You're listening to audio from Faith Church, located on the North Side Of Indianapolis. If you'd like to check out more information about our church and ministry, you can find us at faithchurchindi.com. Now, here's the teaching. Wow. Good morning, everyone.

I am Jeff, lead interim pastor here at Faith, and it's good to be able to gather together with you, especially hearing all the rain outside. Thankful to have, a dry place to meet. We'll pray that it continues that way. Any of you, have anxiety, especially around air travel? Some of you are laughing, maybe because you have stories to tell.

I find that, the older I get, I'm becoming more and more like my grandfather, which is ultimately a good thing. But, you know, I I'm getting to the point where I would rather be at the airport and sit around for two hours than, stress about the anxiety of am I gonna make it on time and what's gonna happen with security. And, that was especially true of, our last trip going to Poland, to serve our brothers and sisters from KTS because we were flying out of Chicago. So we got to count in time change, and is what's Chicago traffic gonna be like, and, it was fine. Glad glad to get there early.

It's not just the stress of getting to the airport. There's the stress of thinking through did we remember everything. Right? If any of you have ever been on a serve and learn trip or gone overseas and taken things to friends, you know how much stuff you end up bringing. What what kind of, converter do we need for the electrical outlets there, and, oh, don't forget that so and so wanted us to bring this thing for them.

They can't get, except here in The States. And, so we had gifts and treats for the team from KTS that we were serving. We had Bible study printouts and tote bags and crafts and supplies for kids ministry and music. And I remember there was a point when we were, I was lugging two forty five pound bags behind me across the streets of Warsaw in 85 degree weather to get to the train station. And I'm really wondering, do we need all this stuff?

Like, this is a little much. Right? And and even before we got there, you know, I remember at the airport, the anxiety of, you know, I don't wanna be the guy that shows up at the counter with, overweight luggage, and then you gotta open the bags and rifle through everything and and move stuff from this bag to that bag. And, I, you know, I can just envision the agent and all the people in line behind me are like staring at me like, can you believe this guy? Right?

I could imagine, you know, then having to turn. And do you ever go through these scenarios in your head? Like, then I would turn and say, oh, it's okay. It's not all my stuff. We're actually breaking taking stuff over for other people.

And and and then when you get overseas, of course, we're trying to travel as cost efficiently as possible, which means we're, getting on public transportation. And I know that from the stairs that I've received that the people who use those buses regular to the to commute don't appreciate 10 Americans with 10 international sized bags and carry ons and personal items all cramming into the bus with them. Right? I feel awkward, you know, I kinda kinda wanna explain myself. And at least for me, you know, I'm going through all these questions in my head like, oh my gosh.

Why are we why are we going through all this? We go through this because ultimately, love bears the cost. Love is willing to bear the cost. We belong to Jesus' kingdom of love and grace and other centeredness. And one of the hallmarks of that kingdom is being willing to bear the cost for other people.

If you haven't already, you can go ahead and open your Bibles to Acts chapter 28. It's on page one sixty four of your Acts scripture journals. We're getting near, very near the end of this long journey that we've been in through the book of Acts, how Jesus started with this promise that he would send the good news of his rescue and his rule from Jerusalem out to the ends of the earth. And now finally, the apostle Paul has carried, been carried all the way to Rome. And now the good news of Jesus is at the capital of the known world at that time.

And we ended last week with Paul, having been brought to Rome, remember, not really of his own accord, but he's appealed to Caesar, this trumped up charge that he's facing. But Paul is not in prison. He's under house arrest. He has a little bit of freedom. He he he can't necessarily go out, but he's not locked up in a dungeon.

But beginning in verse 17 is where we get to the actual kinda heart of this passage, what Paul does now that he's reached his goal, now that he's in Rome. No. He does what Paul normally does. He doesn't go to his fellow Roman citizens. He doesn't even go to his fellow Christians.

He goes to his fellow Jews. I mean, it it kind of is startling right from the beginning because against all odds, it turns out that Paul has discovered there's some scattered Christian believers in these towns around Rome. But when Paul gets there, his first impulse is still to reach out to his countrymen. He he's done this in every city that he's been in, and yet I still kind of expected that, like, he's gonna do something different when he gets to Rome. Right?

It's it's it's the gentile city. It's the capital of the of the known world. The the point of getting to Rome, you know, is is not necessarily getting to see more of his Jewish brothers. I mean, that would be like, you know, us going from Indianapolis to New York City and ordering a tenderloin sandwich. It's not why you go there.

Right? It's not what you expect to find there. But Paul has this heart for his fellow Jews. In every town that he's gone to, he he wants to take the good news of Jesus to them first. Jesus has promised that Paul would would take the gospel of the Gentiles.

He would preach to kings, and and yet he's calling on his fellow Jews. Why? Because he loves them. Because he has a heart of compassion and care for his Jewish brothers. And because he loves them, he is willing to endure all kinds of things for their sake even when they are the cause of his suffering.

Because love bears the cost. I think that's what we see happening in this passage. And I wanna explore that with you in three different ways through this passage this morning. So let's look at that together. Love bears the cost, first of all, of inconvenience.

Love bears the cost of inconvenience. Notice, here in verse 17, after three days, Paul, he called together the local leaders of the Jews. So it almost sounds like maybe Paul gets to take a little bit of a breather. Right? Like he's had this insane journey of getting there, and now finally maybe he can rest and catch his breath for three days.

I think he would be entitled to it, right? But the more you think about it, I I don't think he really even had three days of rest because all that would have been involved in calling together all these local leaders and preparing for them. How many of you, like, maybe in your family or your neighborhood, your house is the place that hosts a lot of people? Maybe for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Independence Day, picnics, whatever. Right?

You you know what that's right. Right? You have to plan and prepare when you're hosting people. Having people over means figuring out, what we're serving, when, and and how much we need, and, and who's gonna shop and making sure that you have enough maybe firewood or enough charcoal or propane, and, maybe you're gonna smoke meat or brine a turkey. So when do we start that?

And and who's gonna clean the bathrooms? And how do we keep them clean until the guests actually show up? And and do we have enough chairs for people to sit on? Amen? There's a lot that goes into hosting.

Right? And and Paul is hosting this get together of all these Jewish leaders. And and it's not like he could just go shopping. Right? He's he's under house arrest.

So he has to send people out to take care of all these things, and he and he needs to send messengers and letters out to these Jewish leaders. And and before he can even do that, he has to find out who these Jewish leaders are and where they live and and then write letters to send to them. And, I mean, there's a lot involved in this. Think about, all that Paul has experienced, all that he has suffered because of his fellow Jews. But listen to to this list in second Corinthians 11 where Paul takes a rare opportunity to talk about all that he suffered for Jesus.

Labors, imprisonments, countless beatings, often near death. Five times, I received at the hand of the Jews 40 lashes minus one. Three times, I was beaten with rods. Once, I was stoned almost to death. Three times, I was shipwrecked.

A night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, from robbers, from my own people, from the Gentiles, in toil and hardships, sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food. The reason that he is here in Rome is because of the accusations, the false imprisonment, the attempts on his life by his fellow Jews. And this most recent trip has taken five or six months now, including two weeks of that life threatening storm at sea, near starvation, shipwreck, being bitten by a venomous snake. I can get upset if my wife leaves the TV remote someplace I don't expect it to be.

Opportunities to reach people with the gospel, even the people that have been the cause of a large part of this suffering because of his love for them. In prison, I'll sing hymns and pray. On trial, That's an opportunity to share my hope in Jesus with the king and the governor. Sent on a prison ship to Rome? I'll pray for my captors.

Shipwrecked on an unknown island? That's an opportunity to bring Jesus healing and hope. Wow. And this really made me think this week, what what costs am I willing to pay? What inconveniences am I willing to endure?

Because I love the people that I want to reach for Jesus? Love bears the cost of inconvenience. Love also bears the cost of misrepresentation. Love bears the cost of being misrepresented. Look at look at how Paul presents his case to them, back in, verse 18.

They examined me. They wished the Romans 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 cause to bring charge to bring against my nation. Now, you know, if if Paul was looking for a way to play to this crowd, this is kind of a strange way to do it. Right?

I mean, this would have been a great time, a perfect opportunity to throw the Romans under the bus because they're the common enemy with these Jewish believers here. Instead, he essentially says, you know, the Romans locked me up here, but it wasn't really their fault. I appealed to Caesar only because the brothers back in Judea essentially forced me to it. But then he says the most amazing thing in all that. All these things that I've suffered, all that I've endured, I had no charge to bring against my nation, no charge to bring against my fellow Jews.

You know, I bet if Paul thought about it, he could probably come up with a charge or two to lay against them. I mean, I could list a half a dozen off the top of my head right now. Right? Things that they had done wrong. He he doesn't have temporary amnesia.

He he's not forgotten what he's experienced. He's not forgotten what he's just said. I I think I think the only way to make sense of this is to say that Paul so loves these people that he's trying to reach that he refuses to look for the bad in them, and and he refuses to look for opportunities to get even, even if it means he's being misrepresented. The whole reason he's in Rome is because of these false accusations and being misrepresented by his fellow Jews. Love is willing to bear the cost of that.

Even when you could clear your name, even when it would be easy to to accuse and blame the people who've legitimately done you wrong. And it's not that they've done no wrong. It's just that Paul is not interested in playing the blame game. He's not looking for charges to bring against them. Now I know we have some attorneys here, so you can correct me afterwards if I'm wrong.

But my understanding is a general principle in the justice system is you can't try someone for a crime if no one brings a charge and nobody actually got hurt. Right? It's kind of like we say, you know, playing street basketball, no harm, no foul. Or, you know, with the guys I played with, no blood, no foul. That was that was kind of the rule.

And and we see this happen, you know, even when people are guilty. And maybe they steal from their parents. The the parents don't take them to court. They don't bring any charges, not because the kids are innocent, but because the parents are willing to bear the weight of that. They want to love them and protect them from what they've legitimately done wrong.

Paul's not excusing what they did. And and he's not giving some general principle that says, you know, never clear your name. He's saying I have no desire to speak ill of them. I I I have no desire to get even with them because I love them. And and I think there's even a part in which, remember, these Jews in Rome have known what it is to to suffer.

They've gone through their own kind of mini exile. Remember, that's that's how Paul met Priscilla and Aquila several chapters ago, Jews who were in Corinth because they've been exiled from Rome under one of the Caesars. I wonder if Paul's heart here is, I know my brothers here have enough trouble and enough sorrow without me piling on, without me, you know, making them feel here's somebody else to accuse them and condemn them. So so he's gentle. He's willing to even bear being misrepresented and suffer the consequences of that, being maligned.

Because Paul's heart is, it's not about my record. It's not about other people needing to see me as righteous and innocent. It's not about me needing to prove my case because love is willing to bear the cost of being misrepresented if if it opens up doors for the gospel. And love bears the cost of misunderstanding too. Love bears the cost of being misunderstood.

Did you notice this interesting response of the Jewish leaders? Look in verse 21. We've received no letters from Judea about you. None of the brothers coming here has report reported or spoken any evil about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are with regard to this sect that we know everywhere is spoken against.

Basically, guys these these guys are saying, like, yeah, you know, we we kind of wondered what was up and why you invited us because honestly, nobody said anything about you. I mean, do you find that a little astonishing? Because Paul is essentially like a lightning rod for controversy in the Jewish community. Right? Everywhere he goes throughout the empire, he's he's been at the center of riots and and disruptions and, threats of know, Romans coming down on them because the the Jews are so angry at him.

And and and he calls these guys here to make sure that what they've heard about him doesn't undermine his opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with them, only to have them come in and basically say, like, who are you? I I don't think we've met. Tell us your name? I mean, Paul could kinda be forgiven if his response was like, what wait wait, don't you know who I am? Right?

Like, think back over this book how many times in how many places the Jews have attacked Paul and driven him out of town and and and tried to kill him as a heretic and an agitator. And this last event that started that ended up with Paul in Rome started in Jerusalem, the very center and the focus of Jewish faith. It's just wild that no reports have reached Rome. It's like the Sanhedrin just, like, ghosted him and deleted him out of their contact list. I mean, it's just wild.

So the upshot is these these Jews in Rome have no opinion about Paul. If you've ever seen, Pirates of the Caribbean, the first one, it's kind of like the scene at the beginning of the movie, when, Jack captain Jack Sparrow is arrested. Then the naval officer says to him, you are without a doubt the worst pirate I have ever heard of. And Jack Sparrow says, ah, but you have heard of me. You know, there's a saying.

Right? Like, bad press is better than no press. At least people are talking. There there's kind of a truth to it. You know, if if you depend on notoriety, celebrity, because even bad rumors have an upside, at least people are saying something about you.

Even negative reports create a stir, you know, keep your keep your name out there. But as far as Paul, there's there's nothing. But what they have heard of is this sect of Jesus followers. And what they have heard is not good. Yeah.

We've heard about this sect of Jesus people. You know who's the talk of the town? It's it's not Paul. It's Jesus. And actually, that's fantastic.

That should be what we want. Right? That that we would rather people are talking about him than talking about us. That that what's grabbing people's attention is not us and what we're doing and who we are and our accomplishments or status or wealth or how impressive we are, but but they're talking about Jesus. And yet everyone in the empire apparently, as far as these, Jews are concerned, have negative things to say.

We know that everywhere this this sect is spoken against. We don't like what we're hearing about it, but but we'd like to know more, they say. We we wanna know what you think. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like a wide open opportunity to share the gospel, to tell people about who Jesus really is. The holy spirit has a has a funny way of opening doors for us, for his people.

It doesn't have to be about us. In fact, it shouldn't be about us. Let Jesus' reputation be the thing that opens the door. It doesn't matter if it's a good reputation, because even a not so promising start here results in this massive opportunity in Paul's little, household prison. Look in 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 from both the law of Moses and the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. Now it's really encouraging, right, that these guys come here at least with an open mind. They they hadn't heard a positive thing about Jesus, and and yet they came.

And they give Paul the entire day from morning till night to to preach at them. And I think the encouraging thing for us is the gospel is not hindered by bad press. Does that make sense? Right? Like, Jesus isn't worried about what the media says about him or what the conversation around the water cooler is.

He may be the worst thing that they've ever heard of, but they've heard of him, and that makes people curious. At least it makes them have an opinion, and God can work with that. Like the the first Christians were accused of being atheists because they rejected the Roman pantheon of God. They were accused of cannibalism because the rumor went around that they ate the body and drank the blood of their savior. The first Christians were accused of unnatural relations with one another because they called each other brother and sister.

They were said to be antisocial and unpatriotic because they had all their property in common and they met in secret to avoid persecution. But even negative reports about Christianity or about Christian leaders or about the church can open up meaningful conversations. Right? Like, it's okay if people have misunderstandings. People will share about how they've been hurt by the church or why they're outraged at the latest church scandal or or why they're upset at what people who call themselves Christians seem to advocate for or be opposed to or support.

That's that's fine, actually. First of all, there may very well be a lot of things to agree with. People should be offended by hypocrisy and by injustice. And at least it gives us something to talk to people about, people's anger or frustration or disappointment or misunderstanding or opportunities, not for us to get defensive, but to point people to Jesus. And, yeah, to talk about what Jesus actually is for and to clear away maybe some of the stuff that gets added on to what people think it means to be a Christian.

Love bears the cost of being misunderstood. There's a rocker meatloaf in the eighties who famously sang, I do anything for love, but I won't do that. Disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul 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. You will see but never perceive for your hearts have grown dull.

With their eyes they can barely hear, their eyes they have closed, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them. Therefore, let it be known that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles and they will listen. Paul has proclaimed the Jewish Messiah to the Jewish people from the Jewish Bible and the results are mixed. Pretty much like everywhere Paul goes. Some believe, some are convinced, some are hostile and opposed.

And and it's not really clear whether or not we know this, you know, is indicative of a genuine saving faith in Jesus, but but they at least find his argument coherent. And and it makes sense that Jesus could be the fulfillment of all those old testament prophecies. And you have others who reject it. And and by the end, they're arguing among themselves. And and once it gets to that point, Paul drops in this quote from Isaiah six, and they all walk out, which is kind of understandable because Isaiah's words are a bit confrontational and kind of accusatory.

I mean, he essentially says to them, you're not hearing, you're not listening, you're not seeing because you don't want to. You're like people who are walking around with their with their head down and their eyes closed and their fingers in their ears going la la la la la, I'm not listening. While all the time, Paul is saying, that the God whom you claim to love and worship is standing with his arms held open through his son Jesus to say, come to me and be healed, and I will save you. And because of that stubbornness, Paul says, the gospel will go to the gentiles, and and they will listen. It's a heavy word.

And and I'm not saying this is necessarily the thing we say to people, but but it is showing a principle that we've seen repeatedly through acts. If you won't listen, you might as well go home. If you are hardened in opposition, if if you are committed to the idea that there's absolutely nothing to Jesus and and this is all ridiculous nonsense, then there's not much point in us talking. And people storm out leaving Paul with a mess of dishes and an empty house and probably a heavy heart. Now again, I I think there's reason to believe that some of these Jews did come to faith in Jesus.

And I'm sure that Paul did not shut them out completely and forever. Paul never refuses to share the good news of Jesus with anyone who is willing to hear it, with anyone who is willing to dialogue and consider the claims of Jesus. But he is saying his mission and his focus will change because it makes no sense to waste words on people who won't listen. Because there are people whom God is working in and softening their hearts who are wanting to listen. The Gentiles will hear the word.

Paul says, I'm going to go wherever people will be open to at least considering the claims of Jesus. Even even this hard message that Paul shares with them is an expression of love because he's warning them of the dangerous deadly position they're putting themselves in. He's not gonna spend more time beating his head against a brick wall. There are there are other people that that I want to try to reach who will be open to hearing the good news of Jesus. As the house empties out, Paul is alone with, this Roman guard.

Can you one can you wonder what in the world is this guy thinking, right? As he's seen all of this happening this day. This would be kind of a sad, a strange way to end the story. And thankfully, it's not the story. We're gonna look at that next week.

But but I wanna bring us back to something that Paul says in the second half of of verse 20. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain. Paul is imprisoned. Paul is wearing chains. Paul is in Rome, not because of the Romans, really.

Not even because of what the Jews have done, but because of God's work to bring the hope of the gospel through Paul to this place. The hope of rescue and renewal that that Jesus has brought to us in himself. Paul sees himself in Rome not as a prisoner, really, but as an ambassador. He's here because God has sent him here. He's here because he ultimately wants to be here.

Because what's keeping him in Rome is not really chains. It's love for the people that need to hear the good news of Jesus. What has him in Rome is is the joy of sharing the hope that he knows with them who need to know it. It's his desire to see people reconciled to God, and and that's what makes him say, whatever I suffer, whatever I experience is worth it. This is a mission.

It it's not a mistake, Because love bears the cost. And I think that's a word that speaks into our lives, into the reality of jobs that we find difficult and frustrating, bosses that we struggle to get along with, neighbors who irritate us, and and just all the troubles and sorrows of living in a broken world. We are ambassadors of God's love in Jesus Christ, and love bears the cost. Was it worth it? All the all the prep and all the planning and all the packing and all the moving things around and hauling luggage across streets and and sweating and and all the energy that went into it.

You know, after our, week, serving the folks from KTS in Poland, Emilia and I had, almost two weeks of vacation afterwards. And frankly, it was a lot easier. I mean, we we'd left a bunch of stuff with the people there. We sent some extra bags home. We didn't we didn't have any agenda.

There there was no time schedule we had to follow. We weren't carrying as much stuff. But we also didn't have as many opportunities to talk to people about why we were there and what we were doing. I mean, frankly, just a group of 10 Americans showing up in Eastern Poland to serve people from Ukraine gave us amazing opportunities to talk to people about why we were there. Why would you do something like that in ways that a vacation doesn't let you do?

Was it worth it? Of course it was worth it. It's always worth it because love bears the cost. And we get to go from here into all the places where God has us living and working and studying and all our neighborhoods and and everything that we're doing to remind ourselves that we're here because God's love that has sought us and the love that works through us to to bear the cost for the sake of people that need to know the good news of Jesus' love and be invited into his kingdom. Love bears the cost.

Let me pray for us. Father, thank you. Thank you that Jesus love has borne the cost for us. And for all of us who know you, that we are saved, we are reconciled, we are loved. But beyond that, we're also empowered and called and sent out in your love to bear the cost, to bear all the inconvenience and being misunderstood and maybe being misrepresented and maybe even being taken advantage of, if that will open up doors in all the places you take us to tell about the hope that we have.

Oh, father, thank you. Help us help us to see that all the things going on in our lives are not mistakes, but part of your mission. And we are your ambassadors and that people oh, father, we pray that people would see and experience your love through us. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.