Kingdom of God

April 26, 2026 · Ben Hoyer · 27:43

The penultimate week of the chronological Bible series follows Paul to the end of his life in Acts 28, under house arrest in Rome, where he gathers the local Jewish leaders and testifies to the kingdom of God and Jesus from the law of Moses and the prophets.

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We are in the second to last chapter, the penultimate chapter of our book here. Right at the tail end of Paul's life, I like how, I don't know if you've caught this, if you've been reading along with me through the story. I don't know if you've caught this, but I like how they're narrating acts for us, the acts of the apostles, and then they're dropping Paul's letters in chronologically where they fit. So you read about when he writes to his letters to Corinth,

where he's at and what he's doing. And it's kind of in what I really like about it is it reminds us like how much the Bible is like people just trying to figure out how to exist in the world in light of Easter, in light of the reality that Christ has risen. And so Luke is with him, the guy that writes the acts of the apostles at some point writes we then got on the ship. So when Paul was shipwrecked, Luke who wrote the acts of the apostles

was there with him. So he's like Paul was trying to tell them not to go that way, and they didn't listen. And then when Paul said you better run the ground, they ran the ground because by then they realized they should listen to this guy. He was like, what's right there? Like telling us that story. I love that this, like especially the acts of the apostles, and then when you see the letters, the epistles in context of the acts of the apostles, that our scriptures are this story of people trying to figure it out.

It's not like someone retreated and had a divine vision that's separate and apart from the world and down out of heaven fell these holy texts. Now our sacred scriptures are primary documents of people trying to figure out how to live in the world, which means they ought to, can be, are still relevant to us trying to figure out how to live in the world. And the text that kind of jumped out at me today was at the very end in Acts chapter 28,

if you want to look there with me, Acts chapter 28. Paul, in Acts chapter 28, Paul's making his way finally to Malta and then to Rome. And it's crazy how he ends up there. Like, you know, we hear about Paul and he finally makes it to Rome, and he goes to Rome because he has a trial that's supposed to be heard in front of Caesar's court.

But he gets there because he went back to Jerusalem. All of his friends were telling him, don't go back to Jerusalem, they want to kill you there. And there's a group of guys who commit to a hunger fast. They tell the leaders of the church, we're not going to eat again until we kill this guy Paul, because he is disrupting the church. So two weeks ago we asked the question, why is the church so mad? Why are they so violent? It's a crazy question, but they're still violent. And they take a hunger fast and agree we're not going to do eat again until we kill this guy.

And he goes back to Jerusalem and all this uproar comes up as soon as he gets there. And then they take him to the governors and he's talking to the governors and the governors are like, there's nothing wrong with this guy. He's making some crazy claims, but we don't need to kill him. But then Paul's like, please don't release me. These chokers, if you release me, these chokers are going to kill me. And they're like, okay, so then they refer him out of Jerusalem to another court and the guys follow him up there.

And then he's getting ready to release him. And so Paul's like, well, you know I'm a Roman citizen and I demand that my case be heard before the Roman court. Because he doesn't want to get released because these guys are so intent on killing him. So he's getting to Rome and he's like writing letters now in arrest all this time to all these churches he started because he's under arrest to protect his life from the church who's trying to kill him.

It's so kind of crazy when you get the story of Paul and you start to like look at how, and he gets to Rome and then there's like a debate. Some people think he got out for a little while and went like as far as Spain. But he ends up again in prison in Rome. And just the way he talks here, what he's about to say to the Jews in Rome, I think is so instructive for us trying to figure out how to live just as Paul was trying to help them figure out how to live. So I'm in Acts chapter 28, maybe starting at verse 17.

And three days 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. You see, he's like very diplomatic, but he's like they were going to release me but the Jews were still objecting. I like Paul for me to live as Christ and to die as gain. He says all the time, he's not ashamed of the gospel, but also he's no dummy. He does not just turn himself over to be killed. They were going to set me free but the Jews were still objecting.

So I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore I've asked to see and speak with you. So he's getting to the Jews in Rome. He's getting to Rome and he's gathering together because he's under house arrest. When he would go to other towns he would go first. Like his first time into Ephesus he would go to the synagogue in Ephesus. Where the Jews would gather. And then he'd be like this traveling guy and they'd want to hear what he had to say.

And so he'd start teaching there. And if he didn't get kicked out he'd keep teaching there. But usually what happened is a group of people would like what he had to say. And then he'd get kicked out. Then he'd go to the marketplace and he'd preach there and a group of Gentiles. And then he would form a church there of Jewish folk and Gentiles following the way. It was called the way of Jesus, following the way. But now he's in house arrest in Rome. And so he can't just walk around and go to the synagogue. So he appeals to the Jewish leaders and they've heard that he's coming. And they want to hear from him.

And so look down at verse 28, 23 sorry. Acts chapter 28 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 explained to them, testifying to them the kingdom of God. And trying to convince them about Jesus. Both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said but others disbelieved.

I like we don't have like. You know there some people have said that maybe it was this week or last week a friend said to me the sermon he'd most like to hear from the story of scriptures is Jesus on the road to Emmaus where he's explaining to those two friends. All the way the scriptures pointed out to them and there's like their hearts was I think that would be good. But also I would like to hear Paul's first sermon to the Jews.

You know like we have the one he does at Mars Hill but he must have done this thing that he did right here a bunch of times. Because he's he'd gone into several synagogues and he started like 13 churches. You know at least right. And it says when he had appointed when they had appointed a day for him they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers so they came to his house a bunch of them. And from morning till evening he expounded to them testifying to what?

The kingdom of God. And trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. This thing about the kingdom of God is like what he always starts with. I think it's like he does it a little bit different at Mars Hill when he's talking to the Greeks but. But whenever he's starting with in the synagogues with the Jewish people he always starts with this idea of the kingdom of God.

There's another place where he does it. It's in chapter 19. Let me just call it up for you here. In chapter 19 verse 8. And he entered in chapter 19 he's in Ephesus like I mentioned and he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some of them became stubborn and continued to unbelief speaking evil of the way before the congregation he withdrew from them and took the disciples with them reasoning daily in the hall of tyrannous.

This continued for two years so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord both Jews and Greeks that's just like how I was telling you he preached for three months in the synagogue about the kingdom of God. Until they got mad then he took the ones who had believed and then they went out to the hall of tyrannous where the Greeks were learning and talked about it there for the next couple of years. It's like so crazy to think what does he have to say about the kingdom of God that he says for a whole day to the Jewish leaders.

Or what does he have to say in Ephesus where he argues about the kingdom of God for three months every week. The kingdom of God. Actually when I started to think about this there's one other place I want you to look right at the beginning of Acts at the very beginning. In Acts chapter one Luke is just starting to tell the story of the Acts of the Apostles and he says in the first book of Theophilus I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen.

To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs. Remember he like appeared to them in the upper room and ate with them then he appeared to them on the beach where they were fishing and ate with them again. And so Luke is telling the the studier of God the Theophilus person that he appeared to them many proofs but then he says appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Jesus has 40 days before he ascends. I don't know what the resurrected body is like I think it probably feels pretty good. You know what I mean? I think the resurrected body that Christ has feels pretty good pretty capable pretty able like pretty strong and he's ready to go to the place that is better. But he sticks around here in the world that has fallen and dying for 40 days to appear to 500 and give them proofs and to teach them a few more things.

And for 40 days he teaches about the kingdom of God. You know anytime we use words we make choices. And so he taught about the kingdom of God not primarily filling the blank. You could have.

Remember how we talk about how the Pharisees knew there was 613 laws that we ought to follow in order to keep the Torah perfectly. But the problem was that they did not agree on what the 613 were. They knew there was 613 because the numerical value of the letters for Torah add up to 613 but they couldn't agree on what the 613 were. Jesus had 40 days and a powerful resurrected body. He probably could have clarified what are the rules if you wanted.

Probably. Probably could have clarified what are the rules. You know we still talk about this there's a thing if you pay attention at all that Protestants and nominations will debate about the proper numbering of the 10 commandments. Depending on where you grew up and where you learned if you pay attention they number the 10 commandments differently. Lutherans number different from Presbyterians. And Baptist usually go with the Presbyterians.

Jesus talks about the kingdom of God even in the gospels. If we were to go back and look at the gospels remember when he first sends out the 72 if you look at it. He says go tell them that the kingdom of God is at hand. In Matthew chapter 3 when John is beginning the very first called the ministry in light of the Messiah the coming Christ. He says now that the kingdom of God is approaching is here and then Jesus comes he says tell them the kingdom of God is now.

But the kingdom of God is never kind of elucidated. We don't have 613 tenants of what it looks like now to live under the kingdom in the kingdom within where in the kingdom of God. We don't know it's like a college I there's a whole field of study on what really is the kingdom of God.

Remember all the way back when we started the story there is a God first. And out of nothing he conjures the universe into existence. And in beautiful poetry he recounts it to Moses how he brought forth each of the components of creation one at a time according to their kind bringing it just the way that he wanted.

And then finally as the capstone of creation he tells Moses that he got down and with his hands out of the dust of the earth he shapes humanity male and female that he make them and then he breathes into them the breath of the life and they stand up he says you are now my image bearers in the world. Rule the earth and subdue it fill it with more of you and rule the earth and subdue it we talked about how at the very beginning that everything is initiated with God humanity and people in this like beautiful symbiosis it works together.

Man knows what to call everything and how to care for it. Earth yields up its fruit and food. Humanity is in like imperfect transparent vulnerability with one another and feels no shame. Everything is working its intended and when humanity breaks the cycle and decides that they know better than God how to live the whole thing falls down on itself.

And the story that's been driving creation or the story that's been the plot that's been driving the story of scripture right now is can the God get it back. So it's conspicuous how God goes about what he's doing. Like there's a little section I found all the way back in 1 Samuel 8.

Remember how the story goes God like promises humanity he'll figure out and get it back. And then one generation after another they just completely forget that there is a God and everything is going wrong all desire of their heart is all evil all the time they're perpetrating evil against one another. God restarts with Noah and within a couple of generations they're determined they don't need a God anymore so he separates them out in groups as I'm going to deal with them as a group and he pulls Abram and rescues his family out of him says I'm going to set you up as something different you'll be my representatives he's trying to get a group of people who will create a little kind of like space that's like a microcosm of how things ought to be.

That's why he says I'm going to give you a land flowing with milk and honey. Imagine walking into a place that does what it's supposed to do. This is why he brings them in to finished vineyards and walled cities because he says creation is this free gift to humanity where you are my image bearers in the world. I am the God you maintain the thing and earth works on your behalf and all three components working together to be what creation is intended to be and he walks them in there remember through the Red Sea walls falling down in front of them.

A moon stop, sun's stopping in the sky to keep the army going to get what they need. God is miraculously bringing them what they need and then by the time they get to Samuel they've been in there for several generations and they're talking to Samuel and they come and they have been in the world and they're like God has given them everything and they're like Samuel can't we just have a king like everybody else? And God speaks to Samuel then the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Rama and said to him behold you are old and you are sons do not walk in your ways now a point for us a king to judge us like all the nations.

But the thing displeased Samuel when they said give us a king to judge us and Samuel prayed to the Lord and the Lord said to Samuel obey the voice of the people and all that they say to you for they have not rejected you but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds they have done from the day that I brought them out of Egypt even to this day for saking me and serving other gods so that they are doing also to you. Now then obey their voice only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways the king will reign over them.

God is so disheartened because he's given them everything and he would like to be their king and they're like cool cool man but we need a guy that has a lot of money to remind us that we might be able to get a lot of money and we need a guy that has a lot of soul and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love and love

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