To the Ends of the Earth, Part 19
Preach the truth, no matter your audience!
Acts 13:13-41
Dismiss children for nursery (under 4) and children’s church (ages 4-7)
Introduction
- Welcome to Seasons Church & 2024 sermon series, “To the Ends of the Earth”
-- In 2023 we unpacked the beginning of all history (Creation/Fall/Promise)
-- And we looked ahead, anticipated the coming & victory of Jesus (Revelation)
-- But, in order to get to the end, we have to be busy doing the work now (Acts)
- Last week we saw the work of God: for people to come TO salvation IN Christ
-- APP: The true revelation of Scripture is that Jesus is the Messiah we need
-- AND … the conviction of the Spirit leads to a place of choosing: Him or Us
-- It is not a grey area, it is not a man-made truth, it is the only truth that saves us
- Today, we will continue our examination on the topic of faithfulness to Jesus
-- Pt 3 has lots of scripture, but they will be quick to amplify the truth of scripture
-- Sometimes, it’s easier to be faithful when someone plots a path for you
-- What we see from Paul is exactly that …
- Read Acts 13:13-41 / Pray
- TR: As we dive in, let’s set a add to the background from last week …
Point 1 – The mission to the Gentiles begins
- First order of business is to recognize an obvious name change (~47 AD)
-- Saul becomes Paul in the book of Acts, and is known as that from here on
• “Saul” was his Jewish name – would be easily identifiable (REM: Pharisee)
• “Paul” is the name chosen as a Gentile – probably given to him at birth
• REM: He is a Roman citizen, Paul would be his “Roman” (birth) name
- RE: Last week (Ch. 13) we saw him in the governor’s court, Sergius Paulus
-- He rebuked the spirit within Bar-Jesus because of the Holy Spirit’s power in him
-- APP: For us: it is the signaling of his mission to the Gentiles beginning
- Previously, he spent lots of time ministering to Jews b/c “Saul” had a testimony
-- Now, he was stepping out as the minister to the Gentiles; called by God to do so
-- Much like the wedding Cana being Jesus’ first ministry event, this was Paul’s
-- (info) Romans 11:11, “God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles.”
- In v13 we see something of interest to us today (do you struggle in witnessing?)
-- Mark leaves the missionary field, and he leaves Paul and Barnabas’ partnership
-- We do not have a specific reason for this – all that we know is it happens
- There are some ideas here for why he did this which include:
• Mark did not agree with the mission to the Gentiles (he was a Jew)
• Or he could not submit to the authority of Paul & Barnabas (his uncle)
• Or maybe, he just did not have the stamina for the work of evangelism
- The point to see is this: Mark chose to leave the Gospel work & go home
-- BUT … we know that he was restored and came back b/c we have his Gospel
-- APP: For us we can see this as an encouragement: Ministry isn’t easy
-- We may want to quit … but endurance is required in order to succeed
- TR: It is in their endurance that we see how God uses Paul and Barnabas
Point 2 – Paul and Barnabas begin witnessing to the Gentiles
- Side note: there are others with them (earlier in Ch 13); diverse group of men
-- However, most commonly we see in Acts these two men grouped together
-- There are two things to see as we unpack Paul and Barnabas in Pisidia
1. Paul and Barnabas enter Antioch of Pisidia and preach (vv14-16)
- Don’t miss where they went to preach … Note this for the importance it holds
-- They walked into the heart of Judaism, into a synagogue on the Sabbath
- He knew the faithful to God would be there – people living for God daily
-- He know that this was the place to be on the Sabbath – a place to reach people
-- APP: It would be where he would find both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles
- As visitors to the synagogue, they were invited to address the attendees
-- Might seem unusual, but it was actually common for visitors to be asked
- Now, understand this: an “invitation to speak” meant something very specific:
-- It meant reading from the Torah & expounding on what it meant for instruction
- It was not a time to just ramble, give an opinion, or share whatever you wanted
-- It was a specific time to declare the Word of God for His people to hear
- Churches (should) operate the same today: Pastors called to teach the Word
-- Personal: This is my style – read the word, talk about what it means, period!
-- It’s called expository preaching, have to take the word as it is, in order (context)
- REM: Saul was a Rabbi (he was a member of the Pharisees in Jerusalem)
-- So, this would be a natural invitation for him to come and share God’s word
-- And how he does it is clear: he speaks to an audience that has:
• Become sick of the moral decay of this world (including in religious things)
• Seen the truth in the scriptures and is focused on worshiping God
- In his message: Paul is specific, unambiguous, and hopeful; same truth of today
-- Why? As an encouragement that we truly do serve a God who never changes
-- Second thing to see as we unpack Paul and Barnabas in Pisidia …
2. Paul testifies that God has always been working throughout history (vv17-22)
- Understand: This is how we get the foundation of the church; need for Messiah
-- BUT – it is also in this that we see the same God preached over all of history
-- APP: This is how Paul draws them into a place of common ground:
• God chose Israel, and then God delivered Israel from its enemies
• God put up with (suffered) with Israel through the wilderness (led them)
• God led Israel to conquer Canaan (protected and nourished them)
• God gave Israel judges (because of their complacency and unfaithfulness)
• God gave Israel a man who was not only a judge, but a prophet (Samuel)
• God gave Israel a king of their own choosing – Saul, son of Kish
- But then: God raised up a king of His own choosing … why? (see v22)
• Man’s choice in leadership failed miserably
• Saul mismanaged God’s will and purpose for Israel
• So, as a result David was placed in authority by God’s anointing
- From David, comes the promised Messiah (Matthew 1 shows the lineage)
-- Isaiah 11:1-2 (prophecy), “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot - yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
- TR: Why does this foundation matter to us in 2024? It unifies the story for us!
-- It can encourage us to preach one God, one Savior, one way of redemption
Point 3 – Paul teaches on their need for a Messiah
- Paul declares that God has already accomplished His plan of redemption
-- He gave the world His Savior, Jesus … look at his sermon outline
1. The Savior was proclaimed by last OT prophet (John the Baptist) (vv24-25)
• John proclaimed a baptism of repentance, but that someone else is coming
• A Savior that he would be unworthy of even untying his shoes! (John 1:27)
2. He proclaims the Savior is the “word of salvation” (v26)
• Jesus is the One who “God raised from the dead” (vv30-33)
o 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”
• Jesus is God’s Son, the One who was given by God (v33)
o John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
• Jesus is the Holy One, who did not decay in the tomb (v35, 37)
o Romans 1:4, “and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.”
• Through Jesus we find the “forgiveness of sins” (v38)
o Ephesians 1:7, “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”
• By Jesus “all that believe are justified from all things” (v39)
o Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
3. He proclaims the Savior was rejected and crucified by humanity (vv27-28)
• The punishment of sin was for Him to die in our place
• He was to be rejected by humanity (cast out) and take on our punishment
o Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
4. The Savior was raised from the dead by God (v30)
• There is proof of eyewitnesses who had seen Him alive (v31)
• APP: God had a purpose in resurrecting Jesus; for us to be with him also
o 2 Corinthians 4:14, “We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.”
5. It is in the Savior where sins can be forgiven (v38)
- FACT: He is the only person who can forgive sin … because:
• He is the one who died for sins in order to gain the authority to forgive sin
o John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
• He is the one who rose and is now living
o Acts 5:31, “Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven.”
• He is the one who is alive for the purpose of forgiving sins
o 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
BIG IDEA
- Why do these things matter? The last three sentences draw it all together for us:
-- Re-read Acts 13 verses 39-41
- The Savior justifies all who believe, made right apart from the Law (v39)
-- APP: Faith in Jesus is what absolves us from being judged under Law (Ex 20)
• Galatians 3:6, “In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
- The Savior will bring judgment upon men who deny Him (vv40-41)
• This is a warning to those who casually reject the salvation of Jesus
• Paul quotes Habakkuk1:5 (prophecy), “The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.”
- In Christ we see the entire scope of the punishment of sin and avenue of rescue
-- Because of Jesus, Paul preaches to those in the synagogue … what say you?
-- Pray
