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Bro. Otis Fisher
Chapter 28, first verse of the book of Acts. This is the last chapter of Acts. And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. We call it Malta. It's an island about 60 miles south of Sicily.
And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness, for they kindled a fire and received us, everyone, because of the present rain and because of the cold. The providence of God. He doesn't overlook anything.
He brought Paul and the rest of the prisoners to an island called Malta, where they were courteously received by the islanders, who finding them wet and cold, made them a fire to refresh or warm themselves.
And when Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on Paul's hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, no doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he has escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Now in that verse, now remember the gospel had not been to this island. It's brand new. We find the people believing that you will be punished. David, I find that rather amusing or strange. How did they know that?
All right. Superstition, the belief in many gods, originated because of what, David? That's right. The true comes first. All right. The fact that the viper fastened on him, and that as they supposed he must now certainly die, was proof from which they gathered this guilt.
It was supposed among the ancients that persons were often punished by divine vengeance. These barbarians reasoned with great original principles, written on the heart of all men by nature. That there is a God of justice.
And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm. How do you explain that, Greg? This is right. Either it didn't bite him or something, and that in itself is a miracle. How be it they looked when he should have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but after they had looked a great while and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that this is a God.
You see how superstition controls people that are not in Christ? Seven. In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publeth, who received us and lodged us three days courteously.
So we see how God still honors the person and ministry of Paul in the eyes and hearts of this barbarous people by enabling him further to work miracles on this island. And it came to pass that the father of Publeth lay sick of a fever and a bloody flux.
To whom Paul entered in and prayed and laid his hands on him, and he was healed. How the infinitely wise God worked all things together for his own glory. The apostle should have suffered shipwreck, that he should be cast upon an island, that he should be cast upon a barbarous island where the name of God was not known, that a viper should fasten upon him and not hurt him, that the governor of the island's father and other inhabitants of the island should at this time be sick and miraculously cured by Paul.
All of it, every detail is of God. Nine. So when this was done, others also which had diseases in the island came and were healed, who also honored us with many honors. And when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.
They'd lost everything in the shipwreck. Yet because of Paul, they lacked nothing during their stay on the island, and were now about to leave with all of the necessaries for the remainder of the voyage.
How do you account for that, David? That they would leave with everything they needed. That's right, the providence of God. 11, and after three months, we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle whose sign was Castor of Pollux.
How can a Christian, Greg, use even specified things of the world and not become contaminated? Idols or anything does not defile the Christian, who does in no way give consent to them. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.
And from thence we fetched a compass and came to Requiem. And after one day, the south wind blew, and we came next day to Putila, where we found brethren and were desired to tarry with them seven days.
And so we went toward Rome. Now, do you see that they have a compass by this time? And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Epiphorum and the three taverns, whom when Paul saw, he thanked God and took courage.
The Christians at Rome have doubtless heard much of Paul. His epistle to them had been written about 57 AD, or at least five years before this time. The interest which the Roman Christians felt in the apostle was thus manifested by their coming so far to meet him.
Even though he was a prisoner, they were coming to meet him. And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with the soldier that kept him.
This liberty, highly valued by the apostle, we may believe not so much for his own comfort, but for the benefit and advantage of the gospel. 17, and it came to pass that after three days, Paul called the chief of the Jews together.
And when they were come together, he said unto them, men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people or custom of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem unto the hands of the Romans.
Now, we've seen quite a while ago that for a long time, this flourishing Christian church existed at Rome, to which Paul wrote his epistle. Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go because there was no cause of death in me.
But when the Jews speak against it, I was constrained to appeal to Caesar, not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. Do you see how Paul does not be little or what would you call it, condemn the Jews?
You see that? Now, why does he not do that? This would have been a golden opportunity to do so. Well, he was a Jew, all right. Why didn't Paul set up a defense against the Jew? Joy. He was thankful that they had delivered him and he was now in Rome.
For this cause, therefore, have I called for you to see you and to speak with you because that for the hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain. And they said unto him, we neither receive letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed or spake any harm against thee.
So we see that the same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. So has the gospel different effects upon those to which it's preached. David, have you found that true? It is so true. There is nothing more devastating, more dividing, more evil than a war over religion.
We see that today in the East. But we desire to hear thee what thou thinkest. For as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against, particularly by Jews. This was the case then and to a great extent is still the case today.
It has been the common lot of the followers of Christ to be spoken of with contempt. I heard a Jew this morning on the television saying that they're still looking for the Messiah, that we take the Old Testament and interpret the scriptures different than you do.
So they're still blinded. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets from morning till evening.
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. It's the same today, David. Some will believe and some will not. It never leaves them in between. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed.
After that, Paul had spoken one word, well spake the Holy Ghost by sigh of the prophet unto our fathers, saying, go unto this people and say, hearing you shall hear and shall not understand and seeing you shall see and not perceive.
The fact that we do that, we do not, I don't understand it. The unbelievers willingly resisted the truth and yet not by chance. The unbelievers were ordained to not believe. For the heart of this people is wax gross.
Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes have they closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them.
Explain that verse, David. God has chosen this way of not saving those who do not believe. As I said before, they were ordained to not believe. I hope you understand that. 28, be it known therefore unto you that the salvation of God is sent unto Gentiles and that they will hear it.
The unbelief of reprobates and castaways cannot cause the truth of God to be of no effect. No matter what you think, say or do, you cannot affect the word of God. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had great reasoning among themselves.
Now, they were showing contempt, but this contempt was not for the gospel. What was it? They showed contempt. The contempt lies within themselves. They're not affecting the gospel one bit. They were showing a contempt for the gospel, not the gospel, but a contempt against the gospel.
You cannot affect the gospel. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
The special favor indulged Paul now a prisoner at Rome with so much freedom and without anybody to preach the gospel in his own hired house for two years. We see that he preaches. We see where he preached, even in proud, powerful, and imperious Rome and in his own hired house, to whom he preached to all that came to him.
He opened those doors and preached to them all. How long did he continue his ministry at Rome? It was for two whole years. After what manner he preached with all confidence, boldness, openness, freedom, with such as undaunted courage as neither a lover of life nor fear of death could overcome.
Now the subject matter of his preaching, the kingdom of God. And we see lastly that the freedom, he and all of this, no man forbidding him, neither empowered nor neither the emperor or the senate, nor magistrates, nor soldiers, nor priest, nor people, though in a heathen city devoted to idolatry in the least hindered are forbidding him.
That Rome, heathen of old, was far less cruel, much more courteous to the preachers of the gospel than Rome in a Christian sense has been. Then the apostle might preach two years together without mistreatment in his own house to all comers, but now minister of God must there have no public or private place of meeting to worship God according to his word or will without the danger of an inquisition.
In conclusion, we see how impossible it was at that time to hinder the progress of the gospel, even as impossible as to hinder the sun from shining or the wind from blowing. That God who shut the mouths of the hungry lions that they hurt not Daniel did open the mouth of the apostle that neither Nero or the Jews could stop it.
After this, he was delivered from the mouth of the lion, rescued out of Nero's hands, and God would have continued to deliver him, even his death being more for a glory of God and his own advantage than his life.
He offered his life as a sweet-smelling savor, acceptable on the God through Christ Jesus. Thus Luke concludes the history of Paul's life without giving us any particulars of his death. Secular history tells us that he was led out on a roam about two to five miles to a little brick place where he was beheaded.
But this leaves him at Rome, a prisoner under Nero, where after two years confinement, the scripture seems to hint that he was set at liberty, that he went about preaching the gospel and confirming the church for some years.
Let us therefore conclude with prayer that almighty God, who through the preaching of his apostle Paul did cause the light of the glorious gospel to shine throughout the world, would mercifully grant that we, having his wonderful conversion and instructive examples in our remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness unto him for the same by following the holy doctrine which he taught through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Are there any questions that you might have?
How long did he preach? How long did he preach? How long did he preach? How long did he preach from the time of his birth to his death? David, do you?
Greg, how old was Paul when he died?
I don't either. The book of Romans was written between A .D. 57 and 58, so we know he lived that long.
I have him in his 60s, but I don't know. Paul himself said that his life was to be poured out as a thanksgiving offering unto the Lord. We're not given the details, but they did cut his head off. That's right.
It was political, all right.
But it's been Paul, for 3000 years, he's preaching and teaching and teaching us now. And we're teaching all that can be done. We just don't have, we just say what we want and we place it in people's hands to do it.
That's right.
Well, how many of you have answered your question from last week? What is it that everybody does that's not natural? Well, think for just a moment. What is it, there is something that you're going to do what?
Yes. Yes. That's right. It'll be the last thing that you do. That's it. That's right. Adam was made to live. Sin came and killed him. Thought what? Do you feel natural in your death? Well, your question for next week.
Did Jesus sit down on the right hand of the Father because he was through with the work of salvation? Did Jesus sit down on the right hand of the Father because he was through with the work of salvation?
Think about it. Maybe some of you did not get the question or the answer. What's the one thing that everybody does that is not natural? And it's die. Can you dismiss us today, please? Oh, by the way, next week, we'll either start James or Hebrews.
I don't know which.