Acts: Part 8 - Ch. 26-28

The Beginning of The End

The time has come. We have finally reached the end of Acts. Throughout this ending, we will see many things. We will see Paul’s final defense before Festus and Agrippa. We will see Paul get shipwrecked in an amazing act of God’s providence. And we will also see how, even though Acts ends, God is not done with Paul and the mission he has for the Church. Paul ends up in Rome by the end of this book, and it leaves many people wondering what God had in store for Paul next. And while Paul’s execution isn’t far off from this point, what Paul is able to accomplish from a prison cell in Rome is fascinating. Not only is Paul still leading the church from a prison cell, but he is doing so even today through the letters that he has written to the Church. These letters are what we will cover for many months after we conclude our Acts study today. For now, though, 26 picks up where Paul is being passed all around in order for some ruler to figure out what his punishment should be. Yet, despite all that Paul is going through, we see a common response and theme that Paul consistently has. He is always faithful to God and His gospel. Look at what Paul says in his response in to King Agrippa to kick of chapter 26 in verses 6-7 “And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. For this hope, O king, I am being accused by Jews.” Paul’s faith and confidence in the gospel never sways, even when face to face with persecution. As we wrap up this book today, let’s see what else our Lord has to teach us through the faithful service of Paul. 

Paul’s Great Defense

Moving on with Paul’s defense before King Agrippa, Paul’s best defense, as we’ve seen many times leading up to this point, is his conversion. Many people view Paul as a hypocrite because he used to be the very person who persecuted people like Paul. Paul, in his past, was someone who hated the Christian movement and sought to put an end to it whenever he could until he was miraculously transformed by God. We can see Paul making this exact point in Acts 26:19-20 “For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but continually proclaimed to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they are to repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.” Paul isn’t just stating what should happen in the lives of believers, he is stating what actually happened to him. He repented. His entire life has changed because of the gospel. This is what a believer’s life should look like. A life that was once on the road to destruction is now forever changed because of Christ. After this defense, Agrippa determined that Paul had done nothing wrong and decided to hand him over to a cohort named Julius, who was about to set sail for Italy. This is where chapter 27 kicks off and where Paul sets sail with a new crowd around him. 

From Shipwreck To Rome

While at sea, Paul warns his crew of the damage and loss that he sees approaching because of the storm that is sure to come. However, the captain did not listen to Paul and rather followed the advice of the other crewmen on the ship. Sure enough, not long after Paul had made this warning, a storm came that was too powerful to sail in. At this point, all hope seems lost until Paul tells the crew what is going to take place. Paul states in Acts 27:21-22 “When many had lost their appetites, Paul then stood among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice and not have set sail from Crete, and thereby spared yourselves this damage and loss. “And yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.” Not only is this comforting news, but Paul turns this into an opportunity for everyone on board to trust in God. Just look at how Paul closes this small speech in verse 25 “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that [fn]it will turn out exactly as I have been told.” Only Paul could tell a ship full of men to ‘keep up their courage’ in the middle of a life-threatening storm. But that’s just what faith in God looks like. After this storm had lasted many days, the crew was finally shipwrecked on an island called Malta. This is where our final chapter, 28, now begins. Paul arrives on this island, where he is confronted by the leader of the people on that land, a man named Publius. It happened that Publius’ father was sick, so Paul went and prayed for him, and he was healed. 

After this, many people who were sick came to Paul, and he healed them in the name of Christ, showing everyone the power and truth of the gospel. Once Paul accomplished all God had for him on Malta, these grateful people gave Paul and his men a ship to leave the island and set sail for Rome. The very place Paul has longed to go to. Acts ends with Paul’s ministry taking place in Rome, where he was openly proclaiming the gospel before being placed in prison. Acts 28:23 tells us “When they had set a day for Paul, people came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.” What an amazing life God had in store for Paul. To go from a hardened heart that hated Christians to being one of the most used men by Christ is something that only God could have done. When looking at the book of Acts, we see a beautiful foundation of how we as the Church should live, how leaders of the Church should preach, and how members of the Church should evangelize. All of this is the outcome of following Jesus’ Great Commission at the end of the gospels. I can’t think of a better way to wrap up our series on the book of Acts than by stating what Ligonier Ministries says about Paul and the book of Acts: “Paul enjoyed a fruitful ministry during his first Roman imprisonment for two years. God may likewise allow us to experience long periods of outreach that bear visible fruit, but whether or not He does this, let us be as faithful to the gospel as Paul was.”

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Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/

[2] Paul at Rome | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org. (2009, October 30). Ligonier Ministries. https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/paul-at-rome