation of his fellow Jews. So as they came together, Paul addressed them in a winsome and courteous way. He calls them brethren, emphasizing his own Jewish credentials. He also gives them his side of the story before they had any time to hear it from any other sources. He explained that he had done nothing wrong against the Jewish people or against the customs of the fathers. He was an innocent man and had done no wrong, yet he was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans." Notice how he doesn't point any fingers at the Sanhedrin or the high priest or any particular person in Rome. He's being very cautious so as not to provoke hostility. He explained that the Romans had examined him. They found no ground for the death penalty. They were willing to release him. But when the Jews had objected, Paul had no choice but to appeal to Caesar, though he had nothing against his Jewish nation. And for this reason, he said, he wanted to speak to them and to see them. And then he delivers with a final flourish the statement, I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel." It is a very appealing message. Now, for their part, the Jews in Rome had heard nothing from Jerusalem about Paul. None of the brethren from Judea had come to make accusations against him. They had heard about the Christian Church, which they called the sect, And they knew that it was controversial, but they had no idea what it was all about. And thus, they were very open to hear Paul speak. They said, we want to hear your views. What a golden opportunity that is. Now, as we look at this story, I think it demonstrates something profound, a principle that we do well to consider. Because what this story shows us is that kindness is in order to do ministry. Kindness in order to do ministry. God shows us his grace and his favor in order that we can be active in spreading his good news and declaring his glory among the nations. So you see, hospitality is not an end in itself. We are not shown mercy and grace simply in order to bask in it, but rather God's kindness equips us for doing ministry to others, including ministry to the lost. Now we tend to think, well, kindness has been shown to me. I like kindness. I'm high on kindness. And boy, isn't that just delicious to have kindness. and to think that's all there is. But no, no. Kindness is in order to do ministry. So as God shows you kindness, it's in order that you can serve Him. As your fellow Christians show you kindness, it is so that you can minister to others. And if we get this, we become much more energetic and active in ministry. If we don't get this, we become insulated and we sit around enjoying ourselves, which has sometimes even a corrupting influence on it. We stagnate. But if we understand that God's kindness is so that we will do ministry to others, we remain active and vital and we are serving others and that's where we find our satisfaction. Satisfaction is not in enjoying good things. Satisfaction is taking those good things and using it as fuel for ministering to those who are lost, who are needy, who are helpless. And so Paul doesn't get to Rome and say, I'm just going to kick back, enjoy myself. I've got a two-year paid vacation in Rome, and it's going to be sweet. I've always wanted to sightsee in Rome. He says, I'm here for ministry. First and foremost, to the Jews, and then also to the Gentiles. And so let us understand that as we experience kindness, God has his purposes in it. Yes, he wants us to have the joy of experiencing those good things, but he also wants us to follow through with the purpose of serving others. Let's pray together. Lord, thank you for all of your grace to us, your favor, unmerited, your free mercy. Lord, help us to understand and implement Paul's pattern, to take that kindness and use it as fuel for ministering to those who are lost, who are needy, who are vulnerable. And help us, Lord, to display that and demonstrate that even today before we leave this church building. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.