I invite you to turn in your Bibles again to Acts chapter 28. After months and months and months of studying the book of Acts, at long last, we have come to the end of the beginning. You say, but Pastor, you mean the beginning of the end? No, I, in fact, mean the end of the beginning. Acts 28 is the end. Of the beginning of church history. Church history begins in the Book of Acts, and now Acts 28 is the end of that beginning. You see, some 2000 years have since passed. After the events occurring and being recorded here in the Book of Acts, and yet Jesus Christ has continued to build his church as he promised through the worldwide evangelism of the loss of the gospel has gone from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and to the end of the world. And so this morning, as we conclude our series to the Book of Acts, I've titled our study The End of the Beginning. Let's pause briefly for prayer, shall we? God above, we ask now in Jesus name for the illuminating ministry of the spirit of God so that we might understand The things that we read and study just now, what I pray that you would enlarge our minds and our hearts with an understanding and appreciation. Of. Your work in the first century, as the gospel did go from the Jews to the Gentiles, from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth and Lord, how you are still taking that gospel through the means of evangelism, personal evangelism to the lost around the world. Lord, we thank you for that. And so we commit our study to you now in Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Last Sunday morning, we read of Paul's voyage and shipwreck. The winter storms in the Mediterranean Sea pounded Paul and his companions really to the point of hopelessness. You remember chapter 27 verse 20. But by God's grace, everyone survived and only the ship was lost when they were washed up on a small island. Acts 28, verse number one, and when they had escaped, that is, the ship, they found out that the island was called Malta. Now, Paul and his companions had run aground on a small island named Malta, meaning place of refuge in the Phoenician language. In fact, I discovered this week in my study that every year on February 10th, the island of Malta celebrates the shipwreck of the apostle Paul. Perhaps it's something akin to our Columbus Day here in America. Verse number two, and 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. The word translated natives in my new King James or translated islanders in the new international version is is really a politically polite translation. But the most literal or most exact rendering would be barbarians from the Greek Barbaroi. And to educated Greeks and Romans, those who spoke in any other language were barbarians. Of course, literary experts tell us that that barbarian is an onomatopoetic word that sounds like what it is. Strange utterances to the Greeks and to the Romans would would sound like bar, bar, bar, bar or blah, blah, blah, blah. And so, however, contrary the stereotype, these barbarians were not hostile. But rather, they were friendly, and they took care of the marooned sailors there on that place of refuge, the island called Malta. Look at verse number three. 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 on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging on his hand, they said to one another, No doubt this man is a murderer whom, though he has escaped the sea and that shipwreck, yet justice is not allowed to live. But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would then swell up or suddenly fall down dead from that snake bite. But 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. Now, why did Luke include this little incident here, this little story, all of the drama of the sea voyage and all of the drama of the shipwreck? What was Luke's purpose in telling us of this? What was Luke's purpose in recording this little account? I want you to hold that question. We'll come back with the answer in just a moment. Look at verse 7. In that region, there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, or the magistrate, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. This might be a great place to vacation. Everyone is friendly on the island of Malta. Great hospitality. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went into him and prayed and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. Why did Luke include this little event, this episode on the island of Malta? Is this just another random story in the life and the times of the Apostle Paul? What is the authorial intent? What did Luke intend to tell us in recording these circumstances? I believe that Luke recorded these two otherwise trivial or random accounts, the snake bite and the sick people to further establish Paul's apostolic ministry and to give further credibility to Paul's ministry and message. You might remember that after Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to his disciples in Mark 16, and he issued to them his great commission. And Jesus, in issuing that great commission to his disciples, told them that they would cast out demons. They would speak with new tongues. They would take up serpents. They would lay hands on the sick, and they would recover. The Bible says that after the Lord had spoken those things to them, they went out and preached everywhere. The Lord was working with them and confirming the word through accompanying signs. In fact, Paul to the Corinthians and in Second Corinthians 1212 wrote, truly, the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. So God here is working through the Apostle Paul in the presence of these native islanders or these barbarians on the island of Malta so that they might know not that Paul was a God. But that Paul was the servant of the one true and living God, and the Apostle Luke recorded these events. So that he might establish a record and accounts for Theophilus and others to know the truth. Now, many occasions in the book of Acts, people intended to worship the apostles as gods because of the miracles they performed. You remember with Peter and then with with Paul and others, but they would immediately point them back to Jesus Christ. And I can assume the very same thing happened here on the island of Malta with the Apostle Paul. Now, if you look at verse number 8, the word healed in verse number 8, and then the word healed in verse number 9 are really two different words in the Greek language. The word healed in verse number 8 is aisato, which means instantaneous healing. The word translated healed in verse number nine is there a pool, which suggests a gradual cure. And what we have perhaps here is a combination of divine healing in verse number eight with medical care in verse number nine. Remember, Luke was a doctor. But, at any rate, after surviving the snakebite and after healing the sick, after three winter months on the island of Malta, verse number 10 says, they also honored us in many ways, and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary. Of course, because Paul and his crew were shipwrecked, their provisions were lost, and so the barbarians on the island of Malta met their needs. And I would title verses 1-10, Acts 28 verses 1-10, I would title this Miracles on Malta. Miracles on Malta. And the miracles on the island of Malta recorded in verses 1-10 might appear incidental or inconsequential, but they are important to Luke's journaling the journey of Paul. And as we have read over the last many months, the supernatural phenomenon recorded in the book of Acts demonstrates authenticity to the ministry and the message of the apostles and the miracles that we have read up here in the book of Acts over these last many months serve as an important purpose in establishing the birth of the church, the beginning of the church age. You see, Acts 28 is the end of the beginning, the end of the beginning of the church age. Look at verses 11 through 16. As has already been read for us this morning, after three months, we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the twin brothers, which had wintered at the island and landing at Syracuse. We stayed three days and there we circled round and reached Reggian after one day. The south wind blew and the next day we came to put holy. where we found brethren and we were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as happy forum and three ends. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. Now, when we had come to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard. But Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him. I want you to quickly keep your finger there next 28, but turn to the back of your Bibles to the maps. And again, find the map that traces Paul's voyage to Rome. It's perhaps part of the very same map set as Paul's missionary journeys, but Paul's voyage to Rome, we looked at specifically in Acts 27 last week. But if you find the boot of Italy, there protruding into the Mediterranean Sea, and you look just south of the tip or the toe of the boot of Italy, you will find the island of Malta, south of Sicily there. In Acts 27, Paul and his companions were shipwrecked and washed up on the island of Malta. And here now in Acts 28, the Bible tells us that after three winter months on the island of Malta, they sailed to Syracuse. You might find Syracuse and then Regium and then Ptolemy, the form of Appius, three taverns, and then finally Rome. I'd like to title Act 28 verses 11 through 16 in your notes. Number two, reunion in Rome. Number one was miracles on Malta. Number two is reunion in Rome. And although Paul had never been to Rome, remember this. Paul has never yet been to Rome. The gospel has been to Rome and there were brethren in Italy and they came to meet in Greek. Paul X 28 verse 15 says when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. Have you ever been to an Italian reunion? My grandfather, who lives in New York, is Italian, that is, my mother's side of the family. And at an Italian reunion, oh, my family, good to see you. Come give me a hug. Let's have spaghetti and meatballs. And everyone begins talking at one time. And it really gets quite obnoxious. In fact, no offense to any of you who are Italians, but there's nothing better than a big, great Italian reunion. And that's what's happening here in Rome. And these are believers whom Paul has never met. You see, these are the long lost cousins, if you will, of the large Italian family. These are believers, brothers and sisters in Christ, as it were, and they enjoy a reunion. For you see, folks, while Italians might enjoy a family reunion, so also do Christians. And brothers and sisters in Christ, because of the relationship that we have with Jesus Christ. And even if you travel around the world to places you've never been, to meet believers you've never seen, you can feel at home with those strangers because you are part of a family of God. I've often said that the greatest social network in all the world is not a social network at all. It's not Facebook or Twitter, but it's in fact a spiritual network of believers. And I will also say that the greatest reunion It's not a class reunion. It's not a family reunion, but it will be the reunion that we will have with all of the saints someday in heaven. And it will be with saints, believers whom we have never met. Think about that. It'll be a great big family reunion with strangers, but it will be sweet and we will thank God and we will be encouraged by that. Someday, when we are all in heaven together, I'm going to have to hold up a big sign that says Fourth Baptist Church reunion over here, and we'll have to gather together for that reunion. It'll be great, but now we come to the end. And I call these final verses, verses 17 through 31, the preaching of Paul, preaching. Of Paul. I'd like us to read again of Paul's preaching, beginning in verse 17, and it came to pass after three days, now in Rome, that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them, men and brethren, though I have 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 who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go because there was no cause for putting me to death. But when the Jews, that is the Judean Jews, spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar. That's why I'm here. Paul was saying not that I had anything to which to accuse my nation for this reason. Therefore, I have called for you, my my brethren, my Jewish brethren, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain. What was the hope of Israel? Turn back with me quickly to chapter 26. You might remember this from our study a few weeks ago, chapter 26, verse number six, just a page or two away. And now I stand and I'm judged for the hope. of the promise made by God to our fathers, to this promise, our 12 tribes earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain, for this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews, the hope of Israel was entrusting the promises of God regarding the Messiah. All of the Old Testament scriptures pointed to a Messiah, and Paul identified Jesus as the Messiah, as the hope of Israel. But just as the Jews rejected Jesus, so also the Jews rejected Paul. But nonetheless, Paul continued to preach Jesus anyway. And in this this late in this letter here now to these very people, the Romans, Paul wrote. He would later write, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first. And also for the Greek. And so here now in Rome to the Jew first, I am preaching the hope of Israel, Jesus Christ, the Messiah to the Jews first and then also to the Greeks. Look at chapter twenty eight, verse twenty one. Then they said to him that is the Jews we need to receive letters from Judea concerning you nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you, but we desire to hear from you what what you think first and for concerning the fact that is Christianity. We know that it is spoken against everywhere. They didn't know anything about Judean Jews hatred of Paul. They they hadn't received any. paperwork on this prisoner Paul, probably of course because God allowed or God caused a shipwreck to occur. Any of the paperwork on Paul's status as a prisoner was lost at sea somewhere off the shore of Malta. And neither had any Jewish witnesses come from Judea to testify against Paul. Why not? Probably because It was the wrong time to travel across the Mediterranean Sea, lest you suffer shipwreck. and none of the Judean Jews had any desire or appeal to make that trip. Nonetheless, the Jews in Rome wanted to hear what Paul had to say about this sect of Christianity, for they had heard negative things through the grapevine. Look at verse 23. So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom 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. Now, you see, the apostle Paul couldn't persuade these Romans from the Book of Romans because he hadn't written the Book of Romans just yet. Paul had to use their scriptures, the Old Testament scripture. I'm mindful that we support a missionary, a missionary to the Jews in New York City. You might know him as Craig Hartman of Shalom Ministries, and while he certainly accepts and he certainly uses the New Testament Those he is trying to reach do not accept the New Testament. They're very dismissive of it. And that means that Craig Hartman, in reaching the Jews, must begin by showing them Jesus from the Old Testament, from the law of Moses and from the prophets, just as the Apostle Paul would have done in this case. to the Jews in Rome. Look at verse 24. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken. And some disbelieved. Isn't that frustrating? Some accept, some reject. Of course, Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 7, wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go and buy it. But narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life. There are few who find it. Here is the apostle Paul, who you know, whose his heart desire in prayer to God was that the Jews might be saved, travels all the way across the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Rome to reach these Jews, giving them the Old Testament. Some were persuaded, but many disbelieved. Verse twenty five. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers. And there is then that citation. Go to this people and say, hearing you will hear and shall not understand and seeing you will see, but not perceive. For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears have 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 and turn so that I should heal them. Therefore, let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent now to the Gentiles and they will hear it Dr. Bowder so so carefully explained to us that at the beginning of the book of Acts the Gospels going to the Jews and Here now at the end of the beginning The gospel is now going to the Gentiles, as God will work through the New Testament church. Verse twenty nine, and when he had said these words, the Jews departed had a great dispute among themselves. Folks, what a tragedy. Jesus came to his own, the Jewish people, the Hebrews born as a baby in Bethlehem. But his own did not receive him. And so also when Paul brought the gospel to the Jews, they did not hear why their hearts were hard, their ears were tuned out, their eyes were closed. I often begin a a message, a sermon, my preaching by praying that God would give us spiritual eyesight. Ears with spiritual hearing, hearts to be have you heard me say these things? Is that vain repetition? Is that cliche? My appeal is that that God would open our eyes and our ears and our hearts so that we might not be like the Jewish people in this case, but that we might be receptive to the gospel and to the word of God. Verse 30 and 31, 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 concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. The end. Or is it the end? Many contend that the Book of Acts is incomplete. That Luke's ending is premature. He never finishes the rest of the story, you see, like the unfinished symphony. It's number eight in B minor, composed by Franz Schubert. The abrupt ending of the music has, of course, made it world famous, and in a similar way, it appears that Luke has given us an unfinished story. Other sources, traditional sources combined with other scripture, tell us that at the end of this two year period, Paul's case was dismissed and he was released. Well, how did that work out? Probably the documents from Felix that accompanied Paul from Caesarea to Rome were lost in the shipwreck, as I explained. They probably had to be re-requested, they had to be re-drafted, they had to be re-sent, and that could have taken as much as two years. Also, it was possible that the Jewish leadership in Israel never showed up in Rome to prosecute the case because they assumed Paul's ship had gone down off the island of Malta. Paul was probably lost. He had perished. Scholars believe that Paul then went back to the island of Crete, where he left Titus in charge, if you remember the book of Titus. He may have visited Ephesus once again, even though he had told them he would never see them again. And some also believe that Paul might have even made it all the way to Spain. Others think he preached other places in Europe. But, nevertheless, it's clear that Paul was arrested again. But instead of house arrest, as we read of it, Acts 28, he was thrown into the dark, damp Mammertine prison in Rome, where he wrote his second letter to Timothy. And finally, he was taken outside the walls of Rome and was beheaded. On the back of your notes there this morning, I've copied a bit of a timeline of Paul's life as recorded by Luke in conjunction with some of his other canonical writings, some dates there. What we read of in Acts 28 is somewhere there in the early 60s. But then you see at the very end there, the top right corner of that chart, after the destruction of Jerusalem, there's continued scattering and growth of the church. You see, Luke doesn't finish the story in Acts. In many ways, Acts 28 is the end of the beginning. Luke never intended a happily ever after ending, but rather he intended to tell us the beginning of the story, the beginning of church history. The beginning of the story is still being written because the story of the expansion of the church by God's grace is still occurring. as we evangelize the lost. And so we conclude our study of this introduction of the expansion of the church with a few principles. I'll give these to you very, very quickly, if you can indulge me a few more minutes. Some observations, some some principles of evangelism that I think we can we can find from Paul's example in Acts 28, as well as throughout the entire book of Acts, number one, Paul preached wherever and whenever he had opportunity. Paul preached wherever and whenever he had opportunity, in this case, under house arrest. In verse 16, in verse 20, in verse 23, in verse 30, he was preaching the kingdom of God, teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. And folks, you do not need, that's verse 31, you do not need a title or an office or a program to give the gospel. You don't need to be a pastor or a missionary to preach. We've all been commissioned. And everywhere that Paul went, in any circumstance, everywhere, whenever, wherever, he preached, he had opportunity. Number two, he preached immediately. He preached immediately, number two. And he began his evangelistic outreach in Rome, verse 17, after three days. After three days. And sometimes, We plan and we prepare so much that we never actually get to doing the work of preaching the gospel or evangelizing the loss. We wait till everything is ready to go. And Satan fills our heads with excuses. And we say, well, we haven't taken the class yet or I don't have a Bible with me or I need to take it slow and build rapport. I'm new to the neighborhood. Three days, Paul preached immediately. Number three, Paul preached graciously. In verses 17 through 20, his message was clothed with humility and graciousness. And in verses 17 through 20, he was tactful and respectful and conciliatory toward the Jews in Rome. Number four, he preached biblically, biblically in verse 23 and doctrinally in verse 31. The substance of Paul's preaching and teaching was of Jesus Christ. He testified to the kingdom of God. He taught from the law of Moses and the prophets, biblically and doctrinally. Number five, he preached tirelessly and incessantly. Verses twenty three and thirty and thirty one tirelessly and incessantly. From morning until night, every day, number six, he preached to everyone, Jews and Gentiles, the Jews and versus twenty three to twenty seven, the Gentiles also in verse twenty eight. And then number seven, he preached Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. As Lord and Savior, as Messiah, as the hope of Israel. He preached whenever, wherever. He preached immediately. Number three, he preached graciously. Number four, biblically and doctrinally. Number five, tirelessly and incessantly. Number six, to Jews and Gentiles. Number seven, he preached Jesus Christ. Acts 28 is the end of the beginning. The story of New Testament Christianity is still being written because its story is still being told. And that is we have been commissioned. If you can think in your mind's eye back to chapter number one, we have been commissioned to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Folks, we have a responsibility to tell the story without excuse, let's pray God above, I thank you so much for The occasion we have had these last many months to study the Book of Acts as Luke recorded it under inspiration of the Spirit of God and how that he recorded the beginning of the church as the gospel went from the Jews to the Gentiles, as it went from Jerusalem all the way to the city of Rome. Lord, I pray that you would embolden us with courage to tell the story of Jesus Christ, his birth, his death, his resurrection, The hope of Israel. I pray, Lord, that you would find us to be salt and light in Jesus name, I pray.