Still Work To Be Done

Amen. It is so great to worship with you. Certainly our God is worthy of worship. Is anyone thankful that you can come into the house of God this morning and exalt Jesus Christ, the King that He is? Amen. He is worthy of our praise and adoration. Go ahead and open your Bibles this morning to Acts chapter 28. And we will be in verses 11-31.

And we have come to the conclusion of our journey through the book of Acts. I believe this is the forty-fourth sermon or so that we have preached through the book of Acts. That’s forty-three weeks that we’ve observed not only the birth of the church but the history of the church, the power for the church, the mission of the church.

And when I speak about the church, of course I’m not talking about a building or a place. You are the church, the ecclesia, the called out ones. And in the book of Acts we have seen the people of God filled with the Spirit of God at Pentecost. And the Spirit of God has never left the building. The people of God persevere through much opposition. We’ve seen many perils that accompany those who claim to follow Christ this side of heaven. And the people of God continue to be called and redeemed in new territories all throughout the book of Acts, because Christ is building His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

And from the beginning of this great series called “Sent,” we said that the purpose statement of the book of Acts is from Acts 1:8 when Jesus talked to HIs apostles on the Mount of Olivet and Jesus said this: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Now it was forty-two sermons ago that I preached a message from Acts chapter 1:1-11, and it was entitled “Let’s Get to Work.” And as we bring a close to the book of Acts today, I want to preach a message entitled to you “Still Work to be Done.” Because you will notice that the book of Acts sort of ends in an obscure way. It kind of leaves you hanging. It’s like one of those movies that ends with like a cliffhanger ending. You know there’s more to be seen, more to be shown, but it just kind of leaves you on a cliff. Some of you love that; think it’s poetic. I think it’s sick.

Or maybe like the book of Acts is a very long book in the New Testament. Maybe Doctor Luke ran out of scroll and so like in the margins he just sort of jammed the last couple sentences in. But might I suggest to you today that the book of Acts has not ended. Jesus has not come back. You are still breathing and people are still lost. And therefore we still have work to get done this side of heaven in regards to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

And when you open your Bible to the book of Acts it probably says something like “The acts of the apostles.” But at the beginning of this series we adopted Allen Thompson’s definition of the book of Acts. he says (a better definition), “The acts of the Lord Jesus through His people by the Holy Spirit for the accomplishment of the Father’s purposes.” Jesus is the one acting and out of God’s grace He has called you and set you apart by the power of His Spirit. And He has included you in the solution of all people calling on the name of Jesus, who will be saved.

So the big idea for our sermon today is this: Jesus still acts, therefore I am still sent. Jesus still acts, therefore I am still sent. And if you’ll get your eyes on a copy of Acts chapter 28, we’re going to read verses 11-31 to start and then we’re going to expose it, pick it all apart and then I have three applicational points that I’ll give to you as we leave this great series in this great book of the Bible today.

But let’s read from Acts 28:11. Now hear the Word of the Lord. After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
Verse 17. After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”
Verse 23. When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
Verse 24. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:“‘Go to this people, and say,“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
Verse 28. Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Verse 30. Cramming it in the margins of the scroll, Luke concludes, He lived there two whole years at his own expense,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. (Acts 28:11-31)
That’s God’s Word for us today. And as we look at the conclusion of the book of Acts we’re going to pull apart all the things that we see in that text. But then we’ll also add it at the end with some of the history and some of the things we learned from the different epistles that Paul wrote.
So verse 11-17 quickly gives us the details concerning their voyage from Malta to Rome. It says after three months they were able to set sail on a ship that had wintered on the island. So you’ll remember that Paul, he wanted to rest for the winter in Fairhaven, the east side of Crete. Julius listened to the sailors who wanted to get to Phoenix, the west side of Crete. God wanted them on the island of Malta and so He sent a massive storm to get that ship to the island of Malta. God’s way is always better, and a new nation, a new tribe, heard the gospel because God got them to Malta and they were able to stay there amongst these unusually kind natives for three months of the winter. And God preserved them.
And now it comes time for them to get on a ship and head to Rome. Paul is finally making it there. And you could wonder like why certain details in these narratives get put there like the twin god heads that are on the front of this boat. Why does Luke tell us that? And yet when you start to unpack it it’s really cool. We’ve seen Luke constantly telling us about the gods of the people in relation to the God of glory and all that He is orchestrating. And Castor and Pollux were the Greek gods of navigation, the patrons of navigation. So they were on the front of this ship, and Luke mentions that.
But we’ve already seen that God does what He wants. God orchestrates the plan. Only Jesus can control the wind and the waves. And so the gods of the people are worthless idols, but splendor and majesty belong to the God of glory alone.
Now in verse 12-14, it tells us about stops in Syracuse and Puteoli. Obviously Paul finds believers in both places because that’s what Paul does. Maybe he had disciples in some of these places. Maybe he didn’t know anyone. But those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you have all things in common with those people. You’ve found that to be true in your life when you meet another believer somewhere it’s just like you have an instant bond and you have things to talk about. And they invited Paul in.
And then they went to Rome and Paul was met by brothers who came to greet him. And it says that he thanked God and he took courage. Paul thanked God for getting him to a place that he’s tried to get to for a long time. He wanted to see Rome. He’s wanted to get to the believers in Rome. He’s been prevented thus far. So he thanks God but then he takes courage because he didn’t know what was going to happen to him as he stood before Nero, who was Caesar. And Nero was a wicked guy.
But as Paul entered the city of Rome he was treated leniently as he had been by Julius the entire journey there. And you remember the centurion Julius who let him go off board as if he was free and let him go and meet Christians and be cared for. And he gets into Rome and he’s treated leniently. It says that he was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
So here’s his situation. He’s able to have his own household. He’s able to live in his own house. He’s able to invite people over to his house. That’s an incredible grace from God. But he was chained to a guard. So at this time if you were on house arrest, the Roman guard would be chained to your wrist. And they probably do six hour shifts.
So they come for six hours chained to Paul’s wrist and then they’d swap. Could you imagine being those guards? Either you wanted that shift because you came to a saving knowledge of Jesus or you wanted off that shift because Paul would not shut up about Jesus. And Paul after three days he says it’s time to get back to work. I give him props for taking a three day break.
Verse 17 says after three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews. Now just remember Paul’s rhythm. We’ve seen it all through Acts as he goes into new territories. He first goes to the Jewish synagogue. If there wasn’t a Jewish synagogue like in Philippi, he finds the Jews that desperately need to hear about Jesus and the resurrection.
And Paul’s people, the Jews, they’ve been horrible to him. They’ve treated him poorly. They’ve opposed him. They’ve persecuted him. They’ve put him on trial. They’ve tried to get him killed. And yet continually takes them the message of hope in Jesus Christ. That is very Christlike in itself. Paul was just imitating Jesus. We are called to imitate Paul as he imitated Christ.
John 1:11 says this about Jesus that He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. Jesus came to the Jewish people. His own people did not receive Him. All who did receive Him have the hope of eternal life. And obviously Paul, he couldn’t leave his home to go to the Jewish synagogue. So he invites them to his house where he is in chains and he has a challenge.
The Jews already constantly accuse him of breaking the law. And now here he is in Rome on house arrest, chained to a guard. And the Jews come. He probably assumed that the Jews hadn’t already heard of his reputation from the Jews in Judea. And so he has a hard job to do. The Jews show up and he starts out in verses 17-20 explaining the situation at hand.
He lets them know that he’s done nothing wrong. He lets them know that Festus and Felix and Agrippa couldn’t find anything wrong with him and wished to set him free. But the Jews wanted to kill him over theological issues. So rather than being set free, he appealed to Caesar to escape from the Jews who wanted him dead, and he has now made it to Rome.
And then Paul makes this incredible statement in verse 20. He says, “It is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing these chains.” Great statement. And Paul is one hundred percent consistent in his messaging. In Acts 24:14-15 when he stood before Felix, he says that he was a follower of the Way and that there would be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. We talked about that.
Paul was saying, We’ve anticipated a resurrection. Jesus is your hope of resurrection. And everyone will receive a resurrection but only those who have been resurrected in Christ Jesus will receive eternal life in Christ Jesus. To be resurrected dead in your sins is to be resurrected to an eternity in hell separated from the God of glory.
And in Acts 26:6 Paul told Agrippa, “I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our Fathers.” So he’s wearing chains for proclaiming the hope of the message that the Jews have always anticipated, the Jews have always hoped for. The hope of Israel was Jesus the Lord. The hope of Israel is what their people have always longed for and waited for, a Messiah and resurrection from the dead and the kingdom of God.
But thus far Paul’s proclamation concerning the hope of Israel among the Jews has gotten him persecuted, nearly murdered and now on house arrest in Rome.
It’s hard to believe, but in verse 21-22 the Jews let Paul know that they’ve heard nothing of him. How is that possible? I mean, he probably took the first ship out of where he was, took the first ship in after the winter. I’m sure his papers got lost. But somehow the word hadn’t traveled to Rome about this man Paul and the situation he was in.
But they’re like, We do want to hear from you because the sect, the Way, the Christians, we have a big problem with that as Jews. but we would love to hear what you have to say. And so Paul invites people to his house while in chains and he begins to preach the gospel because Jesus could still act and people were still lost. And Paul may have been chained in his house, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t still able to work for the Lord and he was still sent in a situation.
So verse 23. From morning until evening he expounded to them testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets.
I love that. I would love to have been a fly on the wall in Paul’s house as he’s chained to this guard. And it was said that there may have been ten synagogues in the city of Rome. That’s a lot of Jews. and Then they brought all their friends and they crammed into Paul’s house where he was on house arrest. And he doesn’t preach for forty minutes. He doesn’t preach for one hour. He doesn’t do two services. From morning until evening his home become a battlezone for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he urgently and persuasively shared about the kingdom of God because that’s what every Jew was longing for.
Every Jew was longing for the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a concise way of referring to the fulfillment of the saving promises of God that make up the narrative of the Old Testament. So the Jews would have believed that the promises to Abraham, Moses and David all converged in the coming of a universal kingdom that would never end.
The Messianic Son of David was going to be the one who would usher in and reign over this kingdom forever and ever. And He would do this by defeating Israel’s enemies and establishing the rule of God in justice and righteousness. And all Israelites who had died in past years would be resurrected to enjoy this Messianic kingdom of God forever and ever. This is all that the Jews hoped for, this is true, and it would come to pass.
And so Paul meets them there by starting with what they agree on. But then he quickly transitions to tell them that all these promises find their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus perfectly fulfilled every Old Testament promise of the kingdom of God. But the Jews, remember, they wanted a conquering king. They were like the apostles on the Mount of Olivet before they understood. They are like, Is this the time that you will restore power to the kingdom of God?
And Jesus says, No. The Lord has that in mind. He will come and conquer in the proper timing. For now, I have work for you to do. You will be my witnesses.
They wanted a conquering king. What they got was a suffering Servant. But what the Jews were missing is that it was Jesus’ suffering that brought the conquering of death, the grave and our sin. And all who call upon the name of the Lord can be saved.
Look in verse 24. As always, some believed and some were hardened. Verse 24 says, Some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And that’s great gospel evangelism. You either repent and believe or you reject and you leave. That’s what’s happening in his house. Some were repenting and believing. They wanted to hear more. They wanted to be discipled over the next two years by the apostle Paul. Many (wide is the gate that leads to destruction) many rejected the gospel and left.
That’s a great example for us when we’re sharing the gospel. You always present the evidence of Jesus. You always give people an opportunity to respond, because the good news of Jesus Christ demands a response. You have to respond to the gospel. And then the Spirit does what only the Spirit can do. Moves some to repent and some will reject the gospel.
But for the believer it is sad isn’t it to see people walk in darkness? Isn’t it sad to see people reject the message of hope that has changed your life? It’s sad when your eyes have been opened. And it’s everything to you. It’s your reason for breathing. And you share it. And it’s so obvious because of what you’ve seen Jesus do in your life. And yet so many turn and say, Well that’s good for you. That’s not good for me. I don’t want anything to do with that. Yeah, I’m not much of a religious guy. And they walk away. It’s sad.
I can’t imagine how frustrating it must have been for Paul to see his own people reject what was seemingly so obvious. But we’ve seen it throughout so many times in the book of Acts. The evidence in the book for Jesus as the Messiah to the Jews is staggering. And Paul has constantly unpacked for us all of Jewish history anticipating and longing for a Messiah who would bring resurrection from the dead. All of it is explained in Jesus Christ.
And yet the Jews continually reject, to this day, have a problem and they wait for the Messiah. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says this: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
I mean, doesn’t that just nail it on the head, the fact that the power of God to salvation that has changed your life, it’s everything. It’s your reason for giving thanks. It’s your reason for breathing. And yet those who reject it, those who have yet to come to a saving knowledge, the Word of the cross is folly to them.
And Paul closes his time with the Jews saying the prophet Isaiah was right. The problem is still the same as it was in Isaiah’s day. And in verses 26-27, Paul basically says, You continue to hear, but you never understand. And you see, but you do not perceive. You’ve seen the evidence, but you continue in your ignorance. Your hearts are dull and your ears don’t hear and your eyes are closed. The evidences are right in front of you. They’re shouting at you! And yet you continue to do what is right in your own eyes and wait for that which has already come. And unless you see with your eyes and unless you understand with your heart, and unless you turn from your sin, you will stay dead, blind and on your way to destruction in hell.
Verses 28-30 says, Therefore, Paul says, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen. He lived there two whole years at his own expense,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.
If you have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in your life today, you have so much reason to give thanks to God. As we were singing that song, “For all You’ve done, for all You do, Lord we thank You,” you should neve grow weary, never grow tired of pouring out your thanksgiving to a God who has looked upon you in your lowly estate and opened your heart that you might receive the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ and be changed forevermore and have a hope of heaven in eternity.
What the Jews continue to reject has become your hope of glory. And Paul was faithful to go to his own, but their rejection motivated him to boldly preach Christ to the Gentiles. And he says, “They will listen.” And if you’ve received Jesus as Lord of your life, then you can give glory to God today that you have listened, that your eyes have been opened, that your heart has been found understanding and that you have turned from your sins.
And if you’ve yet to repent and believe that Jesus died on a cross in your place for the forgiveness of your sins, let me invite you to listen. Paul says, “I preach so that the Gentiles will listen. Let me invite you to listen. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Get an understanding in your heart that Jesus is God and that God raised Him from the dead. And repent and turn from your sins that you might find life today. It is the only hope of salvation for all who believe.
And as we already stated, Acts ends abruptly with Paul confined to his house for two years but continuing to be hospitable and bold in his proclamation of Jesus to all who would visit. And the book of Acts comes to an end not with a close, but with an example that should continue in the lives of all who have been called by Christ. Because Jessu still acts, therefore we are still sent.
And as we come to a close in this series, I want to leave you with three practical things that you can take with you, three applicable ways to allow not only Acts 28 but the entire book of Acts to influence you as a Christian. Number one is this, Christians who are sent preach the gospel whenever and wherever there is opportunity. Christians who are sent preach the gospel whenever and wherever there is opportunity.
We’ve seen Paul in about every situation imaginable. Many of them have been negative situations full of opposition, full of persecution, full of trouble. And yet the central purpose of Paul’s life was the advancement of the good news of Jesus whenever and wherever there was opportunity. And if we’ve learned anything from the book of Acts, we’ve learned that you can find gospel opportunities in the most unlikely of places.
I think too often as believers, we say, “God, would You provide me with an opportunity?” rather than making an opportunity for the gospel with the situations that we find ourselves in. All through Acts, the opportunities, the situations were ever-changing. And there was so much peril and opposition. And yet they continually advance the gospel.
Let me remind you of all the ways we’ve seen the gospel advanced in the book of Acts. Peter preached the gospel among thousands on the day of Pentecost. Stephen preached the gospel in front of his killers at the Sanhedrin. Philip preached the gospel on a chariot on the open road to the Ethiopian eunuch. Peter crossed lines of racial divide to preach the gospel to the household of Cornelius, a Jew in a Gentile’s home. Unheard of.
Paul preached the gospel in a Philippian prison. Lydia opened up her home for a gospel-preaching church in Philippi. Paul preached to countless other cities. Paul preached before pompous, prideful governors and kings. Paul preached the gospel on a ship in the middle of a storm. Paul preached to natives on the island of Malta. Paul preached the gospel from his home in his chains in the city of Rome. And because these men were faithful to preach the gospel wherever and whenever there was opportunity, the gospel has made it 2,000 years throughout history to your ear, and it is still beckoning you to repent and believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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I mean Paul, he told us to imitate him as he imitates Christ. And a practical way as I look at Acts chapter 28, just a practical thing for us to take away from this seat today, (there’s so much more we could do, so much more for the kingdom of God) one practical takeaway, Christians make their homes a means for the gospel. Christians make their homes a means for the gospel.
Paul was chained to a guard in his small Roman house. You’re probably not chained to your house. You might feel like it sometimes. You might feel like you’re chained to your mortgage or your situation. You might feel like you’re chained to this part of the world. But the Christian who is sent turns every situation into a gospel opportunity, and you can make your home a means for the gospel.
I didn’t realize that my parents were going to be here today, and they’re sitting back there. And I was writing the sermon this week and I had lunch with a brother recently. And he asked me, “Why do you have convictions about the Word of God? Why do you love the Word of God so much?”
And I gave all the glory to Jesus Christ, as my parents would. And yet I was telling them about growing up and I said my house where I grew up was always used as a means for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And ever since I was born, on Monday nights from 6:00-9:00 my parents held Bible study at our house. And anyone was welcome. And they did that until two years ago when they moved to Tennessee.
And I remember at the earliest ages going to bed, you know, whenever people would come over. But then as we got older, me and my five siblings, it was just part of the deal. Like if you’re going to live here you’re going to be a part of Bible study on Monday nights from 6:00-9:00. My dad was a steel mill worker, and so he would sometimes like Bible study would start and he would leave like at 8:00 before it got over to go to the night shift. Or sometimes he’d be coming off afternoon shift and he’d come home and there would be a house full of people. And a friend was leading it, but Bible study always happened on Monday night from 6:00-9:00.
And as we grew older, our house was always open to people. It was like if you wanted to hang out, you can hang out here. Some of our friends took the liberty of staying as long as they could on open end. And yet the gospel was always on display. And if you were there, if you were taking part, you were a part of Bible study on Monday from 6:00-9:00.
And I remember all kinds of people as I was growing up showing up at our house. There were people from our church that came. There were friends. There were people who had gotten out of prison because my dad was ministering in the jail at the time. And people would come. There were people who would smoke cigarettes on the back porch and they’d come in. People going through marriage problems. All different kinds of situations. Sometimes there were ten people. Sometimes there were sixty people. Sometimes there were forty people.
Sometimes it was just me and the kids, me and my brothers and my sister and we would listen to a sermon, we’d discuss God’s Word and then we would pray. And my dad and his friends prayed the longest prayers ever. The Bible says you can go boldly before the throne. It was like they went to the throne and then walked their way back. And I knew it was getting long when my mom would be like wide eyed during the prayer time.
But I’ll tell you what. That had an effect on my life. It impacted my life. Because our home was a means for the gospel. We did all kinds of crazy stuff. We did all kinds of fun stuff. There was always a party at my house. But the gospel was always on display in my house, and I give glory to God for how it’s impacted me and shown me the importance of the Word of God.
Christians make their households a means for the glory of God. Paul did that. I thank God that my parents did that. And this is just a helpful thing for you. Every Christian home should have discipleship time and discipleship moments. Every Christian home should have discipleship time and discipleship moments. If you want to read a great book, Family Discipleship by Matt Chandler, great book. But discipleship time is like a regular set time in the week where you’re going to focus on gospel truths and you’re going to get whoever is in your household together.
Maybe you host a small group and that’s your discipleship time and your family is a part of it. But also other people come to it. For my family, we try to do that on Friday mornings. I’m off on Fridays so we try to spend Friday morning having some discipleship time. We’ve gotten out of rhythm in the recent transition. And like two weeks ago I was like, “Kids! Discipleship time! Everyone in the living room.”
Three minutes in I was like, “That’s it! Everyone go brush their teeth and get in bed!” because they weren’t caring. And shame on me because I lost the rhythm of a discipleship time and a set time where they’re expected, this is where I get here and this is when I learn about the gospel. Can’t encourage you to do that enough.
And then discipleship moments are just turning the everyday, mundane things into a gospel moment. So you have a driveway full of neighborhood kids just shooting baskets and the sunset is beautiful at night. Why don’t you stop and just say, “Hey y’all, look at that sunset. Isn’t that awesome? It’s super cool. Hey, let’s pray for a moment. The Bible says that the heavens declare the glory of God. Let’s pray and thank Him for shining down on us.” And then you give your kids an example of making a discipleship moment. You roped your neighbors into a discipleship moment. And you’re using the moments to give glory to God and point people to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It can start small. Some of you feel overwhelmed by that. Some of you live by yourself. Use the home that God has given as a means of the gospel. Use the neighborhood as a place for the gospel to be on display. Maybe start a small group and get involved opening up. If you’re on the fence of like, “Should I do that? I don’t know if I can do that,” just do it. The Lord will use it for your good and for His glory.
Number two this morning, Christians who are sent are burdened for the unreached nations of the world. Christians who are sent are burdened for the unreached nations of the world. We’ve reviewed the purpose statement of the book of Acts. Jesus commissioned them to go to the ends of the earth. Remember those concentric circles. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth.
That doesn’t mean that you as a believer need to go to Jerusalem. That means that you need to start sharing the gospel where He has planted you. So it starts in your home. It has to get to your neighborhood. Go across the street and meet your neighbors. Understand where your neighbors are with the Lord. Find an opportunity to share the gospel with your neighbors. Then get to your community.
Some of you God might call to go to the ends of the earth. Matthew 28:19-20 was the Great Commission that Matthew recorded. Jesus said this: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
“All nations” is a key phrase. God is with you to the end of the age. We have not yet reached the ends of the earth. We have not yet reached all of the nations. There are still people who are dying every day without a knowledge of Jesus Christ and they are going to an eternity in hell. They desperately need the message of the gospel.
In Matthew 24:13 Jesus said this: The one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. The end has not come, therefore the gospel hasn’t been preached to the whole world as a testimony to all the nations. And God is a God of the nations. God cares that you glorify Him and enjoy Him. but He cares that every tribe, tongue and nation will do the same. And so the end hasn’t come. Jesus is still acting, and therefore you and I are still sent and we have to have a heart for those who are living and dying without ever hearing the precious name of Jesus.
And Paul, he is perhaps the most zealous example of someone who spread the gospel wherever and whenever but always had his eyes and heart set on where it had not yet reached. And that’s really the significance of him making it to Rome. We’ve made a big deal about Psul making it to Rome. But ultimately he wanted to get to Rome so that he could preach the gospel, disciple their believers, and allow them to help fund his mission to Spain, because Spain was the ends of the earth for Paul. Spain had not yet been reached by the gospel.
In Romans chapter 15 (I don’t have time to read it). In Romans chapter 15 Paul talks about, I’ve done all that I can in all of these cities around the Mediterranean. That’s a bold statement. Had he done it? Was everybody a Christian? No. But he had planted churches and he had made disciples and now their job in those communities was to take the gospel and live sent to their neighbors and to their communities.
And Paul says in Romans 15, I want to go somewhere where I don’t build on anyone else’s foundation. I want to go somewhere and preach the gospel where they’ve never even heard the name of Jesus. This would absolutely blow their minds, but it will spread like wildfire because Jesus saves when the gospel is preached. And the gospel, it’s come a long way, hasn’t it? All these years later and here we are singing it.
I mean, the world that you and I live in is saturated with the truth of the gospel. We sang it this morning. We prayed it this morning. We observed Communion together remembering it this morning. I’m preaching it to you this morning. But there are still places in the world that have not yet heard of Jesus, people who haven’t heard that there is a God that loved them enough to send His only and only Son to die for their sins, people who have not heard that there is an eternal life beyond the grave in Christ, people who have not experienced a relationship with the Creator of the whole world because they’ve never heard of the precious name of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life for all who will call upon His name.
I want to show you some statistics that have humbled me this week that I dug into just over here. Joshuproject.net, if you go there there is great resources, great ways to pray, great ways for you to give, great ways for you to get involved. But there are 17,428 people groups in the world. That’s roughly eight billion people on planet earth. Seven thousand four hundred and fifteen of those people groups are unreached by the gospel. That’s 3.3 billion people on planet earth that are unreached.
You say, Well there is people in my own town that are unreached. And it’s like, no, you get to reach them. You’ve been placed here so that if they’re not reached, you’re not doing your job as a believer. We have to share the gospel. We have to be the witnesses of Christ. But there are 3.3 billion people in the world who haven’t heard the message of Jesus, they don’t have a Bible in their language, they don’t have churches across the street. They’ve never heard the name of Jesus spoken to them.
Eleven hundred people groups are minimally reached. Eighteen hundred people groups are superficially reached. Thirty-seven hundred are partially reached. You and I, the reality that we live in is not the reality of the world around us. Just look at it on a map for a moment. I mean, where we live we’ve been reached by the gospel. It is the grace of God. but this red area represents all the unreached places in the world, 3 billion people. And the population is growing.
The church isn’t keeping up with the unreached places. There is still work to be done on planet earth for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I don’t show you those to lay on a guilt trip. But this week as I’ve been reading and praying and thinking, I’ve said, “Lord, am I doing enough? Am I doing what’s right?” I’ve said, “Lord, here am I. Send me.”
And I want you to actually think about those things and ask God, “Here am I. Send me. Do You want to send me to a place? If anything, at least help me to make my house a means for the gospel and not live in my comfort zone and sit on this gospel truth that has changed me because people are dying and going to hell in the process. We’ve got to get urgent with the message of the gospel.
I think it would encourage you to know that our church, we have a lot of room to grow in missions. We’re a young church, thirteen years old. Largely the last thirteen years has been trying to figure out what to do with all of you who keep showing up. And we’re still strategizing because all of you keep having babies. And Michelle Helmkamp and them are drowning over there in the kid’s wing already. And that’s awesome. What a gift of God! All different generations, all different age groups experiencing the beauty of Jesus Christ under this roof.
But man, we don’t want to be focused on what’s just under this roof. We want to live sent to the nations. We don’t want to be a part of the problem for the unreached. We want to be a part of the solution. And so we have a little bit of skin in the game when it comes to our missions. I’m thankful for Keith, who is one of our elders and he has a big heart for the unreached and our strategy.
I’m thankful for Pastor Wes and Mitch and Tyler and we’re praying about our missions. You’re going to hear from one of our missions partners at the end of this service. We’re going to go a little long today. You’re going to hear them just briefly. And it just happens that they are here today and they live their life in an unreached place in the world. And we’ve helped fund them and pray for them and you’ll learn more how you can do that after.
Africans Reaching Africa is one of our biggest missions partners. They focus largely on this northwest side of Africa. They’ve recently transitioned to the east side of Africa. And Kevin and Lori Korhorn are in Ethiopia right now. You can pray for them. They’re training up missionaries. Pastor Tyler was there. Mitch is a part of the board. So we’re not just giving financially, but we’re giving resources to them. And they have fifty missionaries right now going to predominantly Muslim places in unreached places, hearing the gospel.
And in this calendar year alone, 250 people have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and are being placed into discipleship classes in this red region of Africa. Give God glory for that. Isn’t that awesome?
I mean, the power of the gospel is going out. There is still so much work to be done, but we’re thankful for partners like that. And we want you to know how you can get involved and we’re going to grow in our resources for that and grow in that. But all of that is just staggering to me, encouraging to me. But as we continue to mature and grow as an established church, we want to be a solution to the unreached and not a part of the problem.
So can I just encourage you if you haven’t thought about that, if you haven’t thought about people in the world who don’t have the comforts and the ease of a Bible that you can read every day, start thinking about it. And may it spark an urgency in your own heart and life for your own faith in Christ and an urgency for the lost that are in your community.
And don’t feel like you have to have all the words to speak Jesus. Open your mouth and speak Jesus in every situation that God places in your life. Pray for your church. Pray for us. Pray for our opportunities. Get involved somehow financially through great organizations like that and through your church. But also listen to the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is calling you to go, I would love for you to listen to the Holy Spirit, to lean into the Holy Spirit, to ask the Lord, “Here am I. Send me. Where would you have me go for the glory of the gospel?”
And Paul said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” And that is the kind of church that we want to be, a church full of disciples who aren’t ashamed to live as Jesus Christ lived and die knowing that we will see Him face to face.
Number three as we close, Christians who are sent proclaim Jesus as Lord, Savior and Messiah until they meet Him face to face. And as Acts come to an end, Paul reminds in his chains for two years. And during those two years he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, which is awesome. He’s not only using his home as a means to preach the gospel. He’s writing the gospel, he’s sending the gospel and under the inspiration of the Spirit of God those letters have made it to your Bible today and they’ve probably largely encouraged you in your own discipleship of Jesus Christ.
And he wrote to the church in Philippi while in chains, “I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ Jesus.” What a testimony. In his trial before Caesar never comes. The law stated that after two years if your accusers don’t make it, you would get released. So the Jews from Judea never show up. Maybe they thought they didn’t have a case since Festus and Agrippa saw him as innocent.
He gets out and he probably visited Philippi, probably visited some other cities. It said that he was arrested up near Troas, taken back to Rome. He was thrown in a hole. In that hole he’ll await his execution. He wrote 1 and 2 Timothy still proclaiming the gospel, still advancing the gospel. He was taken from that hole, his head was chopped off, and he stood before his Savior and his Lord and his Maker face to face.
And Paul proclaimed boldly that Jesus is Lord, Savior and Messiah until the end. And we’re called to do the same. Jesus should be the loudest message that radiates from your heart and your life. The greatest name on the building of this church is not Gospel City Church. It’s the name of Jesus that’s written on the wall right outside those doors. And the greatest and loudest name that should be at your household, it’s not Klutinoty; it’s the name of Jesus Christ.
And the greatest hope for a nation like America is not a political leader. It’s the name of Jesus Christ that God has bestowed on Him, the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all. He’s the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one gets to God except through Christ.
So we have work to get done. Gospel City, let’s make it our highest aim in life to speak the name of Jesus, to be known as followers of the Way, as little Christs. Let’s be unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s speak the name of Jesus to our families and to our neighbors and to our co-workers and to our city and to the nations until He comes again.
I want you to bow your heads. We’re going to pray and the team is going to sing a song over us. I want you to just contemplate for a few moments. Give thanks to God for where you’re at. Ask the Spirit to lead you and descend to you and to help you make opportunity for the gospel. And at some point in this song you can stand and sing.
Lord God, we come. We thank You for being a God of the nations. We thank You that You haven’t left us on our own, but You sent forth Your one and only Son to die a death He didn’t deserve so that we could have life. Lord, would You forgive us for when we stay in our comfort? God, would You forgive us for when we grow cold to the fact that there are people lost and dying and on their way to hell? Lord, would You set a fire in our souls for the gospel of Jesus Christ? Would You give us a boldness on our hardest days to stand up for Jesus?
Would You grant us encouragement? Help us to not grow weary in doing good. And when we face peril and opposition that we’ve seen all through Acts even in the most mundane ways as moms and as fathers and as grandparents and as workers and as just students, God everything that we face, God, would You help us to turn every solution into a moment for the gospel of Jesus Christ? And would the joy of Christ be radiating from our life that the lost sees that there must be something different in us? And Lord, would You embolden us to speak Jesus in a world that desperately needs You? We love you. We give You glory. In Your name we pray, amen.