The Kingdom Unhindered (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #49) (King’s Cross)

INTRODUCTION

If I told you a story about a persecuted people sailing to a strange new world to establish a new way of life and forming a new nation in the process, what does that make you think of? It may apply to the founding of many nations, but for many of us, it sounds like the founding of America. At the time it looked weak and desperate, but it was actually momentous and glorious.

In the ancient world, Homer’s Odyssey traced Odysseus’ beleaguered voyage home after the Trojan War, and Virgil self-consciously channeled that story in his Aeneid and the legendary founding of Rome (a new Troy) by the Trojan hero Aeneas. Perilous voyages, miraculous escapes, and surprising hospitality mark these national legends of pagan virtue and piety. It probably would not have been lost on a first century audience that Paul’s journey to Rome had some of the same echoes. This is the story of the ambassador of the High King of Heaven coming to Rome to establish New Jerusalem.

The Text: “And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness…” (Acts 28:1-16)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

As the ship breaks apart, 276 souls swim or float to the shore of the island of Malta, about 50-60 miles south of Sicily, where they were met by natives who received them kindly and kindled a fire in the midst of a cold, winter rain (Acts 28:1-2). When Paul joined in gathering sticks and feeding the fire, a poisonous viper came out of the heat and bit him, and while the natives assumed this was an omen of his guilt, Paul shook off the snake and was unharmed and the natives acclaimed him as a god (Acts 28:3-6). One of the chief men of the island, Publius, lodged Paul and his companions for three days, and while they were there, Paul healed his father and many others (Acts 28:7-10).

After three months on the island, a ship sailing under the sign of Castor and Pollux took them to Syracuse on Sicily, and from there, the ship worked its way up to Rhegium, past the legendary location of Scylla (a multi-headed monster in a cave) on one side and Charybdis (a deadly whirlpool) on the other, and on up the Italian coast to Puteoli, where they met with Christian brothers for a week (Acts 28:11-14). From there, they continued north, welcomed by more brothers about halfway, before finally arriving in Rome under house arrest (Acts 28:15-16).

TRUE DOMINION BY THE SPIRIT

The church has frequently misunderstood our mission of dominion and has frequently veered between fleshly power and spiritual irrelevance. When I asked Ben Shapiro why he didn’t accept Jesus as the Messiah, he said because the Messiah is clearly a political figure who is supposed to establish a new political order. Many Christians would say Shapiro was wrong: Jesus only came to establish a spiritual kingdom. But Paul would look Shapiro in the eyes and say: “What are you talking about? He is and He did.”

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, it really was His triumphal entry, and when they crucified Him on that Roman cross, mocking Him and crowning Him with thorns, He really was enthroned in this world, in history. At that moment, He was the King of kings and Lord of lords. This was proven and proclaimed with power in His resurrection from the dead three days later. And so here, Paul, the servant of the King of kings, is being escorted to the capital city of an empire to announce the terms of their surrender. Rome belongs to Jesus Christ. And from the shipwreck to the snake bite to the ensign of the ship to the city of Rome, nothing can stop him. He may look like a weak prisoner, but he is being escorted by the authority and healing power of the High King.

As Herbert Schlossberg said, “The Bible can be interpreted as a string of God’s triumphs disguised as disasters.” Or as Chesterton put it, “Christendom has had a series of revolutions and in each one of them Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.” This is true dominion in history by the power of the Spirit.

APPLICATIONS 

Jesus said that some of His emissaries would “take up serpents” and not be harmed (Mk. 16:18), and so sometimes that has been the case. But that was only a sign confirming the Word of the gospel (Mk. 16:20), which is for the healing of the mostly deadly snake bite: the poison of sin. This was pictured in the Old Testament when many Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes and were dying (Num. 21:6). God told Moses to make a bronze serpent pierced on a pole, and all who looked at the bronze serpent were healed (Num. 21:9).

And Jesus said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:14-15). This is not merely a spiritual reality; this is the center of the renewal of human life, the healing of families and nations. What is it that brings this healing? Seeing Christ lifted up on Calvary like a poisonous snake and impaled. This is what the gospel proclaims: your sin, your lies, wrath, lust, and envy laid upon Him and pierced through.

One of the marks of this healing in families and nations is hospitality and friendship (e.g. Acts 28:2, 7, 14-16). Jesus came eating and drinking, and by His death, God has welcomed us to His table and fellowship. While it may not look like much, we sit at the Lord’s Supper as His nobility and royalty and friends (Rev. 1:6). Do you believe that? Therefore, we have fellowship with one another because we have fellowship with Him through His blood (1 Jn. 1:7). Here, Christ grants Paul a royal welcome by complete strangers on an island and the brothers along the way. We welcome one another because Christ welcomes us.

The New Testament clearly teaches that we are to view fellow Christians as “brothers.” This does not obliterate our duties to our natural family or nation, but while we are to do good to all men, we are to especially minister to those in the “household of faith” (Lk. 8:21, Gal. 6:10, Eph. 2:19). This is a sign of true conversion that you love the saints, who are your brothers (Col. 1:4, 1 Jn. 3:14). But this friendship and hospitality are not ends in themselves, they are for encouragement and refreshment along the way on the mission of the King. We are not here “for community.” We are a community because we are here for the mission, establishing New Jerusalem: All of Christ, for All of Life, for All of Moscow.

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INTRODUCTION

When the earth was filled with wickedness, and every imagination of the thoughts of men were evil, God sent the biggest storm in the history of the world and saved Noah and his family (Gen. 6-7). When the Lord led Israel out of Egypt, He caused a great storm to descend upon the Red Sea, parting the waves for Israel to pass through (Ex. 14). When Jonah ran from the Lord, He sent a great storm to hunt him down. “Fire, and hail; snow, and vapor; stormy wind fulfilling His word” (Ps. 148:8).

This is one of the great themes of the gospels: Jesus falls asleep in the boat in the midst of a storm and when the experienced fishermen panic and wake Him, He commands the storm to become calm (Mk. 4:41). At another time He walks out to the disciples on the sea in the midst of a storm, as though He were taking an evening stroll (Mk. 6:48). And as we come the climax of the story of Acts, we see the Lord Jesus once again commanding storms to do His will. We serve the God of great adventures (the kind that can make you feel sick), but He is the Master and He knows what He is doing. And faith obeys.

The Text: “And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band…” (Acts 27:1-44)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Finally, Paul is sent to Rome with a number of other prisoners, under the care of a courteous Roman centurion named Julius (Acts 27:1-3). From Sidon, the first ship carries them north of Cyprus along the coast of southern Turkey/Asia Minor (Acts 27:4-5). From there, they find another ship sailing to Italy and make it as far as Crete as winter is coming on (Acts 27:6-8). While Paul warned them not to continue, the centurion was persuaded by the master and owner of the ship to attempt to make it to a better harbor, when an infamous Mediterranean storm system called Euroclydon struck them (Acts 27:9-14). Forced to let the ship drive in the storm for many days, the sailors lost all hope (Acts 27:15-20).

Finally, after many days in the storm, Paul announced that an angel had appeared to him and declared that all hands would be saved, although the ship would be lost, and on the fourteenth night, they neared land and dropped anchor (Acts 27:21-29). When some sailors attempted to escape in a boat, Paul warned them that the only way to survive the storm was to stay in the ship, and after the soldiers obeyed Paul, he urged them to have a little food, and broke bread with them (Acts 27:30-38). In the morning, they drove the ship aground, and while the soldiers were inclined to execute the prisoners, the centurion spared them for Paul’s sake, and as the ship was breaking apart, all 276 souls were able to swim safely ashore (Acts 27:39-44).

WHO IS THE MASTER OF THE SHIP?

This story illustrates well the entire story of Acts (and the history of the world). Who is the main Actor? Who is driving the action of the story? The Jews and Romans repeatedly think that they are in charge, but Acts demonstrates unmistakably that it is the risen Jesus and His Spirit at work in every detail. Here, the Romans think they are in charge and are following their Roman protocols for sending prisoners to Caesar (Acts 27:1), but very quickly, the Roman centurion is out of his depth (ha) and must rely on the expertise of the master and owner of the ship (Acts 27:11). But everyone soon appears to be at the mercy of the great storm called Euroclydon (Acts 27:14). But Euroclydon is not just a random force of nature: Jesus is the Lord of all of Creation –even the wind and waves obey Him (Mk. 4:41, Ps. 107:25-29). Euroclydon obeys Jesus.

The Romans thought they were sending prisoners to Rome. The ship master and owner thought they were taking goods for sale and trade and delivering passengers. But the Lord Jesus was taking His servant to Rome to preach the gospel to Caesar (Acts 23:11, 25:10-11). In fact, Paul seems to indicate that his personal survival was never in doubt, but when he stands up to encourage the ship after many days, he announces that he has now secured from God the safe passage of everyone else aboard (Acts 23:11, 24). By the end of this story, everyone is following the instructions of Paul, the servant of Jesus – Paul is the ship master and Christ is the owner because Paul (and all of creation) belongs to Him (cf. Acts 27:23).

APPLICATIONS

Clearly Julius the Centurion is a well-meaning but foolish Roman who learned to trust and obey Paul. This is what all Romans needed to learn to do. Unless Rome trusted in the Messiah Jesus and listened to His servants (the apostles), Rome would be lost just like the ship. In the end, many did believe in Christ, but like this shipwreck, the empire was lost while many swam to safety.

America is no different in this respect, but we have been given far more grace than ancient Rome. We were founded by evangelical and Reformed Christians. If the centurion represents the best of Roman piety, a sort of friendly foolishness, America is the prodigal son spitting on the grave of our fathers, wasting our lavish blessings on drugs and hookers, RVs and fashion. And God has sent the Great Euroclydon of Sexual Madness, full of lies and hubris and violence, and we have been driven by this storm for several decades. Our current cultural moment is a brief reprieve, but the fundamental question is whether we will actually repent and turn to Christ, whether we will actually turn and obey Him, or will we keep listening to the “ship masters” that got us into this mess?

It’s remarkable that the only way to survive the storm was to stay in the ship that was going to be destroyed (Acts 27:31). When land was in sight, the sailors wanted to take their chances in the lifeboat, which makes good human sense, but Paul said that if they did that they would perish. To put it another way, anyone who wanted to save his life would lose it, but those who were willing to lose their lives in obedience would save them (Mt. 16:25).

We do not usually receive visions like Paul, but we have the clear word of God in Scripture. When you haven’t been listening, sometimes you get to the point where Wisdom says, “you should have listened to me.” You should not have gone your own way. And sometimes you get there after much harm and much loss. But the Word of the gospel comes and it says: “Be of good cheer, fear not, have courage, believe God, and obey.” In the storms of disobedience, it can seem so complicated, but obedience parts the clouds. Tell the truth. Be kind to your wife. Submit to your husband. Obey your parents. Confess your sin; forgive those who have sinned against you. Obedience is the greatest adventure. The Lord Jesus is the Master of the Ship and the Master of the Storm.

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INTRODUCTION

Imagine you find yourself lost at sea in a small boat nearly dead. And by some chance you find a map and your coordinates, and you have reason to believe you might be able to make it to an island. But your dehydration causes you to badly misread the map and you think you’re supposed to be sailing north, and there you go spending the last of your energy heading north, but after a while the clouds suddenly part, the sun comes out, and it becomes blazingly obvious you are very much sailing south.

Now imagine you collapse in despair and happen to glance at the map, only to realize that you were supposed to be going south the entire time. This is what some have called a eucatastrophe – a sudden, favorable resolution to a dire situation. Paul’s conversion was a eucatastrophe, as has been every conversion to Christ ever since, and it will be the great theme of history to the end of the world.

The Text: “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself…” (Acts 26:1-32).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

This is now the third time Acts records the conversion of Saul/Paul to Christ. He explains to Agrippa that he grew up as a strict Pharisee, the Jewish sect known for their hope in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 26:1-8). He held his convictions so fiercely that he persecuted the Christians who followed Jesus of Nazareth, even approving of their deaths, until he was confronted by Jesus in a blinding light on the road to Damascus (Acts 26:9-15). Jesus commissioned Paul to become a witness of His resurrection, to open the eyes of the Gentiles from darkness to light, to turn them to God in repentance (Acts 26:16-20). Paul says it was that ministry to the Gentiles that caused the Jews to try to kill him, even though that ministry is nothing other than a fulfillment of the Old Testament (Acts 26:21-23). While all of this was a bit much for Festus, King Agrippa was almost persuaded to become a Christian, and both rulers agreed that Paul might have been freed if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar (Acts 26:24-32).

A LIGHT FROM HEAVEN

A central part of Paul’s testimony is that he is preaching none other than the message of the Old Testament: the hope of the promise made to the fathers and the twelve tribes, the suffering of Christ, and His resurrection as the first fruits of the great resurrection (Acts 26:5-8, 22-23). To return to our illustration at the beginning of the message, what Paul came to realize suddenly is that he had been very wrong about the map, but the map was never wrong. In this case, the Old Testament was the map, but because of Paul’s sinful blindness, he misread the map and saw Jesus and the Christians as enemies. But when Jesus appeared to him, obviously alive from the dead, Paul realized that the very thing he had always hoped for (the resurrection) had actually happened in Jesus of Nazareth. And while Paul was going the wrong way, it turned out to be exactly the way the Scriptures said blind men would go, until the Messiah gave him light (e.g. Is. 42-43).

ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES

In 1 Cor. 15, Paul reviews the gospel which saves, and it is particularly remarkable for his emphasis on the Scriptures: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). It’s not just that it really happened; it’s that it really happened according to the Scriptures. And Paul is making the same point here: he is on trial because of the hope of the promise made to the fathers, “saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come” (Acts 26:6-7, 22).

APPLICATIONS 

When is the last time you changed your mind about something because of what you read in the Bible or heard in a sermon? It is easy to read your Bible and listen to sermons primarily to find what you already agree with. There is nothing quite so hard as trying to convince someone that they are wrong when they really believe they are right. Paul was so sure he was right he persecuted Christians. Everyone believes they are right; this is how human beings function. But humility knows it is all entirely dependent on God. Apart from God, our eyes are blind; apart from Christ, we are slaves of Satan and sin (Acts 26:18). In this world, there are only blind slaves and formerly blind slaves.

The central message of the Cross is God is right, and man is not. And God has always been right, and God has been pleased to make known His infallible truth through fallible men: through prophets and preachers and Scriptures. Paul calls this the “foolishness of preaching” (1 Cor. 1:21) “so that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Cor. 1:29) “that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5).

So this is the message that opens blind eyes, softens hard hearts, delivers from the power of Satan, and grants forgiveness and holiness to sinners: Jesus of Nazareth was tortured on a Roman Cross until He died, and when He suffered, He was suffering for our sins, just like the Old Testament said He would. He was buried, and they rolled a stone over the mouth of His grave and set a guard, but on the third day, the stone was rolled away, and Jesus came back to life in that same body that had been killed, just as the Old Testament prophets had said that He would.

And I ask you the question Paul asked Agrippa: Do you believe the prophets? Notice that question: Do you believe the Old Testament? Of course we now have the New Testament also, confirming this gospel, but the question is probing something deeper: do you believe that God has always been right? Do you believe that since Adam’s sin, mankind is blind and wrong? Do you believe that we are the problem and Christ is the only solution? Believe and you are saved. Believe and you are a Christian.

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INTRODUCTION

This is a longer stretch of text describing the ongoing political grind surrounding Paul’s imprisonment in Caesarea. This is something of the quiet before the final storm of the end of Acts (literally). But it contrasts with all the action of most of the book: prison breaks, healings, mass conversions, and controversy all to (seemingly) land with a thud of several years in a prison.

Where is the fruitfulness of this? Sometimes the assignments of God are intense (moving, job changes, sickness, starting businesses, marriage, war, etc.); sometimes He acts in open and obvious ways and answers to prayer. But sometimes the assignments of God and His answers to prayer include a lot of waiting, patience, and maintenance obedience. But He is still at work.

The Text: “Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem…” (Acts 25:1-27)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The new Roman governor Festus immediately visited the Jews in Jerusalem, and they asked him to send Paul to them for a trial in Jerusalem, renewing the determination to ambush Paul on the road and kill him (Acts 25:1-3, cf. 23:14). Festus insisted that the Jews come and press their charges in Caesarea, which they did, and when Paul answered, Festus asked if Paul wanted to go to their court in Jerusalem (Acts 25:4-9). Paul insisted that he was innocent, and though he was willing to face death if he deserved it, he appealed to Caesar, and Festus granted the request (Acts 25:10-12). Now as Festus was preparing to send Paul to Rome, King Agrippa and his sister Bernice came to pay Festus honor, and Festus explained to them Paul’s situation (Acts 25:13-21). Agrippa asked to hear Paul, and so he was brought out again, and Festus explained the backstory, asking advice about what he should write Caesar (Acts 25:22-27).

ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY & REAL FREEDOM & RESPONSIBILITY 

It’s remarkable to note how close to death Paul had come: he barely escaped a mob (Acts 21:21), the Jewish council would have apparently killed him (Acts 23:10), more than forty men took vows not to eat until they had killed Paul (Acts 23:14), and now two years later, another plot has emerged to murder Paul (Acts 25:3). Now remember that Paul received a supernatural word from the Lord, “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11). But even with that clear word, notice that Paul has not been an inactive participant. He didn’t get the word from God and then sit back and watch. The absolute sovereignty of God does not displace human freedom and responsibility – even when there doesn’t seem to be a lot you can do.

The Westminster Confession says, “God, from all eternity, did, by the most holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established” (III.1) “Second causes” include things like prayer, preaching, telling the chief captain about a plot to murder you, defending your reputation, waiting patiently, obeying and having a good attitude today, exhausting appeals, and appealing to Caesar.

CHRISTIAN LIFE & MINISTRY 

We are not told a lot about these two years in Paul’s ministry, but they seem relatively less exciting and significant. It could have been tempting to Paul to be discouraged that nothing much seemed to be happening. Remember all the early parts of Acts: prison breaks, being let down out of a window in the middle of the night, many conversions and miracles. Sometimes we are tempted to think of the times of the prophets and apostles as constant miracles and wonders, but sometimes they just spent two years in prison with occasional requests to preach to corrupt politicians looking for bribes.

This underlines the sovereignty of God and the seasons of Christian life and ministry. Sometimes your life and your spiritual life can seem particularly exciting, and other times it can feel like plodding, like nothing is happening. And maybe you say, well, it would be less discouraging if I had a word from God that said, “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” But you do have a similar word: “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

APPLICATIONS

Think, pray, and work generationally: Our duty is to disciple all the nations. And this task, the Lord told us, is like a tiny mustard seed that goes into the ground and slowly but surely grows into a great tree. He said it is like leavening a large batch of dough. It takes time, but there is important action happening during that time. Your God is still active. Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Gal. 6:9).

Preach the gospel and faithfulness of God to yourself: sometimes your slippery soul is the assignment. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23). “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Ps. 42:5). “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Ps. 103:1-2). “Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul” (Ps. 146:1).

But you don’t guard your heart and soul by trying to grab hold of it. You guard and tame it by opening all the windows and letting the light of Christ shine on it. And that light is the love and faithfulness and sovereignty of God. And then you tell your soul to sing praises.

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