SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 27 September 2026
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#46)
Sermon Text: Acts 28:16-31
Main Points:
Introduction
I. The Gospel goes to all – Jews and Gentiles
II. The Gospel exposes the heart – Reject or be healed
III. The Gospel cannot be hindered – Proclaimed with boldness
Conclusion
Today, we’re coming to the conclusion of a sermon series that has taken us through the book of Acts over the past year, beginning last October.
On the first Sunday of Oct last year, as we opened this new sermon series, I said that Acts is not an independent book in the NT. It is the second volume of a two-volume work, following the Gospel according to Luke. In that sense, Luke and Acts are really one book in two volumes.
To describe how these two volumes relate to one another, I used the image of a rocket launch. This is what I said.
“If I were to compare Luke and Acts to a rocket launch, Luke’s opening chapters are like the control centre preparing for launch, with everything ready, systems checked, and signals aligned. Even before the countdown begins, all that has come before – like the promises and prophecies of the OT – forms the groundwork.
Then, as the story unfolds, the engine ignites. The countdown begins. Smoke rises, pressure builds, and finally, the rocket takes off – that’s the Gospel of Luke! It’s the story of Christ’s coming, His redeeming work, and His ascent to the cross – the very centre of God’s saving plan.
Once the rocket is airborne, its light spreads across the sky for all to see. People across vast regions notice it. Eyes are drawn upward as it rises higher and higher. That’s the book of Acts. The gospel is no longer contained; it moves outward, changing lives, transforming hearts, and reshaping history. A new era has begun.”
I also said that the purpose of our journey through Acts was “to keep our eyes on the bigger picture” – to see the Lord’s grand design for redeeming His people from every tribe and nation. It was also to help us “be amazed – not at human achievement, but at the glory and wisdom of our God, whose work in Christ continues to unfold before our eyes.”
And now, today, we’ve reached the end of the stage of the rocket launch that can be seen by human eyes. The rocket has risen higher and higher. There comes a point, however, when human eyes can no longer see its shape or follow its movement. But, that does not mean that the rocket has stopped. It continues to rise, carrying out the purpose for which it was launched.
And so it is with the book of Acts. Luke brings his account to a close, but the mission of the gospel does not come to an end. The spread of the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth continues. What Luke records for us is not the completion of that mission, but the beginning of something that continues beyond the pages of his book.
That is why the conclusion of Acts is such an exciting conclusion for us. It lifts our eyes beyond the events recorded in these final verses and draws us more deeply into the grand purpose of God in redemption. It enlarges our joy in the Lord and deepens our desire to follow where the Holy Spirit leads His people.
So, as we come to the final scene of Acts, let us follow Luke carefully and see how He deliberately brings together Israel, the Gentiles, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and Paul’s unhindered proclamation of the gospel.
And, as we do so, let us once again lift our eyes beyond the servant to the One who is accomplishing His purposes through His servants, and beyond the closing scene of Acts to the continuing advance of the gospel throughout the world.
I. The Gospel Goes to All – Jews and Gentiles
The first thing Luke wants us to see in this concluding scene is something that has been one of the great themes running through the whole book of Acts – that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be proclaimed to all peoples.
When we began our journey through Acts, we heard the risen Lord Jesus say to His disciples: “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” That was the program for the book of Acts.
And what happened at Pentecost was directly connected with this mission. The Holy Spirit was poured out upon God’s people so that they might become Christ’s witnesses and take the gospel beyond the boundaries of Jerusalem and Israel, to the nations.
As we’ve travelled through Acts, we’ve seen this happening again and again. The gospel begins in Jerusalem. Then, it moves into Judea and Samaria. It reaches Antioch and Asia Minor. It goes into Macedonia and Greece. And now, at the end of the book, the gospel has reached Rome.
But, notice carefully how Paul conducts his ministry when he arrives there. V. 17 says, “After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews.” Paul begins with the Jews. And when they come together, Paul explains his circumstances and why he has been brought to Rome. Then, in v. 23, we’re told: “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.”
Notice the content of Paul’s preaching. He’s not presenting a new philosophy. He is not introducing a new religion. He is showing from Moses and the Prophets that Jesus is the promised Messiah and that the kingdom of God has come in Him. Paul begins with the Jews because the gospel is the fulfilment of God’s promises to Israel.
But, then, something happens. Some are convinced. Others refused to believe. Paul responds by quoting the prophet Isaiah and then saying in v. 28: “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Do you see what is happening? The rejection of some Jews does not stop God’s saving purpose. Instead, the gospel continues to move outward. This is not a change in God’s plan. It is the continuing fulfilment of the purpose announced by Jesus at the beginning of Acts. The gospel is not the possession of one ethnic group. It is God’s salvation for the nations.
That is one of the great things we’ve witnessed throughout this book. The gospel crosses geographical boundaries. It crosses cultural boundaries. It crosses ethnic and social boundaries. And finally, it arrives at the heart of the Roman Empire. The gospel goes to all.
This remains the calling of the church today. The church does not decide who is worthy to hear the gospel. We’re not given the task of deciding who might respond positively and who probably will not. We’re entrusted with the gospel, and we’re commanded to proclaim it. People near to us and people far from us. People who are culturally like us and people who are very different from us. People who welcome the message and people who have never heard it. People who have been brought up in the church and people who know almost nothing about Christianity. The gospel is to go to all!
Why? Because the risen Christ has given His church a mission to all nations, and because the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon His people to empower that mission. So, when we think about the church’s mission, we must remember that we’re not inventing something new. We’re participating in the mission that Jesus gave His church and that the Holy Spirit has empowered from the beginning.
II. The Gospel Exposes the Heart – Reject or Be Healed
But, Acts 28 also teaches us something else. The fact that the gospel is proclaimed to all does not mean that everyone will respond to it in the same way. In fact, the universal proclamation of the gospel does not produce a universal response. That’s what Paul faced in v. 24 – some were convinced but others disbelieved.
And Luke does not leave us wondering why. Paul explains the rejection through the words of Isaiah: “Go to this people, and say, ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’”
What is Paul telling us? The fundamental problem is not simply that people lack information. It is not simply an intellectual problem. The gospel exposes the condition of the human heart. The problem lies deeper than the mind. Sin has affected our whole being – our understanding, our desires, our will, and our response to God.
Therefore, when the gospel comes, it does something very uncomfortable. It exposes us. The gospel tells us that we’re sinners. It tells us that we cannot save ourselves. It tells us that our righteousness is insufficient before a holy God. It tells us that we must turn away from ourselves and trust entirely in Jesus Christ. That is not a message that the sinful human heart naturally welcomes. The gospel, therefore, does not simply give us information about God. The gospel confronts us with God. It exposes what is in our hearts – that is, sin, rebellion against God, rejection of Jesus, the only Saviour.
John Polhill, a NT scholar, describes the Jewish rejection of the gospel as both ‘a reality and a riddle.’ I think that’s a remarkably insightful way of putting it. Their rejection of the gospel was a reality – because some genuinely rejected Paul’s preaching. But, it was also a riddle – because these were the people who possessed the Scriptures, who had received God’s promises, and who had been waiting for the Messiah.
Yet, the same problem is not confined to 1st century Israel. We see it in our own day. Some hear the gospel and receive it. Others hear the exactly same gospel and reject it. Some listen to the Word of God and are brought to repentance and faith. Others hear it and turn away.
So we should neither be surprised by rejection nor discouraged by it. The fact that some reject the gospel does not mean that the gospel has failed. It means that the human heart is still what Scripture says it is. Therefore, the church must not alter the gospel simply because some people find it offensive or difficult. We must not remove the doctrine of sin because people do not like hearing about sin. We must not soften the call to repentance because repentance is uncomfortable. We continue to proclaim Christ faithfully. We continue the ministry entrusted to Paul, the apostles, and the early church, proclaiming the truth of God.
After all, our task is not to make everyone accept the gospel. Our task is to faithfully proclaim the gospel to everyone. And we leave the results in the hands of God. So, when some reject the gospel, we do not shrink back. Instead, we continue preaching. When some are offended by the gospel, we do not change the gospel. Instead, we continue preaching Christ and His saving grace. Because the gospel exposes the heart – but the wounds it exposes are precisely the wounds for which Christ provides healing.
III. The Gospel Cannot Be Hindered – Proclaimed with Boldness
Now, we come to Luke’s extraordinary conclusion to the book of Acts. In Rome, Paul is a prisoner but he welcomed all who came to him and proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. And that he did with all boldness and without hindrance.
What a remarkable way to end the book! Paul is in chains, but the gospel is not in chains. Paul is restricted, but the Word of God is not.
And notice that Luke does not conclude by celebrating Paul’s achievements. Instead, he leaves us with Paul proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus “with all boldness and without hindrance.” This takes us back to the beginning of Acts. Jesus had said in Acts 1:8, “You will be My witnesses … to the end of the earth.” Now, the gospel has reached Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire.
But the mission does not end here. In fact, Paul is not the focal point – the Holy Spirit is. Luke began Acts by saying in Acts 1:1 that his first volume recorded all that Jesus “began to do and teach.” Acts shows us what the risen Christ continues to do through the Holy Spirit and through His servants.
Paul is one servant. The apostles are servants. The believers in the early church are servants. And now, WE are called to be servants.
The circumstances may change. The servants may change. Cultures and governments may change. But, God’s purpose does not change. The Holy Spirit continues to advance the gospel through His people.
So, we do not shrink back because some reject the gospel. We do not lose heart because circumstances are difficult. And we do not imagine that the success of the gospel depends upon our strength or ability. We continue to preach, teach, and witness.
Conclusion
Let me close. The conclusion of Acts is not really a conclusion at all. Luke’s account ends, but the mission of the gospel continues. The rocket has disappeared from human sight, but it has not stopped rising. The gospel continues to go to the nations. Christ continues to be proclaimed. The Holy Spirit continues to work through His people.
And so the final word of Acts is not about Paul’s chains. It is about the gospel being proclaimed “with all boldness and without hindrance” – even today! The gospel goes to all. The gospel exposes the heart. And the gospel cannot be hindered. ***
