Acts 28 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00Acts chapter 28 verse one. This is the
2. 0:02final chapter of the book of Acts.
3. 0:07When they had been brought safely
4. 0:08through, then we found out that the
5. 0:11island was called Malta.
6. 0:14The natives showed us extraordinary
7. 0:16kindness,
8. 0:17for because of the rain they had set in
9. 0:20and because of the cold they kindled a
10. 0:22fire and received us all.
11. 0:26But when Paul had gathered a bundle of
12. 0:28sticks and laid them on the fire, a
13. 0:31viper came out because of the heat and
14. 0:35fastened itself on his hand.
15. 0:38When the natives saw the creature
16. 0:40hanging from his hand, they began to say
17. 0:43to one another, "Undoubtedly, this man
18. 0:46is a murderer.
19. 0:47And though he has been saved from the
20. 0:49sea, justice has not allowed him to
21. 0:52live."
22. 0:53So, these natives do not have any clue
23. 0:56why Paul is a prisoner. They just know
24. 0:58that he's a prisoner en route to the
25. 1:01high court of the emperor. And so, when
26. 1:04he gets bit, they're thinking he must be
27. 1:06a murderer.
28. 1:07However, he shook the creature off into
29. 1:10the fire and suffered no harm.
30. 1:14But they were expecting that he was
31. 1:16about to swell up or suddenly fall down
32. 1:19dead.
33. 1:20But after they had waited a long time
34. 1:23and had seen nothing unusual happen to
35. 1:25him, they changed their minds and began
36. 1:28to say that he was a god.
37. 1:32There's such an insight into how quickly
38. 1:35we can jump to conclusions.
39. 1:38Now, in the neighborhood of that place
40. 1:41were lands belonging to the leading man
41. 1:43of the island named Publius,
42. 1:47who welcomed us and entertained us
43. 1:50courteously three days.
44. 1:53And it happened that the father of
45. 1:55Publius was lying bed afflicted with
46. 1:59recurrent fever and dysentery. And Paul
47. 2:02went in to see him, and after he had
48. 2:05prayed, he laid his hands on him and
49. 2:08healed him.
50. 2:10After this it happened, the rest of the
51. 2:12people on the island who had diseases
52. 2:15were coming to him and getting cured.
53. 2:18They also honored us with many marks of
54. 2:20respect, and when we were setting sail,
55. 2:23they supplied us with all we needed.
56. 2:27So they divested themselves of their
57. 2:29food and their tackle and everything
58. 2:31they had
59. 2:32in the ship, and before it was over,
60. 2:35they divested themselves of the ship
61. 2:36itself as it fell to pieces.
62. 2:39But God had a provision.
63. 2:42He wanted the gospel and hope to come to
64. 2:44Malta.
65. 2:46At the end of 3 months, we set sail on
66. 2:49an Alexandrian ship,
67. 2:51which had wintered at the island and
68. 2:53which had the Twin Brothers for its
69. 2:55figurehead.
70. 2:57After we put in at Syracuse, we stayed
71. 3:00there for 3 days.
72. 3:03From there we sailed around and arrived
73. 3:05at Rhegium,
74. 3:06and a day later, a south wind sprang up,
75. 3:10and on the second day, we came to
76. 3:12Puteoli.
77. 3:14There we found some brethren and were
78. 3:16invited to stay with them for 7 days,
79. 3:19and thus we came to Rome.
80. 3:23And the brethren, when they heard about
81. 3:25us, came from there as far as the market
82. 3:29of Appius and three inns to meet us.
83. 3:33And when Paul saw them, he thanked God
84. 3:36and took courage.
85. 3:39When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed
86. 3:42to stay by himself with the soldier who
87. 3:45was guarding him.
88. 3:47After 3 days, Paul called together those
89. 3:51who were the leading men the Jews. And
90. 3:53when they came together, he began saying
91. 3:56to them,
92. 3:57"Brethren,
93. 3:59though I had done nothing against our
94. 4:01people or the customs of our fathers,
95. 4:04yet I was delivered as a prisoner from
96. 4:07Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
97. 4:11And when they had examined me, they were
98. 4:13willing to release me because there was
99. 4:16no ground for putting me to death.
100. 4:19But when the Jews objected, I was forced
101. 4:22to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any
102. 4:25accusation against my nation.
103. 4:28So, Paul immediately wants to tell the
104. 4:30Jews,
105. 4:31"I'm not the enemy.
106. 4:33Our own people mistreated me, and that's
107. 4:35why I'm here.
108. 4:37I don't have any beef with you.
109. 4:39For this reason therefore, I requested
110. 4:42to see you and to speak with you, for I
111. 4:45am wearing this chain for the sake of
112. 4:48the hope of Israel."
113. 4:51They said to him, "We have neither
114. 4:53received letters from Judea concerning
115. 4:55you, nor have any of the brethren come
116. 4:58here and reported or spoken anything bad
117. 5:00about you.
118. 5:02But we desire to hear from you what your
119. 5:04views are, for concerning this sect or
120. 5:08this cult, it is known to us that it is
121. 5:11spoken against everywhere."
122. 5:15So, there's the good reputation of what
123. 5:17it means to be a Christian. Oh, we've
124. 5:19heard of the cult. It's spoken against
125. 5:21everywhere.
126. 5:24When they had set a day for Paul, they
127. 5:26came to him at his lodging in large
128. 5:30numbers, and he was explaining to them
129. 5:33by solemnly testifying about the kingdom
130. 5:36of God and trying to persuade them
131. 5:39concerning Jesus
132. 5:41from both the law of Moses and from the
133. 5:43prophets, from morning until evening.
134. 5:47Some were being persuaded by the things
135. 5:50spoken, but others would not believe.
136. 5:54And when they did not agree with one
137. 5:56another, they began leaving after Paul
138. 5:58had spoken one parting word. This was
139. 6:02his word.
140. 6:03The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through
141. 6:06Isaiah the prophet to your fathers
142. 6:09saying,
143. 6:10"Go to this people and say,
144. 6:13you will keep on hearing,
145. 6:15but you will not understand.
146. 6:17You will keep on seeing, but will not
147. 6:20perceive, for the heart of this people
148. 6:23has become dull.
149. 6:26And with their ears, they scarcely hear.
150. 6:29And they have closed their eyes,
151. 6:31otherwise they might see with their eyes
152. 6:34and hear with their ears and understand
153. 6:38with their hearts,
154. 6:42and return or repent,
155. 6:46and I would heal them."
156. 6:49Therefore, let it be known to you that
157. 6:52this salvation of God has been sent to
158. 6:55the Gentiles. They will also listen.
159. 7:01This is the most quoted scripture from
160. 7:03the Old Testament
161. 7:05by Jesus to the Jews.
162. 7:07It is the theme
163. 7:10of their predicament. They have ears.
164. 7:13They have an ability to know the truth,
165. 7:15but they don't take it in. They have
166. 7:17eyes. They have the ability to see the
167. 7:19light of truth, but they can't perceive
168. 7:23because their hearts are in the wrong
169. 7:25place.
170. 7:26If they could change their hearts, if
171. 7:29they could open and soften their hearts,
172. 7:31they would understand.
173. 7:34And of course, it is to this Roman
174. 7:37congregation of the Jewish people that
175. 7:40Paul writes, "I have great sorrow and
176. 7:43unceasing grief in my heart for my own
177. 7:47people according to the flesh."
178. 7:50He He brought the wisdom of God to them.
179. 7:53He brought the truth from the prophets
180. 7:55and the law of Moses,
181. 7:57but they could not receive it.
182. 8:00When he had spoken these words,
183. 8:03the Jews departed, having a great
184. 8:06dispute among themselves.
185. 8:09And he, Paul,
186. 8:11stayed two full years in his own rented
187. 8:15quarters and was welcoming all who came
188. 8:18to him,
189. 8:19preaching the kingdom of God
190. 8:22and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus
191. 8:25Christ with all openness, unhindered.
192. 8:32That's the end of Luke's
193. 8:34account of the Acts of the Apostles.
194. 8:38And we know that Paul was eventually
195. 8:40brought before Nero,
196. 8:42and that madman
197. 8:44put him to death,
198. 8:46but not before the gospel went forth not
199. 8:50only from Paul's rented house,
200. 8:52and not only from the courts of Nero,
201. 8:55where even a great number of his own
202. 8:57household became believers,
203. 9:00but also from the letters Paul sent
204. 9:03while in chains
205. 9:04to all the churches.
206. 9:06God knew exactly what he was doing
207. 9:09when he pulled him out of the preaching
208. 9:12circuit and put him in a place where he
209. 9:15would write down the letters that would
210. 9:17guide the church to this day.
211. 9:19And we have those letters because of
212. 9:21Paul's chains.
213. 9:42>> Mhm.