Stand together, brothers and sisters, for the reading of God's Word. Acts 28, verses 30 and 31 is what we're focusing today. The Gospel of the Kingdom Unleashed. I'll read from verses 17 through verse 31. These last words in the Book of Acts. Please listen very carefully because this is God's holy and infallible Word. And it came to pass after three days 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 spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have called for you to see you and speak with you because for the hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain. Then they said to him, we neither received 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 you think. For concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere. 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 till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken and some disbelieved. 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 saying, Go to this people and say, hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive. For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts in turn, so that I should heal them. Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. 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. Thus ends the reading of God's word. Amen. Amen. Please be seated. Commenting on this text, John Calvin said, He doth not separate the kingdom of God and those things which belong to Christ as diverse things, but doth rather add the second thing by way of exposition, that we may know that the kingdom of God is grounded and contained in the knowledge of the redemption purchased by Christ. Therefore, Paul taught that men are strangers and foreigners from the kingdom of God until having their sins done away, they'd be reconciled to God and be renewed into holiness of life by the Spirit. and that the kingdom of God is then erected and doth then flourish among them, when Christ the mediator doth join them to the Father, having both their sins freely forgiven them and being also regenerate unto righteousness, that beginning the heavenly life upon earth, they may always have a longing desire to come to heaven, where they shall fully and perfectly enjoy glory. So Paul's in Rome now, and he had that conversation with the Jews, and we see the fulfillment of the Jewish apostasy there in these Jews who rejected the Gospel. And as we said last week, we see that that set the trajectory for what we see in the relationship between Jews and the Gospel throughout history. And we talked about how that great day is coming when Israel will be saved, that the nation that is the recipient of all those great promises will be saved along with that land. I believe that's what we see in Romans 11. And they've left, and now we have this time period of two years. And we're going to look and see what Paul did for these last two years. This last message to us from the book of Acts So consider well the end of this great work by Luke today. These are important themes, brothers and sisters. Receive the glorious and powerful launching of God's kingdom by God's spirit. And reckon yourself, if you are a Christian, both an unworthy recipient and a generous deliverer and happy enjoyer of the gospel of the kingdom of God unleashed. And you'll see how it's unleashed in today's text. And it sets for us this glorious trajectory of anticipated destruction of evil and ascension of righteousness through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in and through his people and by his word and spirit throughout history. So we'll look at the idea of two whole years and think about that briefly and how he had his own rented house and how he was hospitable and received all who came to him without exception. And then we'll see what the content of his engagements entail. He was preaching and teaching. in this nice place of his. Can't imagine what the Roman soldier or soldiers must have had a chance to hear during those two years. And what he taught and what he preached, we'll look at. And then in these last two words of the gospel of this two volume set, Luke Acts, these last two words, we'll see the gospel of the kingdom unleashed. And then of course, some questions to know and to love and to obey God and see if we're caught up in what God is doing. So first of all, verse 30, then Paul dwelt two whole years. So this idea of dwelt, first of all, is he's content, he's resting, he's at peace. We've talked about this in my home as we've looked at John 15. You know, when you lay in your bed and you've got that nice covers around you and you're just resting there in your bed and just letting sleep take you over. It's like that when we rest in God. It means to abide, it means to remain, to tarry, to wait, and to not depart from that spot. So we see here that Paul is at peace with what God is doing. Yes, he's in chains in a way, he's limited, but he knows that God is not limited and the gospel is by no means limited. And it is the same Greek word as in John 15, verses 4, 6, and 7, which are our theme verse for this year. Learning to abide in Lord Jesus and to receive from him and to rest in him as he bears fruit in us and through us and as the father prunes us. What a joy it is to rest in him and cease with the striving. Now, it was two complete years, we're told, two whole years. So it wasn't just parts of two years. Sometimes the language can be a little bit ambiguous. This is not. It was two complete years. Paul had spent two years, as you recall, at Ephesus, where everyone in Asia heard the Word of God preaching and teaching and making disciples. But he wasn't so safe there. He ultimately had to flee because of the persecution that came up. That's Acts 19. And we also remember that he had spent two years under arrest there at Caesarea, where he was also granted the ability to receive and minister to those who came to him. He had a similar degree of freedom to minister to folks there at Caesarea, but wasn't in his own place. This was in the palace there that was for Herod, so he probably had his own space, but it wasn't his own place and he couldn't leave there. So I think it's fascinating to consider the timing and the way that Luke put together Luke and Acts If Paul arrived in Rome around AD 61, which I think is a very accurate estimate, then the book of Acts, the events recorded in the book of Acts end sometime around AD 63. Now do the math, that's 33 years after Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension that took place in AD 30. So think about it. We've got the chiasm, right, of Christ's pointing to the moment of Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension in this span of 66 years. The Book of Luke covers the 33 years of Jesus' life on earth, just like he told Theophilus. And then the Book of Acts covers the first 33 years of Christ's work in his church from heaven, with Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension resting at the center point of that chiasm. Isn't that beautiful? And we recall when we looked at the opening of the book of Luke and also at the opening of Acts, you recall, don't you, that the chiastic center of the two-volume set of Luke-Acts is the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, reported to us twice, once at the end of Luke and then told again at the beginning of Acts. So we see the centrality of Christ's ascension and coronation on display again here, just considering the length of time. 33 years, the life of Jesus described, and then 33 years of the life of Jesus through his church described in the earth. So next, we see Paul's in his own rented house, and he was granted his own place to welcome all who came to him. This is the first time that we see this kind of personal freedom for Paul. The first time he has this level of control over his own living quarters. So we see again here, and this is a symbol of such great unleashing of the power of God and the gospel at this time in history. God is granting remarkable, noteworthy freedom and liberty for Paul's worship and work at this time. And it demonstrates to us God's power to open the door for the gospel whenever he sees fit, whenever he so decides. Next, we see Paul's hospitality and how he put his own space to use. He received all who came to him. Clearly, he had an open door policy. He had an open welcome to all who wanted to come and learn about Jesus Christ. He wanted to preach the kingdom of God and he wanted to teach the things concerning Jesus Christ and he wanted all men to know that they can be delivered from their sins and brought out of the life of misery and the fear of death into eternal life. Freedom from the fear of death. The certainty of a father in heaven who loves them and who's forgiven them and being brought into the epic story of the kingdom of God in the earth. He wanted to tell them all, any who wanted to come. That's what Paul did for those two years. Think about the level of hospitality this would have required for him. Now, clearly the church at Rome's gotta be helping him out, right? So behind the scenes here, we see a really beautiful church, right? They're probably bringing him all of his favorite foods and getting him the things that he wants to read and his clothing and maybe some things to put on the wall. So he was receiving help from them as well. And he didn't make any exceptions. God drew to Paul whomever he drew. It doesn't say, well, he took those who were well-dressed. He didn't say, well, he took those who were married in a good shape, homeschool family. He didn't. That's what he said. He said he took all. Jesus came to rescue all of every sort of life, the oppressed, the downtrodden, the downcast. Come on in. And I'm going to tell you about the kingdom of God and about the Lord Jesus Christ. Come on in. So that was Paul's life. OK, and they had meals and they had times together. But the whole thing was the preaching and the teaching that he did. Verse 31, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding Him. So first of all, preaching the kingdom of God. That's the phrase, preaching the kingdom of God. This word preaching here, listen carefully to what this word means. This is as an official herald, declaring that which you've been informed of and commanded to declare. to publish, to proclaim openly. And it's used of a public proclamation of the gospel. It wasn't it wasn't private. It wasn't in a closet. This was the preaching as publicly as he could. Now, he was in his house, but he was preaching to all who came to him without exception. Now, this particular word here always has the suggestion of formality and gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed. So when you share the gospel, when I preach to you, we must do this and present this message as one which must be listened to and obeyed. It never should be laid out there as, oh, you just can do whatever you want. The called for response is to hear your maker and to confess your sins to him and to repent and to follow him and to obey him. No, it's not like, well, this could be true, this might be true, it seems like it's a possibility. No. Presented as the very word of God from heaven's throne to mankind. That's how it must be presented. That's what preaching carries with it, is that certainty, that confidence, and the application of the truth of God to the soul of your hearer. That's what I'm trying to do today, is for the truth of God to come near to you by his spirit and bring forth a response of righteousness, bring forth a response of faith from you today, from the littlest ones to the biggest ones, littlest ones to the oldest ones. Now about the kingdom of God, a couple of words real quick. In the first chapter of Luke, when the angel comes and speaks to Mary and tells Mary about Jesus, what does the angel say about Jesus? The first thing is that he will sit on the throne of David and that his kingdom will have no end. So the whole trajectory of the book of Luke from the start is demonstrating the way that God came from heaven, humbled himself, demonstrated the perfection necessary in humanity, and the perfect divinity of God in one person, and earned his heavenly crown and glory. It's the whole story that we see there in the book of Luke. From the start, he's told where he's going, and then at the end of Luke, that's where he is. And at the beginning of Acts, that's where he is. And now the whole book of Acts is demonstrating the ramifications of Jesus Christ, the king of his kingdom. So the kingdom of God is important. And you look at the beginning of the book of Acts, what did Jesus talk to them about during 40 days? The kingdom of God. So I think the kingdom of God, sometimes people don't like to say that phrase in today's world. It's like, oh, that's too kind of dominion-y or theocratic or whatever. I don't know exactly what the touchiness or the taboo is about that phrase, but I'll just tell you, stop it. Do not let that thought into your mind. When you preach, when you teach, when you share the gospel, it must be within the context of the kingdom of God. You can't leave out Jesus, of course, but you can't leave out the kingdom of God either. You see that? And that's what Calvin said that we quoted at the beginning here. Okay. So every kingdom has a king. Paul would have spoken to them. He would have taught them. Gentiles and Jews alike. The Jews would have known this, but the Gentiles wouldn't have known like we learned this morning. Which God is the God? Which one do we worship? We don't know. We got thousands of them. One for every hill and dale. You know, one for every tree. We got gods everywhere. Which one do we worship? The Gentiles didn't know. So he would have told them the king is the maker, the most high God, the creator of all things. And he has come as the redeemer to buy you back. And he has made you now able to see him as your Lord and return to him and be friends with him and not be his enemy. And that if you persist in that state, the king will be your judge and not your father. You will find this king, this God, this creator as nothing but judge. He would have told them who the king is. He would have pointed to Christ and his ministry and being set by God the Father as the king over the cosmos, given the throne of the universe. He would have pointed to Jesus as the king of the kingdom. He would have told them about the king's character. Jesus said, you're not gonna lord it over them like the Gentiles did. That's not what God did either. Think of the character of the king. He laid aside heaven's glory. He laid aside heaven's throne. He set aside his crown and he took up a manger on a cold night with an obscure family in an obscure town. And he put on the clothing of a baby. This is the king's character. He would have instructed them and they would have understood this is the nature of the kingdom. It is a lowly kingdom. He would have helped them see that the king is abounding in mercy and loving kindness and that his grace is greater than sin and that we who are in it must demonstrate this as well and we will by his spirit. He would have certainly spoken of his majesty and his glory and his justice and his holiness and that no sin will ever be left unpunished. He would have helped them see the nature of the king's character as both just and loving. all the while directing them to find the mercy of God in Christ. He would have talked to them of the kingdom's people, what it means to be a citizen of darkness and death, enslaved by the devil, the kingdom's enemy, and how to be delivered from that kingdom into the kingdom of the citizens of God. And what was required of that would be the remission of their sins, the washing away of their sins, and the bringing in of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ into their souls by the work of the Spirit through faith in God. He would have described to them that the citizens of this kingdom would be glad ambassadors and heralds for the Lord Jesus Christ and loving His law and His righteousness and walking in it. He would have described the transformation of these individuals. Created for His glory as vicegerents in the world, that is, God's co-rulers in the earth at creation. He would have reminded them of where we came from in perfection at the beginning. how we were designed to multiply in this world and take dominion over this world and make it a beautiful place for His name and for His glory and for our joy. He would have spoken of how that was lost and how we'd fallen into misery and hopelessness and how there was no hope apart from His mercy and that there was nothing that anyone could ever do on their own to make themselves a citizen of this kingdom. starting with the devil's lies that were embraced in Eden, and then in constant violation of God's righteousness, he would have pointed out to them how hopeless they are that any citizen is nothing but a recipient of grace. A wicked enemy saved only by the king's gracious kindness. coming to discover that they deserve God's just wrath. Each of these individuals would have been brought face to face with the holiness of God's standard and their own wickedness and failure, and they would have despaired of ever finding anything in themselves to please God. And he would have pointed them to that over and over again until they came to either understand that they were deserving recipients of God's just wrath, displeasure, and eternal punishment, or they walked away and refused to believe like some of those Jews did. He would have called for a response from them. And yet, deliverance will come. We see that. He would have told them the people of God throughout history were being told over and over again, there's a way, there's a way, there's hope. I'll make a way for you. In the garden, he told them. He mentioned it to Noah in many ways. We see it to Abraham and the patriarchs. We see it in the prophets. We see it throughout the Old Covenant writings, pointing to Jesus. He would have told them of this. And along the way, of course, he would have spoken from God's Word. In regards to bringing them to repentance, he would have spoken of God's law, His holy, infallible word, showing forth His righteous standards for life and for their hearts. Demonstrating them that there is no place of righteousness within them. Showing them that there's not a corner in their souls that's actually pure. because God's word penetrates so deeply as he shows the standard to them. Not just outward behavior, but like Jesus said, you've already committed adultery in your heart if you've looked at a woman lustfully. You're a murderer if you've called somebody a fool and been angry at them in your heart. No, not one is righteous. No, not one. He would have shown them how far we fall from the standard of loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. And He would have specifically clarified that in the Ten Commandments for them. Showing them the depth and the breadth of each commandment as He taught them for two years. They would have known of the King's law, the King's holiness, the King's standard, the King's justice. They would have known of the King's power as well. They would have known that this king who reigns over all has no one who matches his power. All the nations are but a drop in the bucket, we are told. It is nothing for God to destroy his enemies. His power made all things by the word of his mouth and his power sustains all things and holds all things together by the word of his mouth. His power is bringing forth his perfectly orchestrated providential plan in every moment, in every place, in every spot, in every speck of matter throughout all history without exception. He would have taught that he is omnipotent above all this king and that those who resist him and the devil in his kingdom are nothing compared to him, that he is above all, and that he is greater than their greatest sin, greater than their greatest fear, greater than even death itself, and greater than hell, and greater than this flimsy devil who is more powerful than any man. He would have given them the confidence of knowing that this merciful and gracious God is almighty, almighty to save, and almighty to destroy his enemies. but his power being what it is, is always guided by his wisdom, guided by his sovereign love and great and infinite wisdom. Sovereign over all the events in time and space and weaving together the most perfect and glorious demonstration of God's glory from the garden in the beginning to the garden at the end, with the cross in the middle. Almost every night at dinner time, my children, my younger ones especially, and I think my older ones kind of listen in too, they ask me to tell them more of the story. It's really not much of a story. They love it, I think, most of the time. And we have a great time telling stories. But you realize, don't you, that God made us that way. God is the ultimate storyteller, and every great story has a villain who looks invincible, and underdogs who have no hope, and a great and mighty deliverer who comes and rescues them. That's what every great story is about, and the ups and downs of that. Oh, the king's wisdom is on display in his plan for this world. Next, the king's jurisdiction You know, there's not a place where you can go to a hill you can find in India where Buddha rules. There's not a place like that. There's not a hill in Mecca where you can go and find that Islam actually has a God who rules because he doesn't. Allah does not rule. There's not a place in this world where you can go to and find one of the puny demon gods on their little hills where they actually have jurisdiction. All men everywhere are called to repent. And he would have helped these, as he was teaching them through these two years, to see that they are called to deliver this message everywhere. And it doesn't matter what national boundary, what natural boundary, what any boundary, any hill, any dale, dry ground, desert, gardens, anywhere, Jesus Christ is King. Right? We've said it before. What did Kuyper say? There's not a place in the universe that Jesus Christ doesn't look at and say, mine. It would help them see the limitless jurisdiction of the righteousness of God and the requirements that he has and the mercy that he has. He would have talked to them of the king's enemy. He would have warned them of the devil's schemes. He would have warned them that they can do nothing apart from Christ. He would have warned them that the moment that they drift away from the power of God and the Holy Spirit working in them and the word of God abiding in them, they're done. They're easy prey. He would have warned them to fear, to be terrified of going against the devil with the arm of the flesh. Like those, wasn't it seven sons who got beat up and thrown out naked and almost killed? They went against demons on their own power. He would have warned them of that, but he also would have told them about how the disciples cast out every kind of demon and that the demons of hell were required to submit to the people who walk in faith. The people who speak the word of God as those walking in the spirit. I believe he would have told them that the devil would shortly be bound up and cast into the abyss. I believe he told them that each and every demon over time would be bound up and thrown in the abyss, and we're a part of that now through our prayers. He would have warned them, but he would have encouraged them. The devil, that great serpent, the ancient dragon, the fallen angel, the father of lies, Jesus calls him. whose fate is the eternal suffering and lake of fire, and whose minions of hell were doing and still do harm in the earth now, but whose future is certain and inescapable. He's not to be trifled with, yet he is defeated by Christ and in Christ in his church. Oh, they would have known of the enemy of the kingdom, and they would have known the path and the tools to defeat the enemy. They would have been warned of the false path that would lead to pain and misery. It would have been told very clearly of the king's redemption. By a sovereign and gracious choice, he made a way for his elect to be redeemed, to be brought back from the kingdom of the devil. Back from death, back from darkness, back from misery, back from brokenness, back from loneliness, back from hopelessness into life and light. hope and gladness and joy and eternal life through Christ. He would have pointed to Jesus on the cross and said, that is where your sin goes when you trust in God and call out to him for forgiveness. He would have said, trust in Christ. Have your sins washed away in Jesus Christ. He is the king and he is the redeemer. He didn't send somebody else. He came himself. He would have told them the plan for redemption. He would have mentioned God's redemptive judgments in history and in eternity. By his sovereign and holy choice, he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, destroying the sin of his people. to be placed on Christ on the cross and destroying those outside of Christ with eternal suffering in the lake of fire. We looked at that, didn't we? We talked about that during our Advent series. He would have told them of the King's redemptive judgment, of the King's final judgment. And He would have told them of the King's gradual victory in time. He wouldn't have given them false hopes of some immediate conversion of the whole world He would have spoken them of Jesus enthroned on high. And God bringing forth the transformation of his people, not only gradually throughout the course of their lives through sanctification. It's not an instant sanctification process that we go through as Christians. It's a process we go through. And then the transformation of the world through his people also gradually. Remember that? like the mustard seed, like the leaven, the kingdom of God. Unto, when you think about leaven, when you think about mustard seed, you see these basic ideas, unto fully pervasive transformative work of His grace in this world over time until His return. He would have helped them to see how they fit in to the vast timeframe of God's plan for the church age. He would have helped them to understand the Pentecostal power rests in the hands of the Father and the Son, who send forth the work of the Spirit in His timing and in His way, according to His perfect wisdom. He would have helped them to be patient in the work of God in their own lives and in the world. He was preaching to them the Kingdom of God. And there's more, I'm sure. But he was also teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ. This word teaching here, didasco, to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them, deliver didactic discourses, to impart instruction, instill doctrine into one. still with a confidence and an assurance that what you're saying is true, still as that herald, if you will. But the focus here is on making sure that you are having a good exchange and the person that you're teaching is understanding what you're saying to them. So the focus of the teaching here would have been on how Christ is fulfilling all of the prophecies of the kingdom of God, how Jesus is the one to look to. So what would he have said concerning the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, you know, it's in the Apostles' Creed. We're going to say it. Remember, when you preach the gospel to someone, you have to give them the history lesson first. You have to give them the historical facts first, right? And then from that, you can begin to draw out the spiritual implications of these historical facts, right? And then you make it personal. And then you encourage them to see that it's transformational in their lives. Remember, historical, spiritual, personal, transformational, the process of preaching the gospel. So what are the facts of history that he would have laid down for these folks for two years? Well, he would have said, Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the foretold Messiah. He is the Lord and the Savior and the Anointed One, the Lord of the kingdom, the only Savior of his people, and the prophesied prophet, priest, and king to teach, atone for, and rule his people. He would have pointed to the old covenant writings, as we were told in the section just prior to this, and he would have laid out the key prophecies pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, the king of the kingdom. And he would have made it very clear that it was not limited to the Jews. Only for a time was it limited to the Jews, and even then it wasn't really limited. It was more limited. And now that the kingdom is, now the kingdom has burst forth to all people. He would have told them about the eternal God condescending and coming down to earth as a man. He would have told them about Jesus Christ as a sinless, the sinless man of sorrows who was without sin and suffered all the miseries of this life except for sin. He can truly identify with us. He put on flesh. He would have told them about the incarnation where he dwelled amongst us, born as a baby in time, as I've said, in obscurity in Bethlehem to a simple family of Galilee on that cold night in baby's clothes, coming fresh from the throne of God and the bliss of eternity. He would have told them about the divine miracles displayed in his life. Jesus himself said, my miracles prove that the Father testifies who I am. And they, he would have told them of all the miracles, how he healed every kind of disease, how he raised the dead, how he had total control over all demons anytime. And he had complete control over creation. He walked on water, he turned water into wine, he calmed a storm, he killed a fig tree with his words and many other things. He would have told them about Jesus Christ the man is God in flesh. as revealed by his miracles. He would have told them of the restored human glory being revealed in Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth, certainly with comparisons to what Adam and Eve were like before the fall and what they could have become if they had been faithful, and he would have said, Jesus is that man. Jesus shows us what restored humanity looks like. He would have pointed to him, compassionate, feeling, being moved within by the miseries of the world around him, being moved by the oppressed and the downcast and desiring for them to be saved. Merciful, a servant, a servant of God and a servant of others and how he would perfectly display love for God and perfect human faith. Jesus never doubted. Perfect human love. He never did anything except motivated by love. Perfect human hope. He always had perfect hope. He would have told them about Jesus, the perfect man, and what he was like. He would have told them that Jesus was hated and persecuted and murdered, he would have pointed to Christ on the cross. He said at one point, did he not, that he had resolved to know nothing but Christ and him crucified. Yes, he would have told them of Christ, but he would have kept telling them of the cross. You know, his own did not receive him because they love darkness, John tells us. He was arrested, he was falsely accused, he was unjustly condemned, and he was grotesquely put to death on that Roman cross, and he died under infinite suffering, saying at the end, it is finished. All of our sin washed away. Mission complete for you and me and for all who trust in him. He would have pointed to the cross over and over again, and then he would have told them of his presence in the grave, but not for too long. He would have told them of his resurrection from the dead and that he was loved and that he was vindicated by the Father and that his resurrection was invincible evidence that his atoning sacrifice had been accepted by the Father. Jesus was raised up from the dead by the Father on the third day, we're told, via the power of the Holy Spirit, we're told, showing the Father's acceptance of his every sacrifice from the very beginning Every altar ever built to the Most High God from the very beginning, pointing to Jesus. Everyone, now unnecessary. And in this, we see the total victory over sin. And he would have emphasized that. It's not a partial victory. Jesus' glorified body, pointing to His glorified body and saying, this is our future. The glorified body of Jesus Christ, that's our future. And they would be free from sin and death and hell and the devil. He would have told them that He was witnessed alive by hundreds, that He had eaten with them and been touched by them. but He wouldn't have stopped there. He would have told them of His ascension as well. He would have told the story of that they were standing there with Him on the Mount of Olives near Bethany and Jesus just lifting up into the air and disappearing into the clouds. He would have told them that story and how it was a fulfillment of Jesus being enthroned that we see in Daniel 2. We see it in Psalm 2 and Psalm 110. He would have told them of His ascension and His enthronement, and that what the angel said to Mary came true. He would have told them that. He would have told them that He had been brought to His Father, the Ancient of Days, and given the crown over the cosmos, and made the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords seated there at God's right hand. He would have told them about Jesus and where he is and what he is doing. He would have emphasized that we are not alone. He would have told them of that great day of Pentecost, 10 days after his ascension, when God the Father and the Son poured out the Holy Spirit in a new and more powerful way than had ever been done before. The great unloosing of heaven's power upon the earth on that Pentecost day of AD 30, I think, I believe. And Jesus still reigns now. And he would have told them that, and I'm telling you, Jesus still reigns now by this same Holy Spirit outpouring in your heart, in my heart, and in everyone that he saves. One soul at a time. He's coming. He's giving faith. He's saving. That's what he's doing from heaven, over and sanctifying. He doesn't just snap his fingers in power and leave us alone. He fills us. He works in us. He transforms us. He rules and he reigns in the hearts of his people, bringing heaven's kingdom into their hearts and then through them into this world. Only God can control a human heart. Only God can control a human heart. Everything else, if you're not a Christian, you will be tossed about by waves of sin and misery and confusion. without direction, only God can give a course and the power to that course by his Holy Spirit in your life and the life of believers. He would have told them about the Pentecostal reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. And certainly in this, he would have fit together the gradualism of the kingdom, that the kingdom is gradually growing in the earth. And you see, it wouldn't have just been individual, it would have been individuals loving Christ as moms, as dads, as sisters, employees, as servants, as political rulers, as church leaders, as doctors, as lawyers, as whatever they were, they would have been doing it for Him. The transformative aspect of the gospel would have been very clear. He would have told them that He had come to earth first as a baby and set aside the crown of heaven and taken on that cold manger and the baby's clothes. And he would have told them that he had ascended to God's right hand and that he was going to bring forth his victory in the earth by his power, putting his enemies under his feet one at a time. And he would have told them that he's coming back. He would have told them that he's coming back to stand on this earth again after all of his enemies have been placed under his feet except one, death itself. Because in His Pentecostal reign, the enemies of Christ are being placed under His feet by His Father, we're told from Psalm 110, via His Word and His Spirit. And after all these enemies are defeated, Christ will return and defeat the last enemy, death itself, and judge both the living and the dead, calling forth every single human that has ever existed before His throne of judgment. All in Christ are forgiven forever. Brothers and sisters, when I preach to you, I'm always in some regard or another thinking, may your names be written in the book of life. May your names be written in the book of life. Because otherwise, when your book is opened, all that's going to come out is your sin. The book is opened and all that's going to come out is your sin. There will be no grace, there will be no mercy. And it will be nothing but bald naked comparison to the perfect righteous and standards of God himself. He would have told them to have their names written in the book of life through confessing their sins to God and that he is faithful and just to forgive them if they confess their sins to him and to cleanse them of all unrighteousness. So on that day of judgment, he would have informed them as he still informs us today by this word, have your name written in the book of life. Trust in Christ. And he would have told them of the terror and the unspeakable jeopardy faced by those outside of Christ. And the moment of judgment to come for all men. And that all outside of Christ must bear the suffering for their own sins forever. And this would have been a warning, but it also would have been a great encouragement to consider what Jesus experienced on our behalf to rescue us. Look what we deserved. Look what Jesus did for us. He would have told them not only about what's called the intermediate state in heaven after they died and pass on to be with the Lord. before that great and final day, but he would have told them about paradise restored, about the reunion of heaven and earth after Jesus' return, that all those in Christ will be finally ushered into the new heavens and the new earth, made one, all things reconciled, no more need for Jesus to leave or come back because it's all one. No more separation from him because heaven and earth have been brought back together like they were in the garden. No sin, no sadness, no sickness, no suffering, no separation from God, no relational brokenness, and in body, soul, spirit, and relationship, and service, only growing stronger, wiser, and more joyful forever and ever in his presence. This is a lot, isn't it? But he had two years. He had two years to teach them, to call the lost to faith in Christ, to an awareness of their sinfulness, to an awareness that they were enemies with God, but that he would forgive them in Christ. Just call on the name of the Lord. Confess your sins to God. Trust in Christ and you will be forgiven. You'll be raised up by the spirit and you will become a part of this great and epic adventure of serving God in his kingdom unto eternal life. But I want you to see that this glorious gospel was unleashed at that time. This is the final point. It says, with all confidence, no one forbidding him. With all confidence, no one forbidding him. Basically two Greek words here. All confidence, complete freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech, openly, frankly, without concealment, without any ambiguity or circumlocution, didn't beat around the bush. Free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance. Look, zero doubt about what he was saying. And this is the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity. He wasn't looking to be conspicuous. He wasn't trying to secure publicity. But people who teach and preach the Word of God like this become known. Conflict was unavoidable, but it was unfeared. So let's think about this. What does this mean? I'll tell you what it means. It means nothing within Paul was hindering the Gospel. Nothing within him was keeping him from preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning Jesus Christ. You know how it is. There are certain parts of God's Word that are particularly unpopular today. Are you hindered in your preaching of the Word of God because of whatever? Fears, man-pleasing, Want to keep your job? Want to get a good raise? I don't know. Are you unleashed like Paul was, fearless? You're here. You have life and breath first and foremost to serve your Redeemer. Everything else is just the stage and the setting upon which we do this. That's what Paul's perspective was. He had uncorrupted clarity in the particulars. So he was teaching and preaching in Clarity, that's what this word brings to mind. He had unhindered courage in the delivery. All these ideas are found in this word. And he had undiluted confidence in the content that he was delivering. How can this happen? What is going on in Paul to where the gospel had been unleashed in his life? Basic things. He had faith in God's word and the power of the gospel. Do you understand that when you speak God's word, his truth, you are speaking the most powerful thing in the world? Paul understood this and he had faith in the power of the gospel because we're told the gospel is the power of God. This message of the kingdom and the particulars in regards to Jesus Christ that he was preaching and teaching This is the power of God. And he had faith in this. He didn't look, he didn't need to dress it up. He didn't need a particular bow tie or a robe or a set of shoes or a right haircut or he didn't need any of the, whatever, he didn't need any of it. He understood that the gospel is the power of God and he spoke it day in and day out. The gospel was unleashed. And as a result of who he was, he had diligence in the word so that he could, out of love for God, preach and teach with clarity. Preach and teach with clarity. The clarity that's here is a result of his diligence in the word. And above all, he had fear of God. It says he received all. I'm sure some of those bigwig Jews came back again. And I imagine he may have had some exchanges with some of the bigwig Romans as well. You know what I mean? The people who were gonna be deciding whether he lived or died. When he went to trial and the Jews who had decided they wanted to murder him over and over again, these people, he withheld nothing from them. He didn't try to smooth it over so they wouldn't be mad at him. He feared God above all. And he did it for two years, so we see what else is here is love. He loved his fellow man. And so he persisted, and he was patient. And you know, he wouldn't just receive them once. He would receive them over and over and over again, he would receive them. We also see here a demonstration of his humility and his holiness. because he was preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning Jesus Christ. Now I'm sure that he gave application to current events, okay? But he wasn't preaching and teaching, go be a Republican and vote for Trump. You know, he wasn't preaching and teaching those horrible Democrats. He wasn't preaching and teaching, we need to get rid of these horrible taxes. Do you see what I'm saying? He didn't get up on a hobby horse about himself or current events. He was humble. He pointed to Christ over and over and over again. Next, not only was the gospel unleashed because of what God had done within Paul, But the gospel at this time was unleashed here because of what God had done around him. The text says, no one forbidding him. Nothing outside Paul was hindering the gospel. Nothing. Now think about that. Think about everything he had been through with the Jews and the Romans, the two years in prison, the constant running from the threats of the Jews, and then a few times the Gentiles tried to kill him too. Not now. Not now. This is a picture of the gospel unleashed, y'all, more than he's ever seen in the course, at least as far as we know, more than we've ever been told in his ministry. And this is the last word in this book. Paul's internal grace, internal deliverance, walking in the spirit and sincerity and truth is here now at this point also accompanied by God's external deliverance whereby he has closed the eyes of the persecutors and bound the efforts of the devil and put them all to sleep as far as Paul's concerned. And the gospel is just going out like a lion from that little house there in Rome. This is what God can do. This is what we want to see, isn't it? Who wants to be a part of the unleashed gospel in your own life and in the world around you? So that when you go forth and you present the most important message of all, the kingdom of God and the things pertaining to Jesus Christ, that there's no one forbidding you. There's no one shushing your mouth. I'll tell you right now, I encourage every one of you young men, don't dare voluntarily put yourself in a place where you are forbidden to speak this gospel. Now you might have to, God might lead you there, I'm not saying it's wrong. That's not where Paul was at the end of his life. Paul was able to preach and teach the kingdom of God and the things pertaining to Jesus Christ with no one forbidding him. And I'll tell you, this is the motive why I started Covenant Family Allergy. I couldn't stand another moment in the Navy or in big medicine where I couldn't speak his name. Tell what he did for me. May God destroy his enemies who are silencing his gospel. May God shut their mouths so that the mouths of his people are opened. And it just goes forth in the earth like here, like we see here. Amen? So we see here this double grace, brothers and sisters, of internal and external freedom. And I want to finally finish with this. I'm almost done. Please note, this is not dependent upon our life status. Okay? You might think you have to get to a certain point or a certain place in order for this to be true. It's not the case. Even in a spot where supposedly you're not supposed to be preaching the gospel, the Lord may just close the eyes of the people and you'll just be preaching the gospel away, all you want to, all day long. Bring in your Bible, open it up, walk them through the gospel, who's next? Right there at SRS or at AU or wherever you are, wherever you go. So it doesn't depend upon your life status for this to happen. Because where was Paul? I mean, he wrote later to Timothy, he says, I wasn't changed, but the gospel was not. And God can make that true anywhere, brothers and sisters. You see, I think we get into this mindset where we're just gonna always live in a world where the gospel is bound up externally. Don't believe that. See what he did here. Think of Rome, think of the Jews. I mean, that's a lot of hatred for the gospel. That's a lot of confusion about God. Our world may be worse, I don't know, but God did it then, he can do it now. So a few questions. I'm so thankful for Luke Axe. I can't wait to meet Luke. Who here is looking forward to meeting Luke and finding out some more of these from him and getting to know him better? Thank you, God, for Luke, putting this together for us as one of your prophets. So first, can you dwell patiently for years under God's unexpected providences? You see that? That's what Paul's doing. He's dwelling, what, patiently, happily, contentedly for years under this unexpected providence. You know, he appealed to Caesar. I don't know if he said to himself, well, I'll be there a couple of years in my own house, not able to go anywhere. Now, he longed to impart some spiritual blessing to the Romans. Remember he said that to them? Well, he's getting a lot of chances at that now for two years, just like he did at Ephesus. But can you do that? Or do you allow your providential situations to define how you look at the gospel? Well, the gospel's hindered, it's tethered, it's leashed up, nothing I can do about it. Not so. Be like Paul. Next, meanwhile, and this is another thing, hospitality, is your home open to all who would come to learn of Christ? Have you prayed that to God? That'd be a great prayer, wouldn't it? Father in heaven, please make people come to my home so that I can share the gospel with them. We're gonna go out to like Paul did, but wouldn't it be great? You know, I know some friends, they have a guest book in their home. I think it's the Botkins. And I think they have like thousands of people who've, I don't know, don't quote, a lot of people who've signed that guest book over time and who've come there to hear the gospel. when you want your home to have that legacy? What was your home like? There were people in and out there and they were talking the gospel to these people all day long. And that's what I know. That's what I've heard the Botkin children say before. God, please make our homes like this. Next, are you internally free to preach and teach God's word to any and all with clarity, courage and confidence? Or there's some that you're not going to do it because, you know, whatever, they're your boss. So the idea here is are you faith-filled or does fear guide you? The next also is diligence versus laziness in the Word. Are you diligent? Are you diligent in the Word? Parents, are you diligent with your children to teach them God's Word so they know these particulars, so they can share with clarity and confidence the message of God? Are you compassionate towards the lost or is your heart apathetic? I want to ask you, when's the last time you heard a story about someone who's lost and in misery and you wept? When's the last time that happened to you? This is what Jesus was going through his whole life, every single day. We just get so used to it. We live in our nice places. We've got our clean clothes in our houses and we're all good and everything, but guess what? There's so much oppression and suffering and misery in this world. Where's your heart on that? Next, patient versus pushy. You see, when you're internally freed to preach, you don't get pushy. You'll be persuasive. You'll ask them why they're not trusting in Christ and confessing their sins to God, if they allow the conversation to get there, but you won't be pushy. You're gonna be looking for reasons why they're not accepting Christ and trying to address those reasons. And ultimately, every apologist has to become an evangelist, because when you get to the end of the day, and all the rational arguments against believing in Jesus Christ have been done away with, And there you are, staring at the truth, and you still haven't confessed your sins to God, you gotta be an evangelist. What does that mean? It means tell them to have faith in God. Tell them to have faith in God. So are you patient? Are you persistent or do you fade? Start strong. He dwelt for two years. How are you in that? It's convicting. And finally, the big thing we've seen about Paul throughout this whole time, he was compelled by the love that he had for Christ. He met Jesus on that Damascus road. He was a latecomer apostle who witnessed the risen, glorified Jesus Christ and experienced his divine power when he was blinded. And then when he was healed. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ. He was so grateful to him for being delivered, a murderer, killer of God's church, a persecutor to the top level of God's people. And Jesus died for him and saved him, and he was so thankful. Is that you? Are you motivated by love for God because he has died for you and saved you? When you look at yourself and your own failings, and you consider what he's done for you, does it lead you just to want to sing? We're gonna sing. We're gonna sing. I hope when you sing here in a minute, we're just singing like from that heart. Next, in your life, are you aware of external hindrances to preaching and teaching God's word? When you bump into these things, how do you approach these things? I mean, here's something very simple. Do you pray for God to take them away? These hindrances that you bump into, do you pray for God to take them away so that there won't be these external hurdles? Whether it's employment threat or threats from the state or whatever it might be, relationship threats, reputation threats. Would you pray that God would take them away? That's very simple, isn't it? Because I think a lot of times we just say, oh, there's nothing we can do about it. Next. Either you'll have content prayers or you'll have impatient complaints about this. This is going to be one or the other. And you bump into these things. And this is where the zealots come in. They want to go and destroy the Romans and they all get killed. And there's a lot of people in Christianity like that today. They just say stupid things and they get all revved up and armor the flesh and they got their Second Amendment rights and they're just stupid. Don't be like that. Do not have impatient complaints towards the providentially assigned rulers over you in this world. Give thanks for every one of them, no matter how corrupt they may be, and pray for them. And keep your even-veiled talk of violence away. Okay? Now, you know, I'm a fan of the second amendment, you know that, okay? All right, trust God and keep your powder dry. We all know that from the war for independence. But you don't be out there like a zealot. Paul wasn't, and he condemned them. Next, do you see yourself as a herald, an ambassador of the king of kings? You are, all of us are heralds and ambassadors of the king of kings. Can you, with all confidence, zero doubt, no backpedaling, no hymning and hawing, preach the gospel of the kingdom of God to another human being and just let it sit there on them? Just let it sit there on them when you say, yeah, you're a sinner. Yep, you haven't met up to God's standards. Yep, you're in jeopardy of hell. It's true. Can you do that? You see, a lot of times we want to, Paul didn't hem and haw, he didn't tiptoe, right? He didn't back out. He had confidence. He shared the gospel, the standard of God, but he also shared the good news. Next. Do you see yourself as a teacher, as a representative of Jesus, Jesus Christ, who was called rabbi, and that you're explaining him, you're explaining his character, his ministry, his mercy, his power, his love, his plan, like we did in today's message. When you're teaching, This is helpful, I think, in parenting, to see what we need to teach our children. The Apostles' Creed, it's so wonderful. It's right there, all those historical events, past and future. Calvin said it, and I'll ask you again, do you understand the kingdom of God is grounded and contained in the knowledge of the redemption purchased by Christ? The entryway into the kingdom is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, looking to the cross and trusting yourself to him and believing that he's died for your sins. and then going on and living in that place of forgiveness that is ours. There is no kingdom of God apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, when you consider the trajectory of this text, you know, you can think of ballistics maybe. I don't like the ballistics of a bullet is the best example because it wasn't like that. It wasn't just an explosion that sent something going. I think it's more like a cruise missile. that has constant power and is constantly being directed to its destination. And are you caught up in this? Are you caught up in what God is doing as one of his soldiers, one of his ambassadors, and the role that you will play in serving him in your life? May God bless the preaching of his word. Let us pray. Almighty and gracious Heavenly Father, how we thank you so much, Lord, for how you untethered, released, unleashed the gospel of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, demonstrated here in the life of Paul in all these glorious ways. Bless us, we pray, O God, to similarly be released, unleashed internally and externally, not only us here, but your church throughout the world. Closing the eyes and the mouths of your enemies, and opening the mouths of your people to proclaim and declare the kingdom of God and the things pertaining to the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation for billions and transformation of this world. In Jesus name, amen.