you're just about ready to go. Wonderful. Yep, I think we're live. Well, good evening. Good evening. Welcome to Coffee and devotions. It's so good to be with you tonight. This we're every day you and I we get together we get into God's word and we this year 2022. We'll go from the book of Acts to the book of Philemon. So glad to be with you tonight.
We are at the last chapter of the book of Acts. Can you believe it? Next week. We're gonna pick up at the book of Romans. I'm really excited to go there with you and start working through the Epistles together. But we have two more days in the book of Acts today and tomorrow. That's it. So why don't we go ahead and pray and we'll get into the Lord's word. Father, we thank you so much for this day. Father, we thank you for your love and your care. We thank you for the wonderful ways in which you have provided for and love your people. We pray that as we read your Word tonight that it would be a blessing to our souls. Father, we pray that Your Holy Your Holy Spirit would be teaching us in Jesus's name. Amen. Let me grab my glasses over here. And we'll go to Acts chapter 28 Acts chapter 28. And we're going to read the first 16 verses together tonight Acts chapter 28. The first 16 verses let's get into the Lord's word together. Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. And the natives showed us unusual kindness for the kindle the fire and made us all welcome because the rain was falling and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw that the creature hanging on his hand, they said to one another, no doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live but he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to Him. They changed their minds and said that he was a god. In that region, there wasn't a state of one of the first men of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days, and it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went into him and prayed. And he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. They also honored us in many ways. And when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary. After three months, we sailed in an Alexandrian ship, whose figurehead was twin brothers, which were had wintered at the island and landing at Syracuse we stayed three days. From there we circled around and reach radium, and n. And another one day, the south wind blew, and the next day we came to put to Yoli where we found brethren and we're invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. And from there when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as oppy of forum and three ends when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. Now, when we came to Rome, the Centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him. Well, like normal we need to ask ourselves first A What is this about be what's a burst vest? Versus up summarises and see, what are we called to do in response to these words, so it's really two parts of the story right verses one through verse 10, and then 11 through 16. So let's talk about one through 10. First, they're still on the sea there. And Paul, remember had told them before that they were going to nobody was going to die and kept them from killing all the soldiers and the Centurion spirit their lives. The bow was stuck in the sandbar or in in a shoal something like that the waves are beating against but he allowed them to swim to shore. They get to shore and they're the people of Malta are extremely hospitable to them. They show them astounding are no ordinary. The word here in the New King James Version is kindness. But it's where we get our word for philanthropy from they show them this love this this kindness is unusual kindness towards them, even though they're, as Luke calls them in the New King James says, natives are barbarians, or they're non Greek speaking people. And so what happens right away though,
while they're making them a fire, and Paul goes and goes to pick up some, some sticks, and as he picks up the sticks and is about to put them in the fire, some type of poisonous state snake latches onto his hand and the people on the island go see he's justice isn't going to let him live. In their minds, justice is a goddess in Greek decay was the E the key was the God of justice and I wrote it down in their religion was in the Phoenician God, the God of justice was Siddiq. I don't know if that's how you pronounce it in Punic or not, but it's the Siddiq. And so they think, Ah, see, the God of justice has knows that he shouldn't have escaped the sea and so here he's land on the shore and he's still gotta die. He must be a murderer. Or something. apologist looks at the snake shakes it off his hand, throws it into the fire and, but they're still sitting back, you know, like, okay, when does he go to start swelling up and dying? And he doesn't. He doesn't start dying. They're amazed by this and they go from Oh, he must be a murderer. To automatically he must be a some type of God. And so they show him even more kindness they bring him to one of the leading people on the in on the island. They take him to the first New King James says again, the first one, there's all sorts of in these these parts of Acts, there's all sorts of translational things and so he's the first man of the island is a more literal translation. He might be a citizen, he might not be there's some historical questioning about who this guy is. And we'll get into that as well in verse 15, and 16 in the next part, but anyways, so they take him to this, this first man of the island. His name is Publius. And he received us and entertained us courteously for three days, who is the US WODs? At least Paul and Luke, maybe it's the Centurion maybe it's the soldiers with him. I doubt as the 270 but it's possible. You know, they have to keep guard over them. Somehow. There's this company that this first man in the city entertains them for three days. And it happens in that, that Publius his father is sick. He's got a fever and he's got dysentery. And there, Paul goes to him. He prays for him. He lays his hand on him,
and the man is healed. This is this reality that the apostles are given these supernatural gifts that are meant to go with them as they're going and sharing the gospel as they're reaching the ends of the world. So he's going and he's he lays his hands on this man and he's healed. And the people around are like, Whoa, dude, who is this and so they bring all their sick to him, if he's able to heal Publius is that maybe he can heal us and that's what Paul does. He heals a whole bunch of people. And when they departed, they provided such things as were necessary. Paul's not above this idea that he is helping the people and so when the people want to support him, he'll take that support so he can continue his journey. Remember, the journey out room was at the expense of Paul and the Centurion would get his his payment or his lodging and stuff by essentially conscription or just going into a home and saying you need to you need to house us, not the most friendly welcomed by all estate owners, even though they might be citizens or not. They might do this duty grudgingly. But here are the people Malta are giving so they can continue on their journey. Well, they're there for a number of months. They're there for three months. They only spend three days and Publius this house before this healing happened but for three months, so they winter the storm. They winter the the time in Malta, and they're in Alexandria and ship finally comes. This is one of those interesting things we actually have from Roman writers to tell us when this westward or the northward and westward winds would become acceptable and so the Roman historians would tell us that the sailing season began in early February, or early March whenever the prevailing west wind started. And so there's this Alexandrian ship. It's coming in. It's carrying grain to Rome. We talked about that a few weeks ago, how important that was for Rome, to get green. So this Alexandrian ship comes and it stops at Malta and normal places stop and this this ship did the right thing, you know, they actually waited somewhere else and then and now they're there during the right sailing season. And on it is these twin brothers, these two figureheads, they're Gemini, the patron god of sailors and travelers, you might say and the Roman world. And so they go and they're sailing and they stop at verse 12. It says they stopped at Syracuse, that's the first place they go, which is on the island of Sicily. They stayed there three days. And after that, you know this remember this is a merchant ship. It's a grain ship. So it's delivering things. This isn't a car or this isn't a passenger ship, it's going and it's got to do its normal business. So it's got to offload stuff and on load stuff. So it stops at Syracuse, and this offloading its goods and wares for three days. And it's onboarding new things. So it's getting resupplied. And from there they circled around and red and reached reggae come from, by the way, from Malta to Syracuse that's about 90 miles, and then from Syracuse to reg him, it's about another 70 miles, and there they need the wind to shift now they don't need a westerly wind. Now they need a southern wind. So they wait for that southern wind. It's very important. They might get shipwrecked along the rocks there and they actually make really really good mileage. Once that south wind comes. It says they go from radium to put Yoli once that South and goes it's 175 miles the ancient port and put Yoli is it's a double Harbor. And well the more famous city now is Naples, right so it's just on this outside of Naples. And there what do they find?
Well there they actually find Christians they find believers and what is the text atlases that when they found those believers, those brethren in Rome, they invited them to stay for seven days. Now some people might have probably all seven days. That's a long time to stop there. Well, remember we talked about with the Roman soldiers having to pretty much say, Hey, we're here and we have to be here. The closer and closer and closer they get to Rome. The more often this happens, and the less likely the people are going to be happy about it. So here there are Christians here there are brethren who are willingly taking them in for seven days. Willingly welcoming them into their home, and they've got a long walk from here on this is the end of the sea travels they have to go from poop to Yoli to Rome, and they have to walk that whole way. And it's going to be a hard walk up and down hills and so taking a seven day respite after being on this on the sea for a couple of days isn't such a bad gig. And so they stop and and they're as they're walking towards Rome, verse 15, tells us and that from there the brethren heard about us they came to meet us as far as our before them and three ends. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. So the word has gotten out to them. Other Christians are hearing about this and as they're taking their walk to Rome, people from between 33 miles and 45 miles away and these two different towns walk out and go meet meet Paul and this idea of them walking together and finishing their trip. To Rome. And as Paul sees sees brethren, as he sees these Christians, he's encouraged by them. He thinks God for them. And he it's as if the Lord revives his soul. He knows that he's not going to go into Rome alone. And so Julius the centurion, when they finally get to Rome, verse 16, after this long trip that we've been taking for many chapters, it says in verse 16, now when he came to Rome, the Centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard. Again, this is one of the historical fundings. We have the name of this guy. His name is a front. Sorry, I don't know if that if I wrote down in more in there. A friend is Burris there your friend is Burroughs. A friend? Yes. Burroughs. Sorry. So he's the captain of the guard during this time and he shows that he doesn't think Paul's actually that much of an enemy. If he was really considered a threat. He would have put him in the strictest jail in the deepest of pits under the heaviest of guard but that's not what he does. He actually let him live in his own house. In his own place. And he gives him leniency. And he just has one soldier watching over him. And so that's where that's where we're going to leave Paul for now. In his house with one lone guard. He's finally off off the sea, but he has courage and thankfulness in his heart. Well, there's a whole bunch that this is about, right. This is Paul finally arriving to Rome. God has in his providential care taken Paul all the way from Jerusalem, to Surya Philippi, or accessory of Mara tema around the island of Cyprus, over an up to southern Turkey, then over by Crete, then getting lost at sea, getting shipwrecked on Malta, then up to Sicily, and then over to Italy, and up into Rome. And now he's finally made it to Rome. Why? Because God has promised him he must testify before Caesar. Paul is there, and God hasn't left him at any point. What is this passage about? Paul arrives where the Holy Spirit would have him to be and he has courage and thankfulness as he gets there. How we were calling how what are we called to do what how do we how do we take these this travelogue of this? You know this story of Paul's travels and apply it to our lives? I don't know if many of you are ever going to get shipwrecked on an island in the Mediterranean. I don't think any of you are going to go testify to the emperor in Rome because there is no more emperor in Rome. But the question is what God has called you to do. Do you have confidence that in his providence and in His love, He is going to fulfill it?
Do you have thankfulness to God even in the midst of shipwrecks, even in the midst of pain, even in the midst of trials. Will you rejoice always will you be like Paul, who suffered in chains and even in the midst of his suffering? He could have thankfulness. Even in the midst of his trials. He could take courage. Will you take courage by other Christians who will come alongside and walk with you? Will you take courage knowing that God has never left you and He will never leave you nor forsake you. Take courage, Brother, take courage sister. Walk in the Lord. He's working all things out together for our good and his glory because he has chosen us before the foundation of the world to love us with an everlasting love. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, for your love for your people. And for the ways in which you work out amazing things in history to accomplish your ends for your glory. Or do you pray that in the midst of those trials in the midst of those hardships? In the midst of those hard Providence's in our lives, that we would trust in you? Please, Lord, watch over us. Please, when we become discouraged, disheartened, or even go through the slog of despair Lord, that You would would that you would revive our souls that we would trust in you and rejoice in you. In Jesus's name. Amen. I pray the Lord gives you a great night's sleep tonight. May you rest in the Lord, knowing that he watches over you even other in the hours of the night. And an all the highs and lows of your life. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye
You
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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