Paul's First Recorded Sermon Series

Acts 13:13-52

Paul’s First Recorded Sermon

“Say On”

Paul uses a phrase three times in his sermon in Antioch that form the three points of his message (15,26, and 38).Paul, under the direct control of the Holy Spirit, shows that Jewish history resolves in Christ, that the promise of Messiah resolves in Christ, and that dealing with sin resolves in Christ. The issue of sin is settled in Christ.

Besides the name JESUS, what would you say is the most precious word found in the Word of God? Some of you would say GRACE! Grace means God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense!

Some would say that the most precious word found in the Word of God is LOVE! When a person thinks about the love of God; thinking that He “SO LOVED” the world - their thoughts begin to swim in an ocean so deep that the depth of it cannot be measured.

Some think of the word HEAVEN! Heaven is a great word. Just to mention the word Heaven, you begin to imagine the beauty and splendor of a place that is being built by our Heavenly Architect, the Lord Jesus. You imagine a Glorious and spacious place prepared for every person who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. What a place Heaven is; what a word Heaven is.

But I would like for you to think about another word. There is a word that sums up what “Grace” really is. There is a word that describes the “Love” of God. There is a word that gives us the hope of “Heaven”. I truly believe that one of the most precious words found in the Word of God is the word FORGIVEN!

I believe without question that the most beautiful word in the English language is the word “forgiven.”

C. H. Spurgeon said, “Forgiveness is such sweetness that honey is tasteless in comparison to it.”

I am glad that I have some good news for every person that may feel that they cannot get over their past. God’s “forgiveness” is extended to you and can be experienced by you if you will only receive it by faith.

This is the truth of Paul’ first recorded message and the first recorded missionary message.

Forgiveness was a message good enough to be preached then and a message good enough to be preached even today.

Lets look at this subject of being “FORGIVEN” and see why it should be preached.

I. The MUST Of Forgiveness

Why does a person need to be forgiven? There are 2 reasons that demand “forgiveness”.

A. There is the DILEMMA of sin

We are told (Romans 3:10) that “There is none righteous, no not one.” We are guilty because we are sinners.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 “ For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

Adam introduced to the human race the deadly virus of sin. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.

1. Universal dilemma

We are all dead in trespasses and sins. The only difference is the state of decay.

ALL OF US NEED TO BE FORGIVEN! No one has yet lived who did not need the forgiveness of SIN!

A fellow was filling out his driver’s license application. One of the questions was, “Have you ever been given a ticket?”

He wrote, “No.”

The next question was, “please explain.” He wrote, “nobody ever caught me.”

The reason most of us have not been arrested is nobody caught us. We all have certainly offended.

The great concern of sinners is to be justified, to be acquitted from guilt and accepted as righteous in God’s sight.

2. Undeniable dilemma

We all need forgiveness.

B. There is the DEFICIENCY of the Law

“YE COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW OF MOSES.” It IS impossible for a sinner to be justified by the law of Moses.

The law can corner, convict, and condemn man but it can never cancel man’s sin.

The chief function of the law is to condemn and not to save.

The law was not given to justify people but to produce the knowledge of sin - not the knowledge of salvation, but the knowledge of sin. We could never know what a crooked line is unless we also knew a straight line. The law is like a straight line. When men test themselves by it, they see how crooked they are. It is the straightedge of the Law that shows us just how crooked we are.

We can use a mirror to see that our face is dirty, but the mirror is not designed to wash the dirty face. A thermometer will tell whether a person has a fever, but swallowing the thermometer will not cure the fever.

THE LAW IS GOOD WHEN IT IS USED TO PRODUCE CONVICTION OF SIN, BUT IT WORTHLESS AS A SAVIOUR FROM SIN.