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.
The law WAS not given to show a man how to be saved, but to show the man that he needs to be saved. The law was not given to save us, but rather to show us we need a Savior.
If we could have been saved by keeping commandments then the sacrifice of the Cross would have been worthless. Galatians 2:21 "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."
There are still those who treat the ten commandments as if they were a scorecard for salvation. The ten commandments were given to show us that we could never measure up to God’s demands, and thus we need the Savior.
Romans 3:20 “..by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
Well, since I am a sinner and the law is insufficient to grant forgiveness... where must I turn..... what must I do?
II. The MEANS Of Forgiveness
It is through “this man.” Who is this man? It is Jesus Christ
No forgiveness outside of Christ. THERE IS no forgiveness in the church, through the pope, or the through the ordinances.
It wasn’t THROUGH the apostles, Paul and Barnabas, that forgiveness of sin and justification were preached. The gospel was only preached BY the apostles. It was THROUGH the MAN, Jesus of Nazareth.
What can wash away my sin,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
G.K. Chesterton once said, "God paints in many colors, but He never paints so gorgeously as when He paints in white." God said in Isaiah 1:18, "…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." God has taken many a dirty heart, and with the blood of the Lord Jesus, painted it white. There is the glorious experience of any one who has been forgiven by God.
Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”
There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood;
Drawn From Emmanuel’s Veins.
And Sinners Plunged Beneath That Flood;
LOSE ALL THEIR GUILTY STAINS. I AM SO GLAD THAT I CAN preach and proclaim that JESUS CHRIST STILL FORGIVES PEOPLE OF THEIR SINS!
The Bible says in 1 John 1:7, "…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
“FORGIVEN” is a sweet word. If you need your sins forgiven, it will be the sweetest word that you will hear today.
III. The MANNER Of Forgiveness
A. It is FREE!
Anybody can have it. It cannot be purchased or merited.
God has forgiven some awfully bad character. One prime example would be the apostle Paul.
It is undeserved.
It is unearned.
B. It is FULL!
“justified from all things”
Not half forgiven but fully forgiven.
No one was more aware of the truth that justification is by grace apart from human works than R. A. Torrey. Because of this, he was very effective in his witness for the Savior and often counseled with people who had difficulty finding peace with God. His method was to give them a Bible and have them read a pertinent selection. He would then ask questions about that Scripture until they fully understood its meaning.
On one occasion he talked with a young woman who had no assurance that her sins were forgiven He told her to read aloud Acts 13:39, "And by Him all that believe are justified from all things," Then he inquired, "Who does God say is justified?"
"All that believe," she replied.
"Believe on whom?"
"Believe on Christ."
"Have you accepted Him as your Savior and Lord?"
"Yes." "Then what does this verse promise?" The doubting woman hesitated. Somehow she could not say from her heart, "I’m justified from all things." She kept weeping over her many sins.
Says Torrey, "I went over that Scripture again and again. At last the simple meaning of the words dawned upon her. And when I asked her one more time, ’Do you believe in Christ?’ a glorious light suddenly spread over her face.
“Yes, praise the Lord, I do! I see it now I,” she exclaimed. ’I’m justified from all things!’" And so she found peace.
My friend, self-effort, religious ritual, and even agonizing prayer cannot wash away sin. But when you trust in Christ, your heart will leap with Joy as you lose your bur den of guilt and experience total forgiveness and justification.
C. It is FOREVER!
I read about a man that went to see a psychologist. He said, "Doc, you have got to help me with my wife."
The doctor asked, "What’s the matter?"
The husband said, "Well, every time we get into an argument she gets historical."
The doctor said, "You mean hysterical."
The husband said, "No, I mean historical. She drags up my past every time we get into an argument."
The devil gets ‘historical’ with us. But here is something I want you to understand. The Holy Spirit only convicts you of unconfessed sins. The devil accuses you of confessed sins. Satan will always BE saying to you, "Do you remember what you did." Every time God wants to bless you and use you the devil reminds you of the past. He keeps you filled with guilt.
But I want to ask you something. If God forgives our sin and forgets our sin, then you have no need to live under a cloud of guilt. Remember something: GOD WILL NEVER BRING UP AGAIN ANY SIN THAT HE HAS PLACED UNDER THE BLOOD!
On the island of Trinidad there is a crater in an extinct volcano which is completely filled with pitch. This asphalt is hard enough for people to walk on, even though here and there gas escapes in bubbles from its surface. Train loads of full of asphalt are dug from this tar-like lake and used to pave roads all over the world.
It is said, that no matter how large a hole of asphalt is dug out, it fills back up within 72 hours. For over 100 years they have been taking shiploads of asphalt out of this crater, yet it remains full. They have gone down as 280 feet and still found this black, gum-like substance bubbling up.
The same is true of God’s grace and forgiveness. It never runs out and never diminishes. No matter how terrible the sin, there is grace and forgiveness that will be sufficient. The person that has been forgiven of sin need not live in a prison of guilt. You can be set free.
IV. The METHOD Of Forgiveness
“by him all that believe “
See Acts 10:43.
See Ephesians 2:8,9.
Faith enables one to possess what God provides.
It is not enough just to believe that a man named Jesus Christ lived two thousand years ago, nor even to believe He was born of a virgin, nor even to believe He performed miracles, nor even to believe He died on the cross, nor even to believe He was raised from the dead. Saving faith is when you take your belief to a point of personal trust on that risen Christ as your Lord and as your Savior.
Years ago, Evangelist Monroe Parker was traveling in South Alabama on a hot, blistering day. He stopped at a watermelon stand, picked out a watermelon and asked the proprietor how much it cost.
"It’s $1.10."
Parker checked his wallet and found only a dollar, "All I have is a dollar."
"That’s ok," the proprietor said, "I’ll trust you for it."
"Well, thanks," Parker replied, and picked up the watermelon to leave.
"Hey, where are you going?" the man behind the counter demanded.
"I’m going out to eat my watermelon."
"But you forgot to give me the dollar!"
"You said you would trust me for it," Parker called back.
"Yeah, but I meant I would trust you for the dime!"
"Hey, Mack," Parker replied, "You don’t really trust me at all. You’re just willing to take a ten-cent chance on my integrity!"
Believing on Christ is more than taking a 10¢ risk with your soul! It means trusting Him totally and completely.
Conclusion:
There are two responses seen after this message.
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