God's Providence: Paul's Journey Through Trials to Triumph

Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. And the natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a few and made us all welcomed, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. [00:00:10]

So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow him 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. [00:00:41]

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. On that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. [00:01:10]

And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. And Paul went into him and prayed, and he laid hands on him and healed him. So when this was done the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. And they also honored us in many ways, and when we were departed they provided such things as were necessary. [00:01:34]

And from there when the brethren heard about us they came to meet us as far as Appian Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him. [00:02:32]

And it calls to mind the long ending of the Gospel according to St. Mark where we read in Mark 16:15 the words of Jesus with respect to the great commission. Here’s what he said: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. [00:10:37]

And these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. And virtually every one of these signs that Jesus said that would accompany the apostolic mission and the spreading of the gospel literally took place in the life and mission of the apostle Paul. [00:11:06]

And Paul laid his hands on them, and they were healed. So we see that even while he’s a prisoner and his missionary journeys, so to speak, are over, Paul is still being used of Christ in the ministry of the apostolic faith. Then what follows from this is a description of the rest of the voyage, and I’d like to spend a few moments on that. [00:13:27]

Finally after all of these hardships, the ship bearing Paul from Jerusalem, Caesarea, finally arrives in Italy. They are on dry ground now, and the rest of the trip will be on land. And Paul is finally in Italy, and when he arrives in Italy he’s greeted by Christians, because the gospel had already been published there in Rome. [00:20:50]

And Paul had written to the Roman Christians three years earlier, but he had never yet been there. But you remember in the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans he made this poignant statement. He said “I make mention of you always in my prayers,” directing this to the Romans, “making request if by some means now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you, for I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established.” [00:21:24]

And now by the invisible hand of providence the means had been found, the way had been given at long last, in the will of God, for his apostle to go to Rome. So after staying a few days on the coast, they began the overland journey to the eternal city. And we’re told that on the way they got as far as the Appian Forum and then the Three Taverns, if you will. [00:22:57]

What can you learn from this? Every person in this room who is in Christ has his own or her own manifest destiny. And God is going to bring you to that destiny. We don’t believe that our ultimate destiny is the hands of blind fate or the furies or arbitrary promiscuous deities. But this is our father’s world and we are his children, and he had appointed for every one of us a final terminal point, and he’s the one who will bring us there. [00:25:59]