Well, we might have wondered if we'd ever get there. You know where there is? The end of the book of Acts study. So today, yeah. Well, today, looking at Acts 28, verses 17 to 31, Paul is indeed now in Rome. And this has been really I think about 25% of the Book of Acts has been the trials and transportations and this whole process to get to Rome. So after the shipwreck and time in the island of Malta, they've made the couple hundred mile more journey to Rome. Paul has appealed to Caesar and his case is supposedly to be heard. We don't know if it ever was heard. But after all the adventures and challenges and transitions, now we are here at Rome. And let's give attention now to Acts 28, beginning at verse 17. After three days, he, that is Paul, called together the local leaders of the Jews. And when they had gathered, he said to them, brothers, 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. When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain. And they said to him, we have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against. When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening, he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God, and trying to convince them about Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement. The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet, go to this people and say, you will indeed hear, but never understand. You will indeed see, but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull and their ears can barely hear. And their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them. Therefore, let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. They will listen. He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. And may we hear God's word today clearly, without any hindrance, that his spirit might speak to us and to our hearts. Amen. Well, probably the three somewhat, maybe almost most unsettling words to me as a kid were, to be continued at the end of one of my favorite television shows. Some will not understand, some will. Really depends on your age, because there was a time when shows couldn't be recorded and you couldn't find them on your favorite other types of platforms and If a show ended to be continued, guess what that meant? Your mind would race. What am I doing next week at this very time when my show's going to be on? Because if I'm not here, I'm not going to see it. So a person had to adjust his schedule. A person had to think about his priorities as a way to anticipate and have fulfilled what was longed for. The end of the book of Acts is often described with those same words, to be continued. It does not feel like things are totally resolved, does it, as we get to the end of the book of Acts? What happened to Paul's trial? What happened to Paul? What happened to the mission at that point? It is to be continued. And that's kind of the point of the book of Acts. Remember, it began for us a long time ago, but it began with Jesus. He had completed his earthly ministry, living, dying on the cross, being taken up into heaven. And before going to heaven, he had given a promise. that he would build his church through his disciples as they were witnesses in Jerusalem first, and then in Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. And here we are in Rome, which in a sense is the ends of the earth. The book of Acts is the record of Jesus fulfilling that promise he made. The gospel did go from Jerusalem and then Judea and Samaria. And now Paul is in Rome and the story keeps going. It doesn't end. It's been a difficult, life-threatening journey to get to Rome. The plan of the Lord unfolded in ways Paul never imagined and probably, I'm sure he would be the first to admit, didn't prefer. And yet, nevertheless, the plan has been fulfilled. Why? Do you remember where Jesus is? He's lifted up. He is on the throne. He is doing that very thing, building his church. He is completing his kingdom goal. And so now here is Paul in Rome. We read what happens, verse 17 from our text. After three days, Paul called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, brothers, 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. Paul wants to assure his fellow Jews that he is innocent of the charges against him. He also wants them to know he's not a threat to them, to them or to their traditions. And likewise, as always, he wants to communicate the truth of Jesus to these his brothers, these fellow Jews. That's because Paul cares about everyone, but of course, Paul himself is a Jew. He has a great concern and a great compassion for them. But just pause and think a minute. Where have we been? All these chapters, you know how many years they represent? For nearly 30 years, Paul has been undermined, attacked, even had his life threatened by these same people. And yet he doesn't give up. How different he is from probably us today, right? Someone gives us a questionable look. Maybe a curious comment on social media. Maybe someone doesn't meet our glance. Or maybe we know someone's made a bad choice. And what happens? We can quickly give up on them. We can quickly write them up. Not so with Paul. Even though attacked by his countrymen, he does not give up on them. Another reason Paul goes first to the Jews in Rome, just as we've seen over and over again, he's done it everywhere he's gone, is because the story he is telling, the thing that is most important to him, the truth about Jesus and the salvation Jesus brings is directly tied to the foundation of what God had done in the Old Testament. A person would not get it, Jew or Gentile, who Jesus is, why he came, what he did, if they didn't have the foundation and the background of what God had done in the Old Testament. As Paul says in our passage, verse 20, For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, get this, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain. What is the hope of Israel? Well, the hope of Israel had always been the promise of the coming Messiah. The promise of the one who would be the true king, the ultimate king, who would bring the eternal kingdom. What Paul is saying is he connects that to Jesus. And he's going to clarify a little more what that means and how that happens. But it is in and through Jesus, who is the Messiah, that the hope of Israel has come. Well, the Jews assure Paul they heard nothing about his case and the charges against him. It's likely, we don't know, but it's pretty likely that the Jews in Jerusalem, probably realizing their case against Paul was weak, don't pursue him to Rome. Why wouldn't they pursue him to Rome? Because Rome didn't take kindly to casual charges. Actually, Old Testament law, biblical law, has a lot to say about that as well. But they no doubt realized their case was weak and there would be ramifications for them if it seemed frivolous. And also, Paul was out of their hair, right? He was no longer a bother to them personally. That's why after two years of Paul in prison, we don't hear anything more. He was no doubt released with no record of him ever coming to trial. But the Jews of Rome do have a question. Isn't this interesting? They have a question for Paul. They want the answer. Verse 22, but we, the same initial interaction between Paul and the leaders of the Jews, we desire to hear from you what your views are for with regard to this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against. They're referring to the Christian movement. The word sect actually is literally heresy. So they're aware of the spread of the Christian faith, and they are alarmed by it, and they know Paul's an expert. At this point, I'm not sure if they know exactly how much of a Christian he is or what that means, but Paul had an amazing reputation. Paul was known as a scholar, one of the brightest minds of the world. He was known as a leading Pharisee. So he did have his own reputation, and they want his opinion, so they set a day. for Paul to explain to them about this movement called the way. Do you think Paul had to think twice about accepting that offer? He was on it. This would be the very thing he dreamed about and prayed for. an occasion to share about Jesus. So we read what happens in verse 23. The passage continues. When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging. Of course, he's in chains. It wasn't like there was a lot of alternative there. And they came in great numbers, greater numbers, greater than before. From morning till evening, he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. Before we think about what Paul said, let's consider what he actually did. What did he do? He preached. And notice these words for preaching. He expounded, he testified, he tried to convince. And how long did they go? Good whopper of a sermon, right? They went from morning till evening. Paul is pouring his heart out and he's trying to explain and make clear. wrote to the Christians of Rome, that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So he's doing the very thing that he has said. Now, why doesn't he do a miracle? Why doesn't he do some signs to influence them? Again, because faith is going to come by hearing. Have you noticed as we've gone through the book of Acts, actually, miracles play a less prominent role as we go. The same is true with the writings of the New Testament. As Paul gets to these later letters, many of which he's going to write here from prison in Rome, there is less description, less even mention of miracles. No, it's going to be the preaching of the Word of God that is going to be the ongoing means that God will use to bring people to faith. Now notice what he said. Notice it carefully. It says this, that Paul was testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and the prophets. You see that? Paul is preaching about the kingdom of God, and like the hope of Israel statement, the kingdom of God is tied to the Messiah coming into the world. Paul explains that Jesus is the Messiah who brings the kingdom of God. And Paul does this through the very words of the Old Testament. So right now, just try to picture it. What do we have? We have Jesus. We have the phrase, the promised Messiah. We have the kingdom of God. They are all joined together in an unbreakable chain. It reminds us of Jesus as he spoke of the Old Testament regarding his life and his ministry, how the Old Testament prepared the way for him. In Luke 24, verses 25 to 27, after his resurrection, Jesus appeared and said to followers, Oh foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And here we go again, right? These same words. The Christ is the Messiah. That's what the word means. And that Messiah, what is the promised Messiah? He is the ruler and the king. Now, what Paul explains and what Jesus says is that this king, this promised king, this real king, is going to suffer. Now, it was hard for the Jews of Jesus' day to believe that the promised king, their promised king, would suffer and would bring a kingdom, no less, that included suffering and humble sacrifice. But what they didn't see and what they couldn't believe was that from the beginning, from the law and from the prophets, it was clear and was told that there would be a different kind of king who would bring a different kind of kingdom. Where is his kingdom? The Jews of old would naturally ask. And people today might well have a similar question. If Jesus is king, where is his kingdom? How would you answer that? The answer now is the same as it was then. He is a different kind of king with a different kind of kingdom. It's not a lesser kingdom. It's not an inferior kingdom. It's not to be unwrapped and implemented at a later date in time kingdom. What kind of kingdom is it? It's a real kingdom, but it's not a confined-to-flesh-and-blood kind of kingdom. It's a real kingdom, but it's not a defined-by-powers-of-the-world-and-privileges-of-the-world kind of kingdom. It's a real kingdom, but it's a not-yet-fully-finished kingdom, which means it is a to be continued kingdom, just like we've heard in Acts. It is, as Jesus put it, a mustard seed kingdom. Well, after Paul's all-day marathon of a sermon, we hear the response, verse 24, But what happened? Just as Jesus was rejected when he said the kingdom was at hand because he himself, the true king, had come, many now in Acts are rejecting Paul and his message that the kingdom is present. And many today as well will not accept either rejecting Jesus, the king himself, or rejecting his kingdom mission. And it is sad, it is sad when the church becomes a kingdom-less body, when the church is a movement without a real king and a real kingdom. One of the hallmarks of the Reformation was the phrase quorum deo. It's Latin and means literally before the face of God. Quorum deo meant that the hope of the believer was to personally and directly engage and experience the presence of God. And at the time of the Reformation, it wasn't believed that way. You would need mediators and different efforts and those kinds of things. So Coram Deo meant that each individual person had the calling and the privilege to know God personally and directly, only through Christ alone and by grace alone. But get this, Coram Deo also conveyed the scope of God's care and God's concern. All of life was to be lived Coram Deo. It helped really launch through the Reformation a great transformation of society. Why? Because at the time it felt like only certain vocations were important, only people that served the church, or only times when you did kind of church things was God concerned. But Coram Deo meant all of life, all of life was lived before the face of God. We've heard this same principle in our midweek service in the study of Ephesians. All of life is meant to be spiritual even, for all of life is where we know God and serve his kingdom. Don't you want to be a Reformation Christian today? To live quorum Deo, to find our hope in Christ alone, and to live faithfully in every area of your life before the face of God. Well, after repeating the warning recorded in Isaiah about the consequences of not responding in faith to the call of God and his truth, Paul explains the good news of the kingdom of God and the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ will not be stopped, even if they reject it. This would be the people before him, his brothers in the Jewish tradition. They will listen. And Paul continues that ministry, that to-be-continued ministry, even in chains, right? He's going to minister primarily now to Gentiles. I'm sure there still will be some Jews involved, but now primarily his mission is to the Gentiles. And while in chains, he writes other New Testament letters that will become part of our Bible. He writes Ephesians. He writes Colossians. He writes Philemon. And he has other ministry activities, as we see, verses 30 to 31. He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him. Notice this. Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. What is Paul preaching to the Gentiles? Did you notice? He's preaching the kingdom of God. The kingdom is for the Gentiles. The kingdom is for us, the church today. The kingdom is for all who turn to the Lord Jesus, the King of King, as Savior and Lord. And not only is Paul preaching the kingdom, but notice again how he ties it together to Jesus. He is teaching about Jesus, and there's that connection. Friends, there is no kingdom without Jesus. You don't get to the kingdom apart from Jesus. And the Jesus of the Bible, likewise, always has a kingdom. He is no Jesus. if there is not a kingdom over which he rules and reigns. Yes, yes, he is a different kind of king. And yes, he brings a different kind of kingdom. But that is the hope of Israel. That has always been the one hope of Israel. This has always been what the law and the prophets taught and proclaimed. A different kind of king with a different kind of kingdom. And the story of the book of Acts is the record of Jesus reigning in heaven, building his kingdom. The work is real. but it is not complete. Again, it is a to-be-continued kingdom. And that work includes you. It includes me. Each of us. In our daily lives, as we seek to live Coram Deo, that kingdom work is to be continued. When you went to bed last night, there was a word from heaven Maybe you didn't hear it, but it was there. You know what it was? To be continued. You woke up today, you pray, you labor, you're sharing in the Lord's kingdom mission on work. You, by faith, are living quorum deo. And when you go to bed tonight, there will be another word from heaven. And that word from heaven will be to be continued. And tomorrow you're going to get up and you're going to strive to lift Coram Deo for the kingdom. And you're going to blow it. You're going to fail in all kinds of ways. But you'll ask for forgiveness. And God's grace will be merciful to you. And when you go to bed tomorrow night, after maybe several failures, maybe many failures, there'll be a word from heaven. And the word from heaven will be to be continued. The day after you'll get up and maybe you'll be bored with your daily routine, whatever it is. but you will press on. You will press on because you know whatever you are doing, you are serving the Lord, you are serving the King of heaven, that different King with a different kind of kingdom. And so you are going to seek to live quorum Deo, even in maybe some of the boring routines of life. And when you go to bed that night, the message from heaven is going to be what? Because by God's grace, he may give you another day. And if you get another day, by faith, you're going to seek to live with the Lord. You're gonna seek to fulfill his kingdom purpose. You're gonna live as you pray that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And if you make it to the end of the day, the word from heaven will be to be continued, and it will continue until your mission on earth is done, and God calls you to your heavenly home, and you will truly, fully be quorum Deo. And you will join a great cloud of witnesses gathered there, and you will watch from the heavenly vantage point, the King of glory, the Lord Jesus, high and lifted up, that different king with a different kind of kingdom, building his kingdom on earth. And you will echo the heavenly refrain, to be continued. The kingdom is not failing. The kingdom is advancing. It is not here in its fullness yet. But King Jesus is truly King and he is truly King of all and he rules over all today. Let us give ourselves to him and may it be for his glory. Amen.