God’s Providence and Our Assignment Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on God’s Providence and Our Assignment Part 1 . He will be reading out of Acts 28: 1-16.

And that greater goal is to take the gospel across the street and around the world. And through God’s providence, he puts you in circumstances and situations and relationships with people so that you can show kindness and tell them about Jesus Christ. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders and we are delighted to bring to you Hope Worth Having radio broadcast today and we’re beginning a new series on God’s providence and our assignment.

Acts chapter 28 is where we’re going to be today as we begin this new chapter together and we’re going to study it and continue to understand how God works even as we are on assignment for him. If you have your Bibles this morning, join me in the book of Acts chapter 28 and the psalmist said, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And even when we go through hardships, we know that his goodness is there.

His grace is ever evident. And this is really what we’re talking about in Acts chapter 28. We have made a long journey through the book of Acts as a church family.

We finally made it to that final chapter, chapter 28. We’ll try to get through chapter 28 before 2025. Is that possible? No, I’m just teasing you.

But we definitely will take a few times to look at this chapter and we want to help you out a little bit. And again, because we’ve had so many different breaks from the book of Acts to once again, kind of refresh our minds and our memory of what is really taking place in this great book, you know, at the outset that Jesus gave a great command. It is often referenced as the great commission.

It’s Acts chapter 1 in verse 8 and we are told that we are to take the gospel and we are to take it to the ends of the earth unto Jerusalem and to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. And it is from that moment that Luke, who is the human author under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, begins to detail a narrative of all that has been done and was happening to fulfill that commission by the people of God. In Acts chapter 1 all the way through chapter 8, there is a lot of attention upon the ministry of the apostle Peter.

Then in chapter 9, the apostle Paul is knocked off, if you will, his high horse. He was a persecutor of the church. He was a very passionate and zealous Pharisee and religious person.

And he was determined that he would get rid of what he considered a cult or some kind of a sect of Judaism and that he was going to destroy Christianity. But little did he know that Jesus Christ himself, after his resurrection, would appear to the apostle. And he would have a great vision and he would hear the words of his Savior, why are you persecuting me? Reminding us that when you persecute the church, you are persecuting Jesus Christ.

And he takes it very personable. And so it is that the apostle gives his life to God. And from chapter 9 on, we witness this life-changing power of the Lord in the life of the apostle and how he is a faithful witness for God.

At the heart of the Christian movement that is undertaken after Jesus Christ commissions his disciples and he plants the local church, we see the work of the apostle Paul from chapter 9 all the way to chapter 28. Now when we come to chapter 28, we understand that the apostle has a great passion to get the gospel to Spain. But his desire is to get to Spain through Rome.

We know this through his other letters that he has informed the people of God of what his plans are. Now the apostle did not plan on going the way that God had orchestrated it to come to happen. And that is that the apostle wanted to go in freedom.

But he was a prisoner. He is now a prisoner. He is on a ship.

And if you’ve been following along, you know that Paul was a prisoner because he preached the gospel. Because he told people how to get to heaven. And so the religious crowd is upset with him.

The political crowd is upset with him. But now the apostle has been on this ship and chapter 27 is kind of the narrative of how all that drama unfolded. And now they have had a shipwreck.

And they, all these prisoners along with the apostle, are swimming to shore. And they are making it to land. And so what is it that we need to understand as we launch in? What is the theme of chapter 28? Write this down if you’re taking notes.

And I know so many of you have good memories. So you can do that as well. And that is that even though we cannot always see God, we can always be confident that God is working to accomplish his purpose.

Even though we cannot see God, he is always working in various ways to accomplish his purpose. So I’ve entitled the message, God’s Providence and Our Assignment. What is our assignment? Acts 1A, take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

And what is God’s providence? God fulfilling his great purpose of getting the gospel to every person on the planet. Using the circumstances of your life and my life. Using history itself, which is really his story of getting the gospel out to other people.

And so what we’re going to see in chapter 28 is that God is demonstrating his providence and fulfilling his purposes. But he is doing it patiently. The providential hand of God is seen at work in this great passage of chapter 28.

So what is the first thing that we must learn that I want you to hang on to this morning? Is that God’s providence supplies a platform for the gospel. We see this in verses 1 through 6. We come to verse 1 of chapter 28. Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta.

Now don’t think of it in terms of their escaping from their captors, but they are escaping from the waters, the shipwreck. They’re escaping and they’re making it to land. They avoided the danger of losing their own lives.

But Paul had already promised them in chapter 27, in midst of this horrendous storm that had come upon them, that God had given him the truth and the promise that they would all make it safely to land. But there was the shipwreck. And there they were floating out on the sea.

And they finally made it to land. The Bible says in verse 1 that they made it to the island was called Malta. Malta is an island that is 17 miles long.

It is 9 miles wide. It is just south of Italy. And so here we find the apostle in this very small place, an island, where there are over 200 prisoners.

And they all of a sudden show up on this island. And notice what verse 2 says, that the natives showed us unusual kindness. For they kindled a fire and they made us all welcome because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, he laid them on the fire. A viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, no doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.

But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a God.

Remember that I told you the point that I want you to see in verse 6 is that God’s providence supplies a platform for the gospel. How is it that the apostle, even through this trial in these first six verses, would be able to share the gospel? The first thing is that he experiences and he reciprocates kindness. Again, you saw that in verse 2, that here they show up, they’re cold, it’s wet, it’s raining, it’s probably early winter or late fall at this time, and they are freezing to death.

And the Bible says that God providentially moved these people to show unusual kindness. Probably not a really developed little island of people, probably not a very civilized group of people. Yet God providentially moves in their heart to extend kindness to the apostle, and to all the prisoners, and all those who had shipwrecked.

And they show this kindness to the apostle, reminding us that all of us are called to show kindness. For the scriptures teach us that we are to be kind to one another. Now, you say, Mike, that’s a simple thing.

But friends, I have to be honest with you. In the times we live in, kindness seems to be out of style. That people are getting upset about some of the craziest things.

People are getting upset because you took their parking spot. People are upset because you said this or you didn’t say this. People are getting upset because you support this group or you don’t support that group.

And so we see this happening even in our communities, and in our culture, and in our nation. We see it happening in our families. We see husbands and wives not showing kindness to one another.

We see sometimes that the children are not showing kindness to one another. It seems to be something that is absent from the home. And why is it? I am fearful that we have neglected the basic teaching of some of the virtues of the scriptures, and that we have not taught our children to be kind to one another, that we are not exemplifying it as a mom and a dad, that we somehow have decided that kindness is not necessary, that it is better to just kind of run over people and leave them on the side of the road.

But God is calling us to be kind to one another, certainly in the family of God. I have to be honest with you. We’re not all going to agree with one another.

Can we say amen? Because I know the reality of it. But it doesn’t mean just because we disagree in the family of God that we have to be unkind to each other, that we should not only strive right here in the family of God. Why should we expect the world to be kind when the people of God cannot be kind? Why should we anticipate kindness from others when we ourselves do not show kindness when we disagree with one another? Friends, disagreement is just part of life.

It’s part of maturing. It’s part of growing. There are rock-solid truths that we unite together as believers, like the fact that we’re getting ready to celebrate the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that he was born of a virgin, and that he lived a sinless life, that he went to the cross and died for our sins, that he resurrected three days later, ascended into heaven.

He’s at the right hand of the Father, even making intercession for you. Now, we can wave that flag, and we can all fly under that flag. Amen? Or maybe we might not only disagree about sports, but we might disagree on music styles, or we might disagree on different programs or ministries in the church, or we might disagree whether the lobby needs to be updated or it shouldn’t be updated.

But here’s the bottom line, that no matter what, we should always show kindness to one another, that we should strive as brothers and sisters in Christ. A husband and wife might disagree. We have our differences, but we can always be kind about it, church.

And let me say this about kindness, because I want to just take this moment to say that here, these folks were natives, and they showed unusual kindness to strangers. I may not know everybody, but I can still be kind to them, can’t I? People come from all walks of life and different backgrounds and ethnicities, but we can still show kindness to each other, can’t we? Let’s strive to be kind to strangers. Let’s strive to do that.

Why? Why is this so important? Because I believe in the providence of God, and I believe that through your kindness, God is going to give you a platform to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. You cannot, in your home, show hate, anger, and bitterness to your spouse and think that you’re going to have a platform to share the gospel with your own children. You cannot go out there and argue and fight and be bitter and mad at every person and think that you’re going to have a platform to share the gospel with strangers.

That’s what I want you to see, church, is that the impact of your kindness is not just that you check that off on your list of things that God wants you to do, but that you have a greater goal, and that greater goal is to take the gospel across the street and around the world, and through God’s providence, he puts you in circumstances and situations and relationships with people so that you can show kindness and tell them about Jesus Christ. I want you to see something else that helped Paul to have a platform. We’re going to see this unfold here in the chapter here.

How is it that Paul was able to share the gospel and have this platform through the providence of God? It was not only kindness, not only receiving it, but giving it, but Paul was a servant leader. I want you to notice back in verse 3 of chapter 28 when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks. Remember that the folks were already putting together, and verse 2, they had kindled a fire and made us all welcome.

Made us all welcome. That ought to be the theme of every church, made us all welcome, amen? Made us all welcome. So let me just, sorry to jump back a little bit, but some of you come in and you plop in your seat and you shall not be moved.

But what you ought to do is be the last ones to be seated. You ought to come in here looking for people who are by themselves, shaking their hands and getting to know them. And people say, well, I don’t want to know anybody else.

I understand, but listen, friends, when you come to the house of the Lord, it ought to be a place that all feel welcome. Amen. Let’s work hard on that church.

You can’t just depend on Pastor Mike. I’m doing the best I can, but I want you to get out there and do it. And make all feel welcome.

But in this filling them welcome, would you note in verse 2 that they kindled a fire? They kindled a fire. What is the apostle doing? Well, the Bible says in verse 3, he’s gathering sticks and not just a stick, but a bundle of sticks. And he laid them on the fire.

What I see in the apostle is a servant leader. I see him humbly serving others. That he could have just sat there and just received all the attention and received the warmth and been blessed by it and encouraged by it.

Certainly he was and he could have just sat there. But no, he recognized the fire was going down and he got up. He took the initiative and he was intentional and he went up and he said, let me help out.

Let me help put some wood in the fire. Let me help keep the fire burning strong. Now the apostle could have said, you know, I am the apostle.

And I have spoken to the Lord and received visions from God and I have this special title. I cannot be caught up and with this small details of stuff. But no, he is so different.

He is a servant leader. He’s not afraid to move a box. He’s not afraid to help with a door.

He’s not afraid to serve others. He’s not afraid to reach out to others and show acts of kindness through his humble service. What are you doing my friends to keep the fire burning to keep the fire burning in the church? What acts of service are you doing? It doesn’t have to be grand.

It doesn’t have to be glorious. It doesn’t always have to be on the platform. But what are you doing behind the scenes? Keeping the fires burning in the church and what are you doing to keep the fires burning in your home? Do you show acts of kindness of serving humbly serving your family helping out not thinking that hey, I’m too good for this and I’m better than this and I’ve been at this for so long and therefore I don’t have to do it anymore.

My friends when you get to that moment, hear me hear me. You’re done. You won’t have any influence on people.

You won’t have a platform to share the gospel. What are you doing? You want your neighbor to come to church? Are you serving your neighbor? What are you doing? To minister to your children and your grandchildren and your family what acts of service if the Apostle Paul could take time to gather the bundles of wood and put them in the fire? How much more should you and I be humble enough to find moments and opportunities to serve? There’ll be no platform without kindness and servanthood. You can minister to people by being an example to them.

People want the prestige. They want the glory of ministering the gospel, but I’m telling you there is no there is no connection with your community with people around you at work unless you are kind and you are willing to serve them be that example church be that person. Now the Bible tells us as we’re going through this that the Apostle that as he is gathering this wood or the sticks and he’s laying them in the fire that he gets bitten by a snake.

How about that? He came out the Bible says the Viper came out because of the heat and fastened onto his hand. That’s a nice way to say that he got bit by a snake this snake fastens on to the Apostle. I want you to learn important principle today.

We can’t even get through verse 3, but listen to me Church. The Apostle was bitten by the snake when he was doing good. He was doing good and doing good does not exempt you from affliction and trials and problems in your life.

Are you with me? You see some people do good because they get the pat on the back some people do good because they get the certificate some people do good because they get a plaque on the wall. Some people do good because people will talk about their goodness and the things that they have accomplished. Let me say that if there’s any goodness in you if there is any kindness in any of us it is because of the wonderful work of God’s common grace that he has blessed us with and that all goodness emanates from God and all kindness emanates from God.

And so we must keep that in mind. But even as you and I are doing good. We have to ask ourselves.

Why do I do this good for if I’m doing this good so that I can make sure that I would never face a trial in my life that I would never have an affliction in my life that I’d never well, let’s just be practical have a snake bite me. Well friends you’re in for a rude awakening. A rude awakening the psalmist said many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

It is that God does not prevent affliction in our life, but he promises that he will deliver us out of those afflictions. He will get us to the other side just as Jesus promised the disciples that they would make it to the other side. But in the midst from going from one place to the other through the sea there was a great storm, but Jesus met them on the other side and Jesus will get you through your affliction.

He will get you out of your affliction, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have an affliction. This false narrative that permeates so many in the Christian life that think that if I just do certain things that I’ll never have a problem in my life is not found in the Bible. Jesus had problems.

The Apostle Paul had problems. Do you think that they were less spiritual than you? Do you think that they somehow were less connected to God than you? No, my friends. We must understand that even when we do good, there will be trials.

They just will be. You think the devil’s going to sit on the sidelines and that he’s going to just say, hey, I’m going to just let the gospel go freely. You think the devil’s happy that the Apostle has showed up, that he has providentially showed up on this island and these people are getting ready to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do you think that the devil likes that? The Bible tells us in John chapter 10 that the devil is a thief and a liar.

My friends, he has come to kill and destroy. He wants to destroy your family. He wants to destroy every person.

He wants every person on this planet to go to hell. Do you know that? And now here in God’s providence, the Apostle has a shipwreck. He shows up on this island.

You think the devil is just going to say, hey, let’s sit back and see how this unfolds. He’s like, no, let’s start the fight. And when you start doing good, and you start making a difference for God, and you start making an impact and influencing others for the gospel of Jesus Christ, the devil wants to discourage you.

He wants to defeat you. He’s going to find every possible way to stop you from telling others about Jesus Christ. But yet God uses, and here’s the third thing I want you to see, this platform of the gospel.

I already told you kindness, those of you that are taking notes. And I already told you servant leadership, being a servant. But I want you to see the third way that God providentially gives Paul a platform for the gospel is through afflictions.

Because the Bible says in verse 4 that when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, no doubt this man is a murderer. They quickly judged the apostle and said the reason this happened to him is because he must have been a murderer. And now, even though he has not escaped the sea, yet justice, circle that word justice.

You’re thinking of in terms of justice in right and wrong. But this is a Greek goddess called justice. And what they believed on this island is that the Greek goddess was punishing the apostle because he was a murderer.

They believed that even though he had escaped the sea, that the Greek goddess justice was not going to allow the apostle to live. But what does the apostle do, like most of us would, when a snake bites you? He just shakes it off. Friends, if a snake bites me, I’m out of here.

I’m going to be screaming and hollering and panicking and falling apart and all the venom and the poison is going to run to my heart and my brain and I’ll be dead in minutes. Just want to pre-warn you. Me and snakes don’t get along.

Amen. The only good snake is a dead snake, minus a head, right? But what does this great, courageous man of God do? He shakes off the creature, the snake, into the fire and he suffers no harm. The people are like, well, once the poison gets to him, he’s a goner.

Just a little bit, he’ll be swelling and he’ll be dead. But you know what? That doesn’t happen. In verse 6, we see that it doesn’t happen and notice at the end of verse 6 that they changed their minds and they said, he was a God.

Man, he was a God. What the islanders saw was a visible display of the power of God. Power greater than all the false idols, all the false goddesses that they were already worshiping.

By the apostle experiencing immunity from the poison of a snake, and by the way, don’t think that you can just go out there and randomly be immune. I don’t want you to be crazy, but I want you to know that God uses this affliction to give him a platform to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Your afflictions are not purposeless.

We first and foremost know that every affliction we go through should always be that we would glorify God even in the hurt and the pain and the struggle. But second of all, it should be our intention that as people are watching our life and we’re giving praise to God through the tears that they can be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And third of all, the apostle said in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 6 that he had hoped that his afflictions would bring encouragement and comfort to the people of God.

That as others see you deal with suffering and you suffer so well and you suffer so godly and you suffer in such a way that brings praise and glory to God Almighty, that he would encourage the brothers and sisters in Christ to stay at it and be faithful to Jesus Christ. That even as they will one day suffer, that they will learn an example from you on how to handle the problems of our health, the problems of our trials. We can’t help but see the hand of God working in the apostle Paul’s life.

He truly understood he was on assignment from heaven and that he had a job to do and God wanted him to take the gospel to the ends of the earth and Paul worked tirelessly to make that happen. But within the scope of all that he dealt with, you could see God’s providence in his life. You and I are going to have some ups and downs.

We’re going to have different chapters in our life, new seasons and different challenges. But we always can see God’s providence and I hope that that understanding of his providence becomes a sustaining force in your life as you continue to walk faithfully for Jesus Christ. We encourage our listeners to check out our YouTube channel.

If you just go to YouTube, type in Hope Worth Having, you’ll see our channel. Subscribe to it. And on the channel, a new feature that you might enjoy is we’re creating playlists of different books of the Bible that I preached out of.

So if you wanted to go into the book of Isaiah, you could see all the different sermons I preached in Isaiah and this can help enhance some of your Bible study. So if you’re studying a particular book of the Bible and different chapters, then you can take advantage of this opportunity. There’s other great resources at our YouTube channel.

So check us out and subscribe and we would appreciate that. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.