Have you ever seen a cliffhanger movie? Now, I’m not talking about this one with Sylvester Stallone. Rather, I’m talking about a movie that ends in a way that leaves questions about what happened.
I’ll never forget the TV series “Lost.” Jennifer and I used to rush home from church on Wednesday nights to watch the latest episode of “Lost” each week (back when you had to watch shows on television stations). We watched it until the bitter end, only for it to end with multiple cliffhangers. It’s been like 20 years or something, and I’m still mad about it.
Well, the way the Book of Acts ends sort of leaves us with some cliffhangers. We’re going to talk about that today and why that might have been the case.
For now, I want you to know that I’ve titled this sermon “An Inconclusive Conclusion.”
In today’s sermon, we’ll learn about details that we do know and some details that we don’t know.
Before we do, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s look at the passage together and then learn some details about the conclusion of the Book of Acts.
Look at Acts 28:11-31:
11 After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Gods as its figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed three days. 13 From there, after making a circuit along the coast, we reached Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers and sisters and were invited to stay a week with them.
And so we came to Rome. 15 Now the brothers and sisters from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. 16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
17 After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; even though I had no charge to bring against my people. 20 For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.”
21 Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”
23 After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.
25 Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,
Go to these people and say:
You will always be listening,
but never understanding;
and you will always be looking,
but never perceiving.
27 For the hearts of these people
have grown callous,
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
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.”
30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
Ok, let’s talk about this passage a bit, acknowledging what we know and what we don’t know.
First, . . .
I. We know Paul had more of a journey.
We know that Paul had to keep traveling to get to Rome.
Remember, Paul believed that God was calling him to Rome. The Lord had even confirmed with Paul multiple times that he was to travel there. Yet, in the beginning of this passage, he was not there yet.
He had more of a journey.
When we pick up this passage, we start with Paul and his companions in Malta after a shipwreck.
From Malta they went to Syracuse, then Rhegium. After Rhegium, to Puteoli. After that, they finally made their way to Rome.
Here’s a zoomed-in view of Paul’s travels in this passage.
Paul went on a lot of journeys, didn’t he?
Let’s go all the way back to the beginning of Paul’s ministry. First, Paul was converted on the road to Damascus and he met with the early Christians in Jerusalem.
Then, Paul begins his first missionary journey while being sent out of the Church in Antioch.
Paul makes a little stop on the island of Cyprus.
After that, Paul set out on the bulk of his first missionary journey in Asia Minor, which is basically modern-day Turkey.
Following that, Paul returns to Jerusalem for the Jerusalem Council.
Then, Paul goes back to Antioch, which is the city that sent him out as a missionary. There he prepares for his second missionary journey.
Paul launches his second missionary journey, goes in the same area as his first missionary journey but expands the reach of his travels.
After that, Paul travels back to Jerusalem to meet with the Church in Jerusalem.
Then, Paul travels back to Antioch to prepare for his third missionary journey.
Then, Paul carries out his third journey, which is roughly the same area as his second.
Then, Paul travels back to Israel, he will be arrested in Jerusalem, stand trial there and in Caesarea. From Caesarea, Paul will set out for Rome, but will be shipwrecked in Malta.
Finally, Paul will reach Rome, which takes us to the end of the Book of Acts.
That’s a lot of traveling, isn’t it? Paul seemed to always be on a journey. As we come to the end of the Book of Acts, the final verses have Paul traveling some more until he finally makes it to Rome.
Brothers and sisters, we all have journeys in our lives. Sometimes it doesn’t take us very far geographically, but we still have ups and downs; highs and lows; ease and difficulty.
Paul did not always know what awaited him, but he was determined to be on mission for God and to trust God.
Listen, friends: We should all be determined to be on mission for God and to trust God, amen?
As the old saying goes, we don’t know what our future holds, but we know who holds our future.
Let the words of Proverbs 3:5–6 guide our journeys: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.”
First, we know that Paul had some journeys.
Second, . . .
II. We know some did not believe.
Everywhere Paul went, when he shared the gospel, there were some who did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to be very clear about this reality: We are clearly called to share the gospel, yet it is clear that not everyone will believe. We saw this with the disciples of Jesus, we saw it with Paul, we’ve seen it throughout Church history, and we see it in our world today.
Our call to share the good news of Jesus Christ is not dependent on whether or not people respond, our call is based on the command of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our call is based on Matthew 28:19: “Go, therefore, and make disciples . . . ”
Our call is based on Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world.”
Our call is based on Matthew 24:14: “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations . . . ”
Our call is based on Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
People are going to disagree with us. Look at verse 25 from Acts 28 once again. It says, “Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement . . . ”
We’ll look at the statement again in a moment, but here’s the point: Not all will believe.
As with Paul’s previous ministry, as with the ministry of all those who share the gospel, including you and I, not all will believe.
Those are two things from this passage that we do know. Now, let’s see one that we don’t know:
III. We don’t know how it all ended.
The Book of Acts just kind of ends.
We know that Paul stayed in a rented house for two years.
We know that he had visitors.
We know that he continued to proclaim the kingdom of God.
We know that he continued to teach about Jesus.
However, there are some things that we don’t know. We have an inconclusive conclusion.
Here are some questions to which we do not have an answer:
How did Paul spend the rest of his life?
Did Paul ever stand before Caesar?
Why did Luke end the book so quickly?
Well, let’s consider these questions.
First: How did Paul spend the rest of his life?
Well, we don’t know definitively how Paul spent the rest of his days, but church history suggests three pieces of information concerning his final days:
First, it’s believed that Paul would endure a second Roman imprisonment. The theory is that Paul was released from the imprisonment we read about in Acts 28 and that he would later be imprisoned again, leading to his death.
Second, it’s believed that 2 Timothy is his last biblical letter, and that it was written after the time of Acts 28, perhaps during his second Roman imprisonment.
Third, it’s believed that Paul would later die by beheading under Roman Emperor Nero. We’re not positive this was the cause of his death, but many biblical historians believe this is how Paul’s life ended.
The second question we have is, did Paul ever stand before Caesar?
You may recall that it was prophesied that Paul would stand before Caesar in Acts 27:24.
Well, we don’t know for sure if Paul stood before Caesar during his first imprisonment. Perhaps the Caesar whom he would eventually stand before was Nero.
Our third and final question is, why did Luke end the book so quickly?
Well, we’re not exactly sure, but I love this thought from commentator John Polhill. He says, “Whatever may have been the outcome of Paul’s Roman imprisonment, Luke seems to have deliberately chosen to end his story where he did. He ended not on Paul but on the gospel, on the message of the kingdom. The word of God in Christ—not Peter, not Paul—is the real hero of Acts.”
So, we don’t know everything about the ending to Acts, but we know what we know.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: We know that the gospel and the kingdom must be boldly proclaimed.
Acts starts with the proclamation of the gospel and the kingdom of God, and Acts ends with the gospel and the proclamation of the kingdom of God.
Let’s see the final two verses once again, “Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
Also, listen to this prophecy, once again, which Paul quoted from the Book of Isaiah (look at verses 26-27):
Go to these people and say:
You will always be listening,
but never understanding;
and you will always be looking,
but never perceiving.
For the hearts of these people
have grown callous,
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their heart
and turn,
and I would heal them.
Paul is quoting from Isaiah to point out that some of the Jewish people of his day rejected the gospel. They did not perceive. They had calloused hearts. They have ears that don’t hear and eyes that don’t see.
However, the gospel would continue to be unleashed across the world.
Paul said in verse 28, “Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Listen, church: Some will reject the gospel, but some will listen. Let us proclaim the kingdom of God and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as the gospel continues to be unleashed around the world.
Challenge yourself in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Live boldly.
If we can learn one thing from the Book of Acts, we can learn that we should live boldly.
We have the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have been seated in God’s heavenly kingdom.
We have received the greatest gift of all time: the good news of Jesus.
Challenge yourself this week and beyond to live boldly.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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