Moving Forward for Christ
The Book of Acts - Part 45
Acts 13:38-52
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - June 8, 2014
*In the Scripture tonight, Paul was on his first missionary and was about to finish his tremendous sermon in the city of Antioch in modern-day Turkey. As Paul finished preaching, he sensed that many of the Jews were rejecting the good news. Those jealous Jewish leaders were about to make the most tragic mistake of rejecting Jesus Christ. Not only did they reject Christ, they began to aggressively oppose the gospel. It was a mistake that they regret to this day, and they will regret for all eternity.
*But spiritually blind people still oppose the gospel today. The church has many enemies, and they seem to be growing stronger every day. Whether they know it or not, and most of them don't, their leader is Satan. And though his doom is sure, he still has awful abilities today.
*The devil will not be fully removed from the scene until Revelation 20, and we are not there yet. So in Luke 22:31-32, Jesus said this to the Apostle Peter:
31. . . "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.
32. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.''
*In John 10:10, Jesus called Satan a thief and said: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
*In Ephesians 6:10-12, Paul said this to Christians:
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
*And in 1 Peter 5:8-10, Peter tells us:
8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
10. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
*In all of these Scriptures we see the enemy at work, but more than that, we see the Hand of the Lord at work! And Satan doesn't stand a chance against the Lord! God's mighty Hand will prevail! So, in spite of our enemies, we can still move forward for Christ! How can we do it? Tonight's Scripture helps us see.
1. First: We should encourage people to embrace God's grace.
*This is exactly what Paul and Barnabas here. Notice again what happened as Paul began to close his sermon in vs. 38:
38. "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
39. "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40. Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you:
41. 'Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.'''
42. And when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.
43. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
*Yes, there were Christ-despisers in the synagogue that day, but in vs. 42 we also see Gentiles who begged to hear the Word of God! How wonderful! What a blessing to see people hungry for God! And it wasn't just the Gentiles. In vs. 43 many of the Jews were eager to hear more.
*I have met people like that. There was a lot of that kind of hunger in Eastern Europe after the Iron Curtain fell. Randy Alcorn has a friend who went on a mission trip to Moscow in 1990. They were there passing out free Bibles to people. Sadly, they ran out of Bibles, but a man saw one of the empty boxes and asked if he could have it. Even though he couldn't have a Bible, he wanted to have the box, because it had held the Word of God. (1)
*The first time I got to go to Ukraine in 1994, we went to a small house church that was packed with people. We started passing out Bibles at the end of the service. And some dear elderly Christian ladies were so hungry to have a Bible, they rushed the front of the church twice. The pastor had to make them sit down, as he assured them that we had enough Bibles for everyone to have a copy.
*Some people are hungry for God and His Word. And our job is to do just what Paul and Barnabas did in vs. 43: They "persuaded them to continue in the grace of God."
*We need to persuade people to keep trusting in the grace of God, because by the grace of God, Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead!
*Patrick Morley boiled this great gospel truth down to 6 words: "Adam failed. Jesus nailed. Grace prevailed!" And we need to encourage people to embrace God's grace. (2)
*Charles Stanley got a lesson on grace when he was a student in seminary. And he later said: "One of my more memorable seminary professors had a practical way of illustrating to his students the concept of grace. At the end of his evangelism course he would distribute the exam with the caution to read it all the way through before beginning to answer it. This caution was written on the exam as well.
*As we read the test, it became unquestionably clear to each of us that we had not studied nearly enough. The further we read, the worse it became. About halfway through, audible groans could be heard throughout the lecture hall.
*On the last page, however, was a note that read, 'You have a choice. You can either complete the exam as given. Or sign your name at the bottom and in so doing receive an A for this assignment.' Wow! We sat there stunned. Was he serious? Just sign it and get an A? Slowly, the point dawned on us, and one by one we turned in our tests and silently filed out of the room.
*When I talked with the professor about it afterward, he shared some of the reactions he had received through the years. Some students began to take the exam without reading it all the way through. And they would sweat it out for the entire two hours of class time before reaching the last page. Others read the first two pages, became angry, turned the test in blank, and stormed out of the room without signing it. They never realized what was available, and as a result, they lost out totally.
*One fellow, however, read the entire test, including the note at the end, but decided to take the exam anyway. He didn't want any gifts. He wanted to earn his grade. And he did. He made a C+, but he could easily have had an A."
*And Charles Stanley said: "This story illustrates many people's reaction to God's solution to sin. Some people look at God's standard: moral and ethical perfection and throw their hands up in surrender. 'Why even try?' they tell themselves. 'I could never live up to all that stuff.' Others are like the student who read the test through and was aware of the professor's offer but took the test anyway. Unwilling to simply receive God's gift of forgiveness, they tried to rack up enough points with God to earn it.
*But God's grace truly is like the professor's offer. It may seem unbelievable. But if we accept it, then, like the stunned students who accepted the professor's offer, we, too, will discover that, yes, God's grace truly is free. All we have to do is accept it." That's why we must urge more people to embrace God's amazing grace. (3)
2. How can we move forward for Christ? Encourage people to embrace God's grace. Also be flexible enough to follow the Lord.
*We have to be flexible enough to follow the Lord in a new direction. That is what Paul and Barnabas did in vs. 44-47:
44. And the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.
45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.
46. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
47. For so the Lord has commanded us (saying): 'I have set you to be a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'''
*A new direction was needed here, because of strong opposition from some of the Jews. Verse 45 tells us that they were filled with envy, so there was anger, selfishness and religious pride. How bad was it? Verse 50 tells us that "the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region."
*No doubt they were beaten, and even expelled from the city. But tonight let's focus on what Paul and Barnabas said in vs. 46-47:
46. . . "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
47. For so the Lord has commanded us . . .
*Paul and Barnabas were flexible enough to follow the Lord in a new direction. And we need to live the same way. We have to be open to God's plan "B." Sometimes God will send us in a new direction, to a new people, to a new ministry, to a new mission.
*And we have to be flexible. We have to open our spiritual ears to hear the Lord and follow His leadership. God wants to lead us to the people who are hungry for His Word. The fields are ready for the harvest Jesus said in John 4, and that is still true today.
*A new direction does not mean changing for change's sake. It means getting in touch and staying in touch with God's mission for our church. That's what Paul and Barnabas were doing in vs. 46-47, when they boldly said:
46. . . Behold, we turn to the Gentiles.
47. For so the Lord has commanded us (saying): 'I have set you to be a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'''
*"That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.' Church: That's our job now. And churches that forget God's mission will eventually die.
*Can a church die? They are dying around us every day. And in Revelation 2:1-5, Jesus gave this message to the church at Ephesus:
1. . . "These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
2. I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
3. and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.
4. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent."
*Churches that forget God's mission will eventually die. But we will thrive, as long as we are focused on God's mission, and flexible enough to follow the Lord.
3. How can we move forward for Christ? -- Be flexible enough to follow the Lord.
-And allow God to give us a full and fruitful life.
*Verse 48 gives us a good picture of a Christian life that's full and fruitful: "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."
*God wants to give us a full and fruitful life, and the key here is the Word of God. This verse tells us three things they did with God's Word. And if we will do these three things, we will have full and fruitful lives.
[1] First: Listen to the Word. Verse 48 says the "Gentiles heard this." They heard, really heard what the Lord said through Paul.
[2] So listen to the Word. And glorify God's Word. Again in vs. 48: "When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord." The Gentiles glorified God's Word. They held it in the highest esteem. They treated as it is in truth, the Word of God.
[3] They also believed God's Word, so the last part of vs. 48 says: "As many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." The Gentiles believed the good news about the cross, about God's love for us, about God's forgiveness and His gift of eternal life.
*Jerry Vines told the story of a man he witnessed to who said he could not be saved. Dr. Vines told the man to read Romans 10:9-10, which says:
9. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.
*The man read those verses, but he still did not accept the truth of that Scripture. Pastor Vines then asked the man to read these verses over and over again. The man agreed, and a few months later called Dr. Vines exclaiming, "It works! It works! It works! I have been saved." (4)
*God's Word works! It will help us have a full and fruitful life. No wonder that vs. 49 says: "The word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region." And vs. 52 tells us that "the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."
*The early church kept moving ahead. And we can too! In spite of our enemies, in spite of the setbacks, we can still move forward for the Lord Jesus Christ!
*In February of 2007, a deadly tornado struck central Florida. And it smashed almost everything in its path. The storm struck at the worst possible time, moving across the state along a 30-mile path between 3 and 4 a.m.
*Twenty people were killed, and there was great suffering in those communities. It was the second deadliest tornado in Florida history. Resident Russell Timmons said: "Hell opened up and half the demons came out."
*The Lady Lake Church of God was destroyed by the tornado. Even though it had been built to take a Cat 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds., the church was turned into a twisted mess of wood and metal. Pieces of aluminum roof hung from oak branches and clanked in the wind. Pews and Bibles were scattered everywhere.
*But here is the good news: By sunrise, church members had gathered on the parking lot, hugging each other and consoling their pastor. And they had church that Sunday. Members, neighbors and media from all over the country from gathered there for the morning service.
*That day, the Pastor said this to the reporters: "That's just the building, the people are the church. We'll be back bigger and stronger. We'll move forward. We're going to be fine. We'll pull it together."
*Robert Newman, who had attended the church for the previous 3 years said, "It doesn't bother me one little bit, because God's going to use this for a blessing. He's going to build it bigger and better."
*Suzie Lamley started attending the church when it met in a small house down the road, and she believed the tragedy could turn into a blessing. Suzie said, "This is only history. A new beginning is coming, and God's story is not over yet. I think that the eyes of the world can be opened." And another church member said this on TV, "We don't need the building. We have Jesus." (5)
CONCLUSION:
*Aren't you glad we have a Savior like that?
-No wonder we should be filled with joy!
-No wonder our church can and should move ahead!
*And we will, if we follow the guidance we see here in the Word of God:
-Encourage other people to embrace God's grace.
-Be flexible enough to follow God's guidance.
-And allow God to give us the full and fruitful life He wants us to have.
*Would you please bow for prayer.
(1) By Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries, - www.epm.org - 2006 Eternal Perspective Ministries. All rights reserved.
(2) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Patrick Morley
(3) SermonCentral sermon "God's Great Gift of Grace" by Rick Labate - Romans 3:21-24 - 1997
(4) Cross & Crown sermon "When We Walk with the Lord" - James McCullen -1 John 1:5-7
(5) Sources:
"Tornado smashes central Florida, killing at least 19" by Jim Ellis - Associated Press - Posted 02/02/2007 on Herald.com - The Miami Herald
"Torn Bibles, broken pews, flattened homes left in tornado's path" by Brian Skoloff - Associated Press - Posted 02/02/2007 on Herald.com - The Miami Herald
"Lady Lake Church of God worships amid the rubble" by By Alexandra Lundahl, Daily Sun - Found 02/07/2007 on website for The Villages Daily Sun
Quote: "We don’t need the building. We have Jesus." Heard on Fox News
