Learning from Acts 24-28
24:1-27 - Paul did not abandon the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures – ‘I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets (14). He read the Old Testament. It led him to Christ. Paul’s great theme was ‘faith in Christ Jesus’ (24). Paul speaks. Jesus is speaking through him. Jesus did ‘not come to abolish the law and the prophets’. He came ‘to fulfil them’. ‘Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself’ (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27). God has spoken ‘through the prophets’. God has spoken through His Son’ (Hebrews 1:1-2). We read the Old Testament. We learn from ‘Moses’ and ‘Elijah’. They step back. We see ‘Jesus, only’. He is God’s ‘beloved Son’. We ‘listen to Him’ (Matthew 17:3,8,5).
25:1-27 - Paul stood before Festus as an accused man. Festus listened. Recognizing his own shortcomings and respecting the accused wishes, he gave Paul a fair hearing (20-21,25). Festus made no decision – ‘I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him’ (26). Jesus was ‘dead’. Now, He is ‘alive’ (19). This is not just ‘something to think about’. We must make our decision. There can be no ‘sitting on the fence’. Some are indecisive – ‘I have nothing definite to say about Jesus’. It’s ‘make up your mind’ time – ‘How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’ (Hebrews 2:3). Festus had to make a decision about Paul. There is a more important question: ‘What do you think of the Christ?’. Each of us must answer the question: ‘What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ (Matthew 22:42; 27:22).
26:1-32 - Paul answers three questions concerning himself. He puts a most important question to his hearers. (a) What was I before my conversion? Here, he speaks of his religion – ‘According to the strictest party of my religion I have lived as a Pharisee’ (5). This brought him ‘to the ground’ (14). (b) How did my conversion come about? Here, he speaks of his Saviour – ‘I am Jesus… Stand up!’ (15). (c) What happened after my conversion? Here, he describes how he became a ‘servant’ and a ‘witness’ (16). (d) The final question concerns our response – What about you? Will you become a Christian? (27-29). Do you have a story to tell? – Tell your story: the ‘before’, the ‘after’, the fact that it was Jesus who made the difference. Don’t forget the challenge: To ‘all who are listening to me today’ – Come to Christ (29).
27:1-44 - There is, in this story, a great picture of God’s way of salvation. (a) Our human situation is hopeless: ‘All our hope of being saved was at last abandoned’ (20). We are sinners. We cannot save ourselves. (b) There is hope: ‘God has granted you all those who sail with you’ (25). God has provided a way of salvation: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only Son’ (John 3:16). (c) Faith believes the Word of God: ‘I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told’ (25) – ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’ (16:31). (d) Safety: ‘all escaped to land’ (44). God has ‘prepared’ for us ‘a better country’, a ‘heavenly one’, ‘a city’, ‘the city which is to come’. Do you want to ‘escape’, to be saved? Make sure that you don’t ‘neglect such a great salvation’ (Hebrews 11:16; 13:14; 2:3).
28:1-31 - Read of Paul’s protection from the ‘snake’. ‘Rejoice’ – Christ has won for us a great victory over ‘that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan’. When God gives us His victory, we must not think too highly of ourselves – ‘he was a god’. We must give all the glory to God: ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ have come’ (3-6; Genesis 3:14-15; Revelation 12:9-12). ‘So we came to Rome’ (14) – These are words of triumph. God had fulfilled His promise: ‘you must bear witness also at Rome’ (23:11). Rejoicing that ‘this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles’, Paul was ‘preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered’ (29,31). Don’t miss God’s opportunities to share Christ’s Good News!