Presbytery Meeting - End of Acts

Ruts of Righteousness

(Acts 28:23-31, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 19, 2013)

[23] When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. [24] And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.

This great book began with apostolic confusion concerning the mission of the kingdom. Would the work of the risen Christ be an immediate resurrection version of Old Israel? The apostles still did not understand. But Jesus did understand. Their kingdom vision was too small. The new resurrection world would first come through witnesses who would go to the ends of the earth.

The remaining eleven men waited as they were told, but their interpretation of two psalms about Judas convinced them that they should do their part to fill out their number again with a new apostle. They cast lots to let the Lord make the choice between their nominees. As we read the rest of the book, we cannot help but feel that Matthias was only a place-holder for the Lord's choice of a final apostle—the man who by the end of the book was under house arrest in the capital city of the empire. He had once had a very narrow view of the kingdom of God, but now He understood well the worldwide mandate of the Lord.

Yet still he followed his well-established missionary pattern—to the Jews first and then to the Greeks. The final passage in Acts displayed the divided reaction that we are now very familiar with—some were convinced, but others disbelieved. He patiently demonstrated from the Hebrew Scriptures that Jesus, the Suffering Servant, would also be the victorious Messiah King. He spoke to leaders in the covenant community who had gone so far astray as to consider the followers of the gospel to be a sect that was spoken against everywhere. Yet Paul gave them the true and larger picture of the kingdom of God from the Bible that they claimed to cherish.

[25] And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
[26] “‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
[27] For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
[28] Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”Peter and the eleven at the beginning of Acts saw Judas in the Psalms. Paul at the end of Acts saw his hearers in Isaiah. He was doing what Isaiah had been told to do. “Go to this people.” He went and He presented them the good news. Some were convinced. The remainder received the words of warning through Isaiah—something to think about as they left the man who was pursuing the calling of Jesus as a prisoner under house arrest in Rome.

He wanted them all to hear and believe, but they would not. Still God was not finished with the people of whom the Lord had once said, “Israel is my son.” Paul attempted to make them jealous with the faith of non-Jews. As once prostitutes and tax-collectors were entering the kingdom of heaven ahead of scribes and Pharisees, now Gentiles were streaming in ahead of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A new branch was being grafted into an old tree, and some of the natural branches were being removed for a time.

[30] He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, [31] proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.The last two verses of our text are easily overlooked, but we should consider what they say carefully. Paul lived in that place for two years. He did so at his own expense. He welcomed all who came to him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a prisoner of the Roman Empire but was also a faithful ambassador for the King of kings teaching everyone about the Lord Jesus Christ. He fulfilled this sacred mission with all boldness. The Lord made a way for His ambassador to serve very effectively without hindrance. These seven or so points are each worthy of more careful consideration than I can give to them in the few minutes that we have remaining. I trust that the Holy Spirit will do a much better job applying them individually to your hearts than I could ever accomplish with very many words.

In the few moments that remain, I want to provide an overlay of Paul's ministerial experience in Rome using one of the most well worn verses in the Bible: “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.”

The Hebrew for the word “paths” could be well translated by our word “ruts,” the kind of deep tracks that come from wagons traveling the same way for many years. Some ruts are bad. The rut of Pharisaic interpretations of the Law only led to anger, hatred, and murder. But the ruts of the true obedience of cross love are good ruts, ruts of righteousness, if we are able to embrace them in the way that Paul embraced his seemingly unfortunate situation.

When Paul was doing fund raising for “Vision Rome,” he had not planned on it ending this way. But by this time in his life he was in a good rut of knowing how to abase as well as to abound. He knew that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. He came to embrace Christ in all circumstances, trusting the One who did His greatest act of obedience on a cross. He was able to proclaim the Resurrection King from the one house that the Lord gave him in Rome. From that unlikely place, Jesus touched many lives through this great apostle.

If we develop the discipline of living within the right kinds of ruts, well worn ruts of righteousness, then we will find that the most surprising crosses are an open door to life for many.

Pastors and elders, embrace your calling. Love Jesus. Hear His voice in the Old and New Testaments. Be led by His Holy Spirit along good habits of the heart. Find holiness. Discover obedience. Live on grace. See the doors that the Lord is opening by His surprising providences and embrace the One who keeps you for eternal life in every place that looks like a disappointment. Then shepherd the flock that God has given you. Preach the Word. Love the weak.

For the whole church and all who would follow Jesus, follow the good example of life and service that faithful shepherds have set for us. See where they have come from and observe well their gospel ruts of righteousness, as we read of Paul in 1 Timothy, “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”