chapter twenty eight and verse one instead of reading it right through we'll just have a few remarks on the sections for our eight sections is in this chapter so we'll go over them as we read them first of all Menture we're going to speak on Home at Last and how the Apostle, after all these journeys and going through these twenty-eight chapters of the Acts and think of all the experience through which the Apostle Paul passed, the many experiences, but all that he endured must have been a long, hard, arduous life for the Apostle. And he says, as we'll see later on in Second Timothy, I'm ready to depart. And yet he was only in his sixties when he did depart. So Paul, you find him here in this closing letter, some very interesting things, the closing chapter. Paul must have been the real leader of men. He seemed to have calmness and control. He never lost his head except on one occasion when... He said something to the high priest, he shouldn't have said. He called them a white and sepulcher, but in all that we find in the Acts, that's the only time we know that Paul said something in a hurry that possibly he regretted afterwards. But other than that, one is struck with Paul's calmness and his control throughout all these trials, and the many much opposition that he had and so on. But then he is also struck with his courage. Paul's amazing courage. It was only one thing he feared in life. He didn't fear man. He feared a guilty conscience. And that's something to fear. To fear a guilty conscience. There's nothing harder to have to live with and get along with a guilty conscience. And Paul maintained a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man. Then you see Paul's confidence, not only his calmness and control, his courage, but his confidence, not in himself, but his confidence was in God. And it's a wonderful lesson to learn in life that not to put confidence in yourself, but all your confidence must be in the Lord. He was possessed by God, as you read in chapter twenty-seven, I think it is, and verse twenty-three, he says, Whose I am? That's a wonderful thing to be able to say. Whose I am? I'm God's possession. Then he says, Whom I serve. Not only was he possessed by God, but he was prepared by God. To do a great work. He was a chosen vessel to be sent unto the Gentiles. And then he was protected by God. God says, no man shall harm me. So there you have three easy peas to remember. He was possessed by God whose I am. And he also was prepared by God for a great work and finally protected. We as Christians ought to realize this too. We belong to Christ through purchase. He are not your own. You have been bought with a price, therefore glorified God in your bodies and your spirits, which are his. We are his by purchase, but we are also his by conquest. He's conquered us by his grace. That's a wonderful thing when his grace does conquer us. In other words, it's so easy to fly off the handle, but when we realize God's grace, I remember one time only a couple of years after I'd come down south, I went home and I met a fellow, we used to call him Happy Ellis, for he was one of four boxers in the Ellis family, and I didn't know that I went home this year that he passed away since I was there a year ago. And we met on the street. He just came out of a liquor store. I was passing by, and we hadn't met for several years. And we used to fight together. Box. And he said, he didn't know how to address me. He was going to say a letter. And then he said, how do I address you, Reverend? I said, no, just like you used to. And he looked at me kind of with a strange look in his face. He said, Who is nice lap in the face now? What would you do? I said, I'd turn the other cheek if God gave me the grace. He said, I'm not going to trust you. Well, God would have had to have hurried up with the grace, I'll assure you. But nevertheless, God can. There's no question about it, God can. And so we're conquered by his grace. By the grace of God, I am what I am. And then we're his by surrender. We're his by purchase. We're his by conquest. And we're his by surrender. We yield ourselves unto him. So into our chapter, chapter twenty-eight. And the first section is verses one and two. I think we have the thought of soccer here or support. help and relief. And it's very interesting. And after that storm we were reading about and studying this morning, and when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Malika or Malta today, and the barbarous people showed us no little kindness, for they kindled of fire and received us everyone because of the present rain and because of the cold. In other words, you have these barbarous people, and they're suffering. They're helping, and they're seeking to relieve the apostle and his party, and it wasn't easy, two hundred and seventy-six men, and they showed them this kindness, and it must have been a real relief from their distress that they passed through that storm. sucker in you find one in Hebrews two eighteen and it says wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people for in that he himself has suffered being tempted he is able to sucker support or help or relieve from the stress them that are tempted. Then you have the same thing in Second Corinthians six and two. We that as workers together with him beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now was the accepted time. Behold, now was the day of salvation. So here is God's succor, his support, sustaining us in a time of need and distress. And after the Apostle and his party had gone through that terrible storm, that awful experience, why here you find them being entertained by these barbarous people. So this is a wonderful thing, and certainly if barbarians did this, for the Apostle and his party will not, our Blessed Lord, do the same. If people of this nature, the heavenly knew nothing of God, if they did this to these people, many of them were prisoners on this ship, not only the Apostle, but there were real criminals on this ship. And yet these barbarous people showed them so much kindness. It's remarkable, isn't it? Barbarous people can do that. How much more our Lord Jesus will look after and care and watch over his own. Then you have the surprise in verse three and six. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat. unfastened on his hand. When the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he hath escaped the sea, had vengeance, suffered not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked, when he should have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, But after they had looked at great while and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a God. Here you have surprise, and it must have been a surprise. I was thinking, as I read this yesterday afternoon, here the Apostle Paul is starting, you gather sticks to build a fire because of the cold. Now, Paul is up in his sixties. He's near the end of his life. And he could have quite easily said, Now, listen, there are a lot of you fellas, you're rough fellas, you're sailors, you're a lot younger than I am, and there are two hundred and seventy-sixth. Get busy and pick up some sticks. Isn't it remarkable? The aged apostle jumped right in, rolled up his sleeve, and started picking up the sticks too. He was just one of them. While he was picking up the sticks, strange that the viper didn't hop on any of the other fellows, why did it catch on to the Apostle Paul? While Paul was picking up these sticks, this viper, his venomous beast, didn't. Quite a surprise to the Apostle. But then there was a bit bigger surprise to the barbarians. when they saw this venomous beast hanging on the arm of the Apostles, no wonder this man is a criminal. A vengeance suffered him to live. A rather storm, he escaped death by a storm, but vengeance just is not going to suffer him to live. He's going to be killed by this venomous beast. He's a murderer. This man's a murderer because that venomous beast is going to kill him. But Paul ever went about his business, and I thought, what must the Apostle have been thinking about when that venomous beast hit him? Do you think he panicked? Do you think he ran it on? Hurry up. Somebody get here and get help. Put a trinicate on my arm. Get some first aid. Do you think he did? I don't think he did. Why? Why? Well, I'll tell you the two scriptures came into my mind. Didn't the Lord say back in chapter twenty-three, Paul, thou must see Rome. He said later on, thou shalt stand before Caesar. And these promises from God undoubtedly flashed into Paul's mind. He didn't get frantic. And he just looked at that beast. Finally he shook it off into the fire. Then you see how fickle human nature is. These Bavarians, who first said he's a murderer, that's why this venomous beast has stung him, bitten him. Then, when he shook the beast off, and nothing happened, he didn't swell up, which Emily was the normal thing when bitten by such a beast. When they saw that nothing happened, they said, he's a God. First he's a murderer, now he's a God. Paul picked up human nature. It just goes from one extreme to the other. Earlier you remember a connection with the Apostle when the Pharisees, along with the Sadducees, were clamoring for his death. And then Paul, in his skill and wisdom, a stroke of genius, when he saw there were Pharisees and also the Sadducees. He said something that favored the Pharisees. And right away the Pharisees took sides with him. Say, this man hasn't done anything. Once they were clamoring, only a few minutes before, they were clamoring for his life. Now they say, he hasn't done anything. There's nothing wrong with this man. you see how quick the human mind can change yes you and I have that kind of a nature one minute we can love and the next minute we can take that's the human heart and only God can regulate it only God can control the fickleness of human nature you'll notice The next thing, verse seven. In verse seven you have, and in the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island whose name was Poblius, who received us and lodged us three days courteously. And it came to pass that the father Poblius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody fluke, whom Paul entered in and prayed and laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, others also which had diseases in the island came and were healed, who also honored us with many honors. And when we departed, they laid us with such things as were necessary. Here you have a wonderful salutation. the salutation that Paul received from the chief man of the island. Tobias, I'm evidently a Roman governor. How generous, how friendly he was to Paul, who was a prisoner, and had a Roman soldier change. It's strange how this man, the chief man of the island, the governor, should be so kind to the apostle Paul. What was there about the apostle? that cause these people to act so kindly, so friendly toward them. God says, if a man's ways please the Lord, God will make his enemies to be at peace. And that happened on this occasion, as we have been noticing. Here's this wonderful salutation, and how you'll notice the service that Paul rendered on this occasion. He healed a man's father, a blasphemy, In other words, he'd returned the compliment for the friendliness that he'd received from this governor, and the governor's father was sick, and the apostle was in, and he healed him, and he healed many others. It wasn't that night that he did this. But he stayed there three months. And before he left, you see the reward that he got in verse ten for his kindness. who also honored us with many honors, and when we departed they laid at us with such things as were necessary. God always sees to it that we get rewarded. And I'm just thinking this evening in reading this, we noticed in the ship, incident, how God says, I've given all them that sail with you. Now, why did God permit Saul to? to go to Rome. There are theologians who debate the point and said he shouldn't have gone. But Paul said, I'm going. And he went. The result was that two hundred and seventy-six sailors and seamen and prisoners were saved as the result. Now here Paul is on the island of Malta. and hear all these people on this island. Could it be that all on that island eventually were saved through the Apostle's visit and his healing of this sick man, and his witnessing because the Apostle never failed to serve his God and witness to his God? And what a wonderful start he had when that miracle was performed. They could say, listen to this man, he's a God. something supernatural is something unusual about this man and it's quite likely there's how the gospel got into Malta and there used to be a lovely assembly in Malta it may be still there today and Admiral was a Admiral Commander Dolby of the British Navy he was a wonderful Christian and used to break bread in the island of Malta with the Christians there in the war the last war So you have this salutation and this service rendered by the Apostle to these barbarous people. And you'll notice the safety you have in verse eleven and thirteen. And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the Isles whose name was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse we tarried there three days. found out that these names, Castron Pollock's, were the names of true what they called twin brothers, supposed to be true mythical sons of Jupiter, and they were supposed to protect mariners or seamen from harm and danger. And so whoever owned this ship, Emily was a believer in that an idol attorney had these names, Castron Pollock's, put upon the front of his desk. So here you find them, and they're leaving Malta, and they're setting sail again. And from this, verse thirteen, we fetched a compass and came to it originally in Regime, and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Petulio, where we found Brethren. and were desired to carry with them seven days, and so we went toward Rome. You know, this is very interesting. If you look on your map, you'll find that Petulio was forty-three miles from Rome, and here Brethren had come that far. They heard the great apostle was coming, and they went this far out of Rome in the direction of the apostle to meet him. there they had a happy time together as you'll notice in verses fourteen on to sixteen and we found brethren and were desired and we desired to tarry with them seven days and so we went toward Rome and from thence when the brethren heard of us they came to meet us as far as that by a forum and the three taverns who when Paul saw he thanked God and took courage. When we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. It must have been a wonderful meeting with the apostle when he arrived at Rome. We understand there were about seven synagogues and possibly sixty thousand Jews in Rome at this time. and they heard about the Apostle and he's coming to Rome. Undoubtedly, these Jewish brethren had some misgivings about the coming of the Apostle. Why was he coming? And here he is, chained to a Roman guard. He's a prisoner and he's appealed unto Caesar. Does this involve them? Could it be that he's got a case against the Jew? And will Caesar hear something about us, and we will be involved in whatever happens to the Apostle Paul? And thus they meet with Paul. They have answers to hear his story. Well, they said this, this sect, did you notice that? This sect is everywhere spoken again. You'll notice it in verse twenty-two. For we desire here to hear of thee what thou thinkest. For as concerning this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against. Paul, why have you come? Why is it you're a prisoner? And what is this sect that you're associated with? It's everywhere spoken against. Isn't it strange that news from heaven should be everywhere spoken against? And by the way, it was no sect. God's people who meet the name of the Lord Jesus are no sect. You read about the sect of the Nazarene, the sect of the Pharisees, and here they say, here's the man, and he's the leader, he's the ringleader of this sect. What about this sect? What an opportunity the Apostle Paul had that took to grid and explained the situation. This sect that is everywhere spoken again. Let me tell you, friend, nineteen hundred years hasn't changed. God's message from heaven, the gospel, why is it everywhere spoken again? First of all, because it humbles man. It shows man he's a lost, guilty, hell-deserving sinner, and the human heart doesn't like that. The human heart likes to be bragged on. The human heart of man pays attention to be elevated. Oh, yes. When you have a message that humiliates man, tell him he's lost, he's vile, he's corrupt, and he can't do anything good to glorify God until he's saved, the human heart doesn't accept that readily. They resent that kind of preaching. That's why I've spoken against. And furthermore, this message from heaven is all of sovereign grace. Man can't do anything to obtain it. He can't work for it. It's work's done. A man likes to have his finger in the pie. He likes to have something to do. He doesn't like to accept things absolutely for nothing. He'd like to have a little hand in it. When he finds out he can do nothing as to salvation us all of great grace. He likes to think there is work, there are works associated with God's salvation, but there's none. This sect that's everywhere spoken against, because they don't accept any denominational name, they gather only in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and seek to carry out the principles of the New Testament. everywhere spoken again. Yes, unto this day. There will notice the urgency of the apostle on this occasion, verse seventeen. Verse seventeen, and it came to pass that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together. When they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who when they had examined me would have let me go because there were no cause of death in me, but when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar, not that I had ought to accuse my nation of, For this cause, therefore, have I called for you to see you and to speak with you, because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. They said unto him, We neither receive letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came, showed, or spake any harm of thee, but we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest, for as concerning this sect we know. that everywhere is spoken against. I was struck with the fact that the Apostle Paul only took three days after that voyage, before he was back to work again. After all that ordeal, you would have thought the Apostle would have had a lengthy rest, but no. After three days, he was back at it again, back serving his Lord. and he desired to see these brethren and have a long discussion with them. You see the urgency of the situation with the Apostle. I wondered if we were that urgent today. Do we see the urgency of the hour? I think of Mr. McCulley, who was, I think, twice president of the Christian Businessmen Association. in the Assembly of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And they summed up his life when he died. It was in the letters of interest. And they said if there was one word that summed up the life of Theodore McCulley, it was urgency. And I've been with Mr. McCulley, at least in the past, preaching with him at conferences. And that was true. That man lived. as though today is my last day, that Jesus Christ is coming and it could be today. Urgency was stamped all over, Mr. McCartney. I wonder if that's true, though. A sense of urgency. Do we get up from the morning and think, well, this is just another day, what day is? I admire it well on into the day before we even have a thought about God. or that we're safe and that we have a responsibility a lack of urgency but the Apostle Paul he went about his business after three brief days then he must have had a very good feeling when he realized what you have in verse nineteen but when the Jews speak against it I was constrained to appeal under Caesar not that I had any had ought to accuse my nation of. He had a good attitude, a good feeling toward his brethren. He had nothing to accuse them of. Then you have in verse twenty-two they sought his convictions. But we desire to hear of him. We want to know your convictions, Paul, about this sect that you're associated with. what are your convictions and there's no mistaking about it the Apostle Paul would have answered that question in every possible detail you'll notice to his patience verses twenty three and four when they had appointed him a day there came many to him unto his lodging to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God persuading them concerning Jesus both out of the law, Moses, and out of the prophets from morning till evening. Isn't that something? From morning till evening. And some believe the things that were spoken, and some believe not. And that's true right throughout the New Testament, and up to this day, when it comes to the message of the gospel. Some believe, and some believe. Believe not. Evidently they had a very happy time on this visit. All these Jews at last have met the great apostle, the one they have heard about. It must have been a happy, possibly even tearful greeting, especially when they went out forty-three miles from Rome to meet him. to bring them back, many of them. And he gives them his message. He tells them why he's come for the hope of Israel. I've done nothing in the way of being a criminal because I have this chain on and I'm chained to a soldier, a guard. And I didn't accuse my people of Israel. It wasn't such a reminder of the rest about that. But for the hope of Israel... I had this shame. I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ. And he must have loved them. Then when he saw they rejected him, and you'll notice that, verse twenty-five. When they agreed not among themselves, they departed after that Paul had spoken one word. Well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah's for profit. unto our farm, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and not perceive, for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull at 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. Be it known, therefore, unto you that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and a day will hear it. The gospel came unto the Jews first, and that long dispensation has ended. In other words, the curtain has dropped. As far as any favors to Israel are concerned, Here is Israel's final rejection. Paul says, I now turn to the ten-time. Although I don't know how long that meeting was with the brethren at Rome, but the Apostle Paul certainly scorched them with that indictment that you find five times in your Bible. Once in Isaiah chapter six, three times. by the Lord Jesus in the Gospel, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and also here you have it, and also by John, by the way, there are six times that passage is mentioned when Paul, he drives home the sword in his final meeting with the Jewish brethren at Jerusalem. You've had your day. God has been patient. time and time again you've been offered the gospel what result did this have there was great reasoning among them and white well they have great reasoning in verse twenty nine and when he had said these were the jews departed and had great reasoning among themselves paul dwelt two whole years in his own higher house and received all that came unto him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus, Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. It's almost the commission all over again. That last verse, the Lord Jesus said, Going into all the world and preaching the gospel, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And here's the apostle in his own hired house for two years. He must have been a very magnetic personality to have the influence that he did. How he was trusted. They didn't put him in prison. They gave him his own hired house, and for two years he had liberty to receive all who wished to visit him. then he gets to this really disconcerting him how he spoke from morning to evening