A FINAL WORD ABOUT THE GOSPEL
Acts 28:16-31
In the very first message from the Book of Acts, we summarized the whole message of the Book itself. Here it is in a nutshell:
The Savior Went Up
The Spirit Came Down
The Church Went Out
The Lost Came In
In Acts 28, we finally see Paul arrive in Rome; but strangely enough, we have no Biblical account of his appeal to Caesar. We know that appealing to Caesar was not the real motive of Paul’s heart. He had already been told by the Lord (Acts 23:11) that he would bear witness for Him in Rome. He writes in his letter to the Romans in chapter one, verses 15 and 16, these words:
“So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
His appeal to Caesar was the means of getting him to Rome. Now that he is there, he simply begins to share the gospel with anyone and everyone that he can. Let’s read the passage before us and then hear three truths about the gospel that we can see from these great Book-ending verses.
I. THE GOSPEL MUST BE SHARED
-This was the absolute truth stated by Jesus way back in Acts 1:8: “Ye shall be witnesses unto me in both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
-Acts started with the gospel being shared and it ends with the gospel being shared with “all confidence, no man forbidding” Paul.
-Paul states with all authority in verse 28: Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that THEY WILL HEAR IT.”
-The Jews may be both blind and death to the gospel but we have full assurance that the Gentiles will hear it.
-That being the case, we must share it!
II. THE GOSPEL CANNOT BE STOPPED
A. By chains and bonds
B. By persecution (Acts 8:4)
C. By storms and struggles
D. By unbelief and opposition
Acts began with a few believers being commissioned to preach the glorious gospel at Jerusalem, then in all Judea, then in Samaria, and then to the uttermost part of the earth. Now, as Acts closes, the gospel has reached the center of the world and is being proclaimed by thousands throughout the whole world. Sometimes the message has flowed freely without opposition; at other times it has been threatened with a violent attempt to silence it. At still other times it has been silently counterfeited by false ministers and teachers who have infiltrated the church and were empowered by the devil. Sometimes it has been added to and at other times it has been subtracted from, but is has never been stamped out. The Word of the glorious God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, marches on triumphantly, and will continue to march on in power and victory until He returns. The Acts of God are not done yet.
III. ONLY THE GOSPEL CAN SAVE
-See Romans 1:16
-See Acts 4:12; 8:4, 25, 35; 9:20; 13:5; 13:49; 14:7; 16:10, 31; 18:11, 28; 19:20; 21:20-21, 27
-The saints of the Book of Acts believed it
-We must not only believe it, we must also proclaim it!
