The Redemption Story Of God Series

Good morning, everyone. Let’s begin this morning with Psalm 20.

May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.

4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven

with the saving power of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. 8 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

9 O LORD, save the king! Answer us when we call!

We thank you Lord for your presence in our lives. May we acknowledge you and pledge our allegiance to you. We honour you by trusting you with all our hearts.

Bless our time today as we open up to your Word and hear from you once again. AMEN.

Last week in Acts 13 we saw how the Holy Spirit initiated His move by setting apart Barnabas and Saul plus John Mark and led them on their first missionary journey.

• They went to the island of Cyprus and then led the Roman proconsul to Christ.

• They left thereafter for Perga on the mainland and then to Pisidian Antioch, where Paul preached to the people gathered in the synagogue.

• We are going to look at this amazing sermon today.

Acts 13:13-17

13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak."

16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!

• In the audience were both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. Paul went on to give his exhortation, and here we have his first recorded sermon, from verse 17 to 41.

• We will go through it later as we move along. When the sermon concluded…

13:42-43 42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism [Gentiles who adopted Judaism] followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

• That was the impact of his message. And that’s not all. 13:44 tells us “on the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.”

• The whole city was stirred by the message of God. Let us go through it now.

PAUL’S SERMON - Acts 13:17-41

17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country…

18 he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert, 19 he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.

• God chose Israel’s ancestors. He prospered them in Egypt and became great. He delivered them with mighty acts.

• He endured their conduct for 40 years in the desert. ESV “he put up with them in the wilderness”; NASB “as a nursing-father bare he them in the wilderness”, KJV “suffered he their manners in the wilderness.”

• God patiently provided for their needs despite an ungrateful response.

• God did that for 40 years until He finally led the new generation into the Promised Land when He overthrew the Canaanites in the land.

20 All this took about 450 years [from the time they entered Egypt to Canaan]

"After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet."

• We read that in the book of Judges - Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon and Samson.

• These judges did not rise up on their own; God raised them up to deliver and preserve His people.

21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: `I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'