"My First Sermon"--By Paul [aka Saul] Series

My First Sermon

Acts 13:14-23

Powerpoint at:

http://www.gbcdecatur.org/sermons/1stSermon.html

Paul and Barnabus begin their 1st missionary journey. They have felt God’s call to carry the gospel around the world, and the 3rd city they come to is Antioch in Pisidia, a different “Antioch” than earlier in Acts. This Antioch is 100 miles north, 3600 ft. elevation, and it’s a strategic location from which they can reach the surrounding area.

When these guys would go to plant a church, they’d start by preaching in the synagogue, where people were hungry for the Word of God…and we should go where people are seeking, and are hungry. Jesus said he came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous [think they’re righteous]. “They that are whole…”

v. 14-15 Never open up the floor for comments when there’s a Baptist preacher in the crowd!

v. 16 He preached his 1st sermon. And it was a lot better than my first one, or even my last one! The subject was a great one… “salvation thru Jesus Christ”. But this message will be rejected.

v. 46 “ye…judge yourselves unworthy”. Interesting. If I were to ask you if YOU were worthy, you’d say no, no one is worthy…I don’t deserve everlasting life. But that’s where the good news of the gospel comes in…those of us who are unworthy are MADE worthy thru what Jesus Christ did for us!

Paul’s 1st sermon tells how we can be made worthy of everlasting life.

3 great themes in Paul’s sermon: [like some of us preach today!...and each one starts w/ the same phrase.]

v. 16, v. 26, v. 38

1. Salvation is Provided

v. 16-25 Paul reviews the history of Israel in 4 different locations.

Egypt:

v. 17 9 plagues and Pharaoh still wouldn’t let Israel go. So then came the 10th…the death angel will pass, and your firstborn will die, unless you take a lamb w/out blemish and sprinkle it’s blood on the doorposts. “When I see the blood, I will ‘pass over’ you!”

Paul preached that salvation is provided thru the blood of another.

The lamb is a picture of Christ and His blood.

Adam & Eve sinned, God killed animals, shed their blood, to clothe them [innocent died for the guilty!]

Why is salvation thru the blood of another? The life of the flesh is in the blood, but in our blood runs the sin nature, so the blood of the innocent is required.

Ill.—s.s. teacher talking about omnipresence of God asked class, “is there anywhere God cannot go?” No! “Is there anything God cannot see?” No! [except for 1 little boy who raised his hand and said, sir, God can’t see my sin when it’s covered by the blood of Jesus!] He got it right!

2nd location- The Wilderness:

v. 18 Paul preached that salvation is provided thru the bruising of another.

Numbers 21:5-9

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. [6] And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

[7] Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. [8] And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. [9] And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

I grew up w/ a bunch of snakes in NM…no, not lawyers, real snakes! I can easily imagine this scene…I’ve been struck at, and I’ve seen people struck!

God sent these serpents as a judgment on their complaining, but also for a higher reason. You see, each of us have been bitten by the serpent Satan, and injected into our very veins is the poison of sin. Coursing thru our bodies is the sin nature, and the wages of sin is death!

So, God told Moses to take a piece of brass [symbol of judgment] and form it into the likeness of the VERY THING that had brought about the death, put it on a pole and hold it up high, and tell the people that whoever looks upon that brass serpent will be instantly cured and healed!

That’s a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ lifted up high on Calvary.