Dr. Manny Arango (8:40)

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Dr. Manny Arango (9:56)

Let's make this your year to become a Bible.

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So by the time we get on this ship to like, you know, to send Paul out to Rome, we are fulfilling the, the gospel, well, the thesis of the whole book. We're bringing the Gospel all the way to the ends of the earth. So chapter 27 starts with when it was decided that we will sail for Italy. Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius who belonged to the imperial regiment. We boarded a ship. So we. That means Luke is Involved, we boarded a ship and we put out to sea. All right, chapter 27, verse 9 and 11 is actually the parts that are really important as they're sailing. Paul is like, hey, guys, this is a bad idea. Much time had been lost. Sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was the day after atonement. So Paul warned them, men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo. But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, follow the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship. So what happens? They encounter a massive storm. They get shipwrecked. They get shipwrecked. And I mean literally on boards, like holding boards of the ship. They get to the island of Malta, Okay? This happens right at the beginning of verse 28. Now, chapter 27 is, I mean, fascinating reading. I mean, if you want like a detailed description of a shipwreck, go read it. I mean, you can also see how much of a historian Luke is. I mean, he's telling us, I think it's like 200, 276 people on board. Like, Luke is keeping track of details like that. He's a doctor, he's a historian, he is a detail oriented individual. That's in verse 37, by the way. There's 276 of us on board. It says this in verse 42 as we end chapter 27. Getting to chapter 28. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely. The last chapter of acts. Now chapter 28, they get to Malta. A viper, okay, jumps out of some, some, some brushwood, okay, bites Paul. The islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand. They said to one another, this man must be a murderer. For though he escaped from the sea, the goddess named justice has not allowed him to live. Okay? Paul shakes the snake free, has no effects. And now the same people who thought he was a murderer are now assuming he must be a God. Okay? So now they think he's a God. The chief official from the island has a sick dad. Paul lays hands on the man. He gets healed. And then Paul starts praying for everybody who's sick on the island. Everybody starts to get healed. They finally, they have to stay there for three Months, they find a ship, new ship, and they finally get to Rome. Okay, so verse 14, chapter 28. And so we came to Rome. They're finally at Rome. Who does Paul go to see first? By the way, in verse 16, it says, when we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him. So he's not in your stereotypical prison situation. He's on more like house arrest. He goes and assembles all the Jewish leaders in Rome. So. So it's the Jews in Jerusalem who have tried to kill Paul, who have handed him over to the authorities. And I want you to see, like, the forgiveness and the grace that Paul has. He gets all these Jewish leaders together. And he says, my brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the custom of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to release me. But because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death, the Jews objected. So I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. He's talking to Jews. By the way, I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. For this reason, I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain. I want us to, like, understand. Paul still sees himself as Jewish. Like, in his own identity. He says, the Jewish people are my people. I've actually battled with this a lot. Like, as a Christian, there are some environments where I've heard a gospel of racial reconciliation that has kind of made it seem like I shouldn't see myself as black. Like, black people shouldn't be my people, that only Christians are my people. But what we have here, actually, like in the Book of Acts, is that Paul is able to balance both. Now, I will say this. My Christian identity is my first and foremost identity. But I think that sometimes we make it seem like human beings only have one identity. And that's just not true. Actually, there's a hierarchy of identities. And the issue is not only having one identity, it's actually having the first identity or the preeminent identity in the right place. So I'm a Christian first, but when I see black people, regardless of whether or not they're Christian, they're my people. And I think that's okay, because for Paul, he's like, it's because of the hope of Israel that I'm bound with this chain. Like, I've got hope that, like, my people, like Jewish people, like people who are ethnically Jewish, are going to be saved. Anyway, that was a little like, aside, but I think it's good. The Jews are like, hey, we heard nothing about this. And verse 28 says this. Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles. Since I'm coming to you Jews and I, it's the hope of Israel, that is the reason I'm preaching. And Jews decided to arrest me in Jerusalem. And like, the whole reason I'm here is because Jews are persecuting me now. Therefore, I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles and they will listen. So for all the Gentiles here, like, I'm a Gentile, you're a Gentile. I mean, you could be Jewish, but if you're watching this, the chances are the majority of Christians are Gentiles that God is actually using us. Using us Gentiles. The Bible says, especially in Romans, to cause the Jewish people who God has a covenant with to be jealous, to be envious, and to go, man, like, we don't want to miss out on, like, what God is doing with them. I want you to remember Luke, the Gospel writer, the same author who like, pens the Book of Acts. And in Luke's Gospel there's this parable of the banquet. And God goes out and invites all these people to the banquet and they don't come. And so therefore the master of the banquet goes out and invites other people who weren't on the original guest list. But because the original people didn't show up, then they are like, their spots are given to other people. And it's designed to cause the original invitees of the banquet to go, man, I'm really missing out on something. And so Romans is going to get into this in way more detail that says that the inviting of the Gentiles into the kingdom of God is actually there to provoke Israel to envy, to jealousy, to go, you know what? Why are they experiencing the benefits of the covenant that we can be accessing if we were to believe in the Messiah, Jesus? And then verse 30, for two whole years, Paul stayed there in his own rented house. So like now we've got four years of Paul's life gone by. For two years, Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the Gospel of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. And that's it. That's the end of the entire Book of Acts. So why does the Book of Acts end so abruptly. This is our timeless truth for the day. The Book of Acts ends abruptly because we are carrying out the end of the Book of Acts. The reason the Book of Acts ends with no real resolution and no real conclusion and it just kind of leaves on a cliffhanger is because the Book of Acts is still being written. You and I are writing the Book of Acts. Every single believer who's filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, who is a witness to the ends of the earth, is continuing to write the pages of the Book of Acts. And that's our timeless truth for the day that the Spirit filled believer who wants to be a witness for the Holy Spirit of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is actually a vessel to be used for God's purposes. And you and I, we are invited to complete the pages of the Book of Acts. And that's why it ends so abruptly. I'll see you right here tomorrow as we dive into the Book of Galatians. I'm super excited. Galatians is six chapters. We'll spend two days on the Book of Galatians. And I'm so proud of you for making this the year that you become biblically literate so that you can hear God for yourself and act wisely in the world that we live in. Love you, Peace. Thank you so much for joining me on the Bible Department podcast. If this episode was helpful, it would mean the world to me if you'd give us a follow rate and review the show. And don't forget to share. You can learn more about the show@thebibledepartment.com and find us on Instagram. Hebible Department if you want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library of courses@thebibledepartment.com we'll see you back here tomorrow.