Acts 28:31

Sermon preached on March 25, 2007 by Laurence W. Veinott. © Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. Other sermons can be found at http://www.newlifeop.org/.

Lou Gehrig, the great baseball player, gave his famous farewell speech to the fans at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. He spoke how wonderful they had been to him. He talked about his fellow players and what a privilege it had been to play alongside them. He mentioned the Yankees manager, how what a good experience it was to play under him. Then he said,

"When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift—that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies—that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter—that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body—it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed—that's the finest I know. So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."

When someone gives a farewell speech, they usually want to point out something really important. Lou Gehrig did that. In his farewell he was thanking people for their kindnesses and telling them how much he appreciated them and how he wanted to live—so he could continue to be with them.

In 1961 President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his farewell address to the nation. In it he said,

"We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

He was telling the American people something he thought was vitally important—warning them of the undue influence of big military contractors because they have a vested interest in war or the threat of war.

In 1601 Queen Elizabeth I of England delivered her farewell address to Parliament. In it she talked about one of the principles that had guided her as she ruled. She said,

"I have ever used to set the Last Judgment Day before mine eyes and so to rule as I shall be judged to answer before a higher judge…"

She was telling them that all rulers should rule with the Last Judgment in view—that one day all earthly rulers would have to stand before the Great Judge and answer for how they ruled. She viewed that as vitally important.

The text before us is not a farewell speech from Luke. But it's the end of the book of Acts and the last portion of Scripture he would write. As such it's of great significance. Not everyone sees this. Some people have speculated that Luke intended to write more but that he was interrupted, or that the original ending of the book has been lost, or that Luke intended to write a third book to finish his story. To them it seems like Luke's book is unfinished—that it ends abruptly. A more accurate view is that Luke has finished his story and he's leaving us with some things that are vitally important—in effect showing us how the gospel will triumph. Luke has been documenting the spread of the gospel taking as an outline of his book what Jesus had said to His disciples in Acts 1:8. He said,

"But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth."

When Paul reaches Rome Luke is just about finished with his history. Paul preached to the Jews there and some believed. Then Paul predicted that the gospel would be presented to the Gentiles and they would believe. Luke then continues with important concluding points. He summarizes the content of proper preaching—the Kingdom of God based on the teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, at the very near the end, he reminds the church, for all ages, how the gospel should be preached—boldly. Although we don't see it in some of the English translations, in the Greek the word 'boldly' was the second last word Acts. Today we come to the very end—and with this word Luke again stresses something of great importance. Paul preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, boldly and,

"unhindered."

With this final word of the book of Acts, Luke is leaving us with one final, important thought. J. A. Alexander describes this last word as, (Acts, p. 497)

"the emphatic adverb…"

Unhindered. Luke tells us that for the two years Paul was at Rome he was able to tell others about Jesus without hindrance. Lenski writes, (p. 1132)

"Burrus, the commander of the Praetorian Guards, placed no restrictions upon Paul. That was, indeed, remarkable, but it was the Lord's doing. He had brought his great witness to Rome and he enabled that witness to testify freely, fully, to the glory of His name."

John Stott writes of Luke's use of the words 'boldly' and 'unhindered', (Acts, p. 400-401)

"Together Luke's two adverbs describe the freedom which the gospel enjoyed, having neither internal nor external restraint."

There are great truths taught to us here. The main thing we should see is that with this last word of his book Luke is showing us that

God's purposes will prevail.

Paul arrived in Rome and for two years he preached the gospel 'unhindered'.

This is how Luke ends his book. All though his history Luke has been showing us that Jesus will build His church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) Consider Luke's account.

In Acts 3 and 4 we saw that Peter and John had healed a man who was crippled. After that they preached about Jesus. Great opposition to the gospel arose because of that. But the disciples were filled with the Spirit and continued to spread the gospel in spite of the threats from the authorities. We are told that they preached it boldly.

In Acts 4 we see that Satan tried a different strategy. Sin came into the church in the form of greed and lies. Ananias and Sapphira were selfish and lied to the church and to the Holy Spirit. But God struck them dead and great awe toward God came upon the church.

Satan then upped the price the Christians would have to pay for testifying about Jesus. The apostles were arrested and put in jail. But an angel of the Lord released them. The next day the apostles were teaching in the temple area and they were arrested again. This time they were flogged before they were released. The result was that, (Acts 5:41-42)

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing
because they had been counted worthy
of suffering disgrace for the Name.
Day after day, in the temple courts
and from house to house,
they never stopped teaching and proclaiming
the good news that Jesus is the Christ."

In chapter 6 there was another threat from inside the church. This time it wasn't about greed and lies—but about the Grecian Jewish widows were being neglected. But the apostles appointed deacons and the result was that, (Acts 6:7)

"So the word of God spread.
The number of disciples in Jerusalem
increased rapidly,
and a large number of priests
became obedient to the faith."

In chapter 7 we see that Satan upped the ante again. Stephen was stoned to death for preaching about Jesus. We read about the result in Acts 8:1-3.

"On that day a great persecution
broke out against the church at Jerusalem,
and all except the apostles
were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Godly men buried Stephen
and mourned deeply for him.
But Saul began to destroy the church.
Going from house to house,
he dragged off men and women
and put them in prison.
Those who had been scattered
preached the word wherever they went."

Satan failed to stop the gospel. But he had one great man to use against the church—Saul of Tarsus.

In chapter 8 the battle continued. Demons were cast out. Even Simon the Sorcerer seemed to believe. But then he tried to buy the ability to give the Spirit with money. Self-centeredness was in the church again. But he was rebuked. The result is in Acts 8:25,

"When they had testified
and proclaimed the word of the Lord,
Peter and John returned to Jerusalem,
preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages."

Then we are told about Philips work in preaching the gospel to the Ethiopian and others. The gospel was making progress.

But Satan upped the ante. His attack was now not just against the Christian leaders—but against all Christians. At the beginning of chapter 9 we read,

"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out
murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.
He went to the high priest
and asked him for letters
to the synagogues in Damascus,
so that if he found any there
who belonged to the Way,
whether men or women,
he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."

But God converted Saul and turned His greatest human enemy into His greatest servant. We read about the result in Acts 9:31,

"Then the church throughout Judea,
Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace.
It was strengthened;
and encouraged by the Holy Spirit,
it grew in numbers,
living in the fear of the Lord."

Then we read about Peter and Cornelius and how the gospel was preached to the Gentiles.

But again Satan upped the ante. He got the civil authorities involved in persecuting the church. In Acts 12 we read about how Herod had James put to death with the sword and how he had Peter arrested. But an angel rescued Peter from prison and Herod himself was struck down by an angel. What was the result? In Acts 12:24 we read,

"But the word of God
continued to increase and spread."

And so Acts continues, the same pattern being followed—describing portions of the great war between God and Satan, between the gospel of Jesus Christ and the powers of evil. But Satan can't win.

Luke then tells us of Paul's journey to Jerusalem and how he was going to be killed by the Jews—but was saved by the timely intervention of the Romans. They arrested Paul. Shortly after this the Lord appeared to him and said, (Acts 23:11)

"Take courage, for as you have testified
to the facts about me in Jerusalem,
so you must testify also in Rome."

The Romans then saved him from sure assassination at the hands of 40 committed Jews. Satan couldn't kill Paul.

Instead the Romans kept Paul in prison for two years at Caesarea. But even there Paul was able to preach before Felix, King Agrippa and Festus. The gospel was not bound.

Then when Paul was being transported to Rome, Satan tried to kill him with the storm. Then he tried to kill him by having the sailors attempting to leave the ship and passengers. Again he tried to kill Paul through the soldiers, who were afraid that Paul and the other prisoners would escape during the shipwreck. Then Satan tried to kill Paul with the snake.

But God's purposes prevailed and Paul arrived safely in Rome. He preached to the Jews in Rome—then to the Gentiles. Luke finishes with these words, (Acts 28:30-31)

"He lived there two whole years
in his own rented house
and welcomed all who came to him,
proclaiming the kingdom of God
and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ
with all boldness and without hindrance."

Paul didn't just testify in Rome—God had him spend two years there preaching boldly and unhindered. God sent Paul to the most influential city in the world and had him preach boldly, without restriction. Paul was able to preach to the great city of Rome, to Caesar himself, to the rulers of the Roman world, to their religious leaders, to its ordinary citizens. He did so boldly, without hindrance.

What a note for Luke to end on! He has showed us clearly that Jesus is building His church and that Satan will not prevail against it. On the ship it seemed very unlikely that Paul would ever reach Rome. But near the end of the two week storm an angel of the Lord appeared to Paul and said to him, (Acts 27:24)

"Do not be afraid, Paul.
You must stand trial before Caesar;
and God has graciously given you
the lives of all who sail with you."

Paul went to Caesar's city, to Caesar himself, and preached boldly and unhindered.

A great battle raged—but Jesus' words were fulfilled.

"You will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth."

Nothing could stop the spread of the Word of God. Threats, imprisonment, beatings, killings—Satan tried it all. Christians were bound—but the Word of God can't be bound. As Paul told Timothy his son in the faith in 2 Timothy 2:8-10,

"Remember Jesus Christ,
raised from the dead,
descended from David.
This is my gospel,
for which I am suffering
even to the point
of being chained like a criminal.
But God's word is not chained."

Dennis Johnson writes, (Acts, p. 229)

"The bearers of God's word may be afflicted and restricted, but the message itself goes forward unchained, unrestrained, and without hindrance, even through their sufferings."

God's Word is free and powerful. The Spirit directs it and uses it for His purposes. Nothing can thwart it. As we read in Isaiah 55:10-11,

"As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower
and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose
for which I sent it."

God's servants may be chained, but the Word is not. His purposes are accomplished.

Now what does this mean for us?

First, it means that

you should go forth with the gospel with confidence, with patience, with great hope.

Throughout the book of Acts we see that there were ups and downs for the church. Satan attacked it first one way, then another, then a third way, then a fourth. He tried to thwart the spread of the gospel. Christians were threatened, imprisoned, flogged, stoned. But the gospel spread according to the great purpose of Jesus Christ. It spread until it was preached in Rome—where Jesus wanted Paul to testify before Caesar.

Remember that. In spreading the gospel we will have ups and downs. You will meet opposition, hostility, and hatred. Perhaps you will be threatened and persecuted. Even from within the church threats will arise—there will be greed, lies and self-centeredness.

Don't be intimidated. Don't give up. Persevere in telling others about Jesus. He is building His church. Nothing can stop that. Do your part and glorify Jesus with your life.

You Christians should also be thanking and praising God because

Satan can't chain the Word of God.

Christians can be. But the Word of God cannot be chained.

Secondly, by ending his history on this note Luke shows us one of the primary things we should be praying about in reference to the gospel. How vitally important it is that

you pray that the gospel in our midst go forth without hindrance.

John Calvin refers to Paul being able to speak about the gospel, 'unhindered' as a,

"remarkable blessing of God…"

How wonderful when the gospel is able to be freely proclaimed. How glorious when it goes forth unhindered in any way.

This is what we should desire because it means that Jesus Christ is glorified. It means that people hear about what Jesus has done and they may believe and have life in Him. What a blessing to peoples and nations when the gospel of Jesus is freely preached without opposition. If the gospel goes forth without opposition the result will be like Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 11:9,

"They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of
the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea."

Pray that the gospel will go forth unhindered. Pray hard for it—for this is a blessing that only God can give. There's nothing that we can do to ensure that the gospel will go forth unhindered.

Sometimes Paul was able to preach the gospel unhindered while at other times he faced great opposition. Consider what happened to Paul in Thessalonica. He went there and preached the gospel. He has some success as some Jews believed, as well as a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a few prominent women. But some of the Jews there were jealous and they got some bad characters to start a riot. The brothers there feared for the lives of Paul and Silas and as soon as it was night they sent them away to Berea. But they found out they were there and they followed them, stirring up the crowds against them. Again the brothers feared for Paul's life and sent him to the coast.

Paul wanted to go back and encourage the new Christians at Thessalonica but he was not able to. He wrote about it in 1 Thessalonians 2:18. He said,

"For we wanted to come to you—
certainly I, Paul, did,
again and again—
but Satan stopped us."

Satan was really active in Thessalonica in seeking to prevent the gospel from being preached. Thessalonica was not at all hospitable to the gospel. It was not like Ephesus where Paul stayed and taught the gospel for two years. (Acts 19:10) It was not like Rome where Paul was able to preach unhindered for two whole years.

Having the gospel go forth unhindered is a blessing that only God can give. Be much in prayer for it.



What do you pray for? What do you desire? We pray for good health. We pray for safety. We pray for happiness. We pray for financial security. There's nothing wrong with praying for those things.

Don't underestimate this blessing and fail to pray for it. We have been greatly blessed in our country and the gospel has been preached here unhindered ever since the first settlers arrived. Our country has been blessed with this for so long that we might tend to take it for granted.

But today the gospel is hindered in many countries. Michael told us last week that in Sri Lanka there's a law that is close to passing that would make it illegal for Christians to try to convert Buddhists or Hindus to Christianity. They can evangelize their own, but not those of other religions.

In Muslim countries the gospel doesn't go forth unhindered. In Communist countries the gospel doesn't go forth unhindered. Christians have great hindrances placed on them as far as preaching the gospel is concerned. Their evangelism is severely curtailed. Christians are arrested and put in jail.

This could happen in our country. There are signs of it already. If you're against homosexuality, some people today will say that you're fostering and promoting hate. Our society today doesn't like to hear sin called sin. Don't take this great blessing for granted. Pray diligently for it.

Thirdly, for you who are Christians, this shows you

what you need to do in order for the gospel to eventually go forth unhindered.

You can't ensure that the gospel will go forth unhindered—but in Acts the Holy Spirit shows us what kind of behavior He rewards with blessing.

Isn't it amazing how sometimes the gospel is preached and accepted in a country and for hundreds of years afterwards it goes forth unhindered? In the past whole countries, whole continents—whole empires have become Christianized. What was the key? How did the Christians of those days do that? Why don't we see it happening today? Today, at least in our country—Christianity is losing ground. We live in a post-Christian culture.

What's the answer to those questions? The book of Acts gives us the answers. The evangelists in Acts show us that we need to be like them—putting the gospel first—above even our own lives. They show us that we need to get rid of all self-centeredness and greed—and focus on Christ's kingdom. They show us that we need to be focused on Christ, on His glory. They show us that what happens to us—whether we are imprisoned or free, whether we live or die—is not the important thing—but that we love and serve our great Savior—seeking His glory in all things. They show us that our lives need to be like Christ's—righteous and holy and full of love.

So I ask you—

Is there anything in your life that is hindering the spread of the gospel?

Does your lifestyle hinder the gospel? Do unbelievers look at you and say,

"I'm not interested in Christianity because I know what he is like."

We are to live in such a way that our lives promote the gospel, not detract from it. As Paul wrote in Philippians 1:27,

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves
in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ."

And in 1 Peter 3:15 Peter wrote,

"Always be prepared to give an answer
to everyone who asks you
to give the reason
for the hope that you have."

You are to be living such good lives that people will be compelled to ask you the reason for it.

Christians, the glory of Jesus Christ is at stake. The salvation of sinners is at stake. You eternal reward is at stake. What does that mean? To use the words of Hebrews 12:1,

"Therefore, let us throw off
everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us."

Lastly, for those of you who are not Christians.

You've heard the gospel preached freely so many times. It has been unhindered in every way—except for one—your reluctance to accept it. But that one hindrance will be enough to put you into hell's eternal fires unless you remove it. Trust in Jesus. Ask Him to save you. Ask Him to remove that last hindrance. He will. As He said in John 6:37,

"anyone who comes to me
I will never turn away."

Go to Jesus now.

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