God Isn’t Finished Yet
Acts 25:1–22
A Sermon preached at Sunday AM on sunday 12th July 2026 in the Carraig Centre
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
In books and films there are moments when everything feels uncertain. We wonder, Where is this going? How will the hero escape? How can this possibly end well? Sometimes the story reaches a point where all we can see is confusion, and we are left waiting for the next chapter.
That is exactly where we find the Apostle Paul in today’s reading.
Earlier in Acts, in chapter 23, verse 11, the Lord stood beside Paul and said:
“Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
God had given Paul a promise. Rome was his destination.
But by chapter 25, he isn’t in Rome.
He isn’t even on the road.
He’s sitting in prison in Caesarea.
The Jewish leaders still want him dead. The Roman authorities are holding him. Humanly speaking, the future could go either way. The story is caught between the promise and its fulfilment. There is uncertainty, frustration, fear and waiting. Paul simply does not know how God is going to accomplish what he has promised.
A number of years ago, while on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, I had the opportunity to visit Caesarea Maritima, this magnificent Roman city on the Mediterranean coast where Paul was imprisoned. Standing there, you realise this is neither Jerusalem nor Rome. It is an in-between place.
Throughout the book of Acts, Paul has travelled from city to city, crossing seas and continents, always moving. But here he is stuck.
As I reflected on this passage, it struck me that this is quite an appropriate sermon for my last Sunday here at the Carraig Centre.
• Because this isn’t the end of Paul’s story.
• Nor is it the end of yours.
• Nor is it the end of mine.
Acts 25 doesn’t resolve anything. There is no verdict. There is no dramatic rescue. There is no happy ending.
God has told Paul that he will preach in Rome, but he isn’t there yet. There are still a few chapters to come.
This morning I could say many things, but because it’s summer—and because I promised myself I would keep this sermon a little shorter—I simply want to leave you with three thoughts.
The first is this:
God isn’t finished with you yet.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned through life’s joys and difficulties is that God is still writing the story.
• Sometimes we only see one chapter.
• Sometimes we only see one page.
• Sometimes we only see one sentence.
• But God sees the whole story.
Many of us know what it is to wonder what God is doing. We pray. We wait. We struggle to make sense of circumstances. Yet over and over again, I have discovered that even when I could not see God’s hand, he was quietly at work behind the scenes. And sometimes I don’t and I wonder God where are you!
The story was still unfolding.
The second thing is this:
We still have choices to make.
In this passage, Paul doesn’t simply sit back and say, “Well, whatever happens, happens.”
He knows God’s promise.
He knows his calling.
And so, when Festus suggests sending him back to Jerusalem, Paul refuses. He knows that is not where God is leading him. Instead, as a Roman citizen from Tarsus, he exercises his legal right and appeals to Caesar.
Paul trusts God’s sovereignty, but he also acts wisely.
Faith is never passive.
Trusting God doesn’t mean doing nothing.
It means prayerfully making the decisions that are ours to make while trusting God with those things that are beyond our control.
Which brings me to my final point.
Some things happen that are outside our control.
As a rector, one of the great privileges of pastoral ministry has been walking alongside people through every stage of life.
I know that here this morning—and indeed in churches throughout the world—there are people who find themselves in places they never imagined they would be.
• Some are living with grief.
• Some with illness.
• Some with uncertainty.
• Some with broken relationships.
• Some with anxiety about the future.
• Some are simply wondering what comes next.
• I’ve discovered a word for these seasons.
They are called liminal seasons.
• Places of transition.
• Not where we once were.
• Not yet where we will be.
• Simply where we are today.
And if we’re honest, they are often uncomfortable places to be.
I know something of that myself.
Since making the difficult decision to leave here and move north, I too have been living in one of those liminal places—a season between what has been and what will be.
• There has been excitement.
• There has been sadness.
• There has been anticipation.
• There has also been uncertainty.
Yet through it all, I have been reminded again and again that God is present in the in-between places.
This morning I simply want to encourage you with that truth.
God is still at work.
Sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture.
We’ve spent a long time together journeying through the book of Acts.
Think where it all began.
A frightened little group of disciples gathered in Jerusalem.
• Then the Holy Spirit came.
• The gospel spread across Judea.
• Into Samaria.
• Across Asia Minor.
• Into Greece.
• Towards Rome.
• Across Europe.
• Across continents.
• Across centuries.
Until, by God’s grace, the ripple effects of the witness of people like Paul have reached us here today.
Just think about that.
A man sitting in a prison cell nearly two thousand years ago is still speaking to us this morning.
God certainly wasn’t finished with Paul.
I came across an illustration recently that I found really helpful.
When we look at the back of a piece of embroidery or tapestry, sometimes it looks like a complete mess.
Knots.
Loose threads.
Colours going in every direction.
There seems to be no pattern whatsoever.
(Show images.)
But turn it over…
…and suddenly you see the beautiful picture the artist was creating all along.
• Perhaps that’s how our lives often look.
• We see the tangled threads.
• God sees the finished masterpiece.
• Or think of a jigsaw puzzle.
• One piece tells you almost nothing.
It is only when all the pieces come together that you begin to see the whole picture.
Again and again throughout Scripture we meet people whose lives appeared confusing in the moment.
• Joseph in prison.
• Moses in the wilderness.
• David hiding in caves.
• The disciples after the crucifixion.
• Paul in Caesarea.
Yet time after time we discover that God had never left them.
He was already preparing what came next.
As I come towards the end of this sermon, let me finish with something more personal.
Over these past fourteen years, it has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve in this place.
• Together we have faced difficult seasons.
• We have made courageous decisions.
• We have seen God grow his Church.
• We have grieved the loss of people we dearly loved.
• We have welcomed many new faces.
• We have celebrated answered prayers.
• We have also carried prayers that remain unanswered.
Through every season, we have known God’s faithfulness.
Some of my most treasured memories won’t be the big events.
• They will be the quiet conversations over coffee.
• The unexpected phone call.
• The arm around a shoulder.
• The person who noticed someone struggling.
• The gentle word of encouragement.
When I found myself in places of uncertainty – I think particularly of those who supported me through the time when Dad died, it was often those quiet acts of kindness that reminded me that Christ was present through his people.
So keep doing that.
Dream big dreams for the future.
Seek God’s vision.
But never underestimate the ministry of quiet encouragement.
Churches, and this church particularly is built as much through cups of coffee, faithful friendships and gentle words as they are through programmes and plans.
• God isn’t finished with you yet.
• Keep allowing the Holy Spirit to shape you.
• Keep close to Jesus.
• Keep encouraging one another.
And let me finish with Paul’s words to the Christians in Philippi written as it was when he was in prision —words that I can honestly pray for each one of you today:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Prayer Ministry is important – At the end of the service – if you are going through one of those seasons – of waiting, of pain, of uncertainty – take time to get someone to pray with you.
Amen.
