The First Missionary Journey
(Part 2)
Acts 14
July 21, 2002
Intro:
A. [NO SCAR? By Amy Carmichael]
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spend,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?
No wound, no scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And, pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has no wounds nor scar?
B. Today we continue with part 2 of our study of Paul’s first missionary journey.
I. In Iconium: Division
A. The brothers preached effectively.
Acts 14:1, At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.
1. Following their getting run out of town in Pisidian Antioch, two things happened:
a. Immediately after being persecuted and run out of town in Pisidian Antioch by the Jews, Paul and Barnabas went "as usual into the Jewish synagogue" in Iconium.
1) The last verse in the last chapter tells us that even though they had been persecuted and run out of town in Pisidian Antioch, they were full of joy and the HS.
2) They were full of joy and the HS and therefore did not allow the persecution in the previous town to dissuade them from their usual habit of going into the Jewish synagogue to give them the first opportunity at salvation.
b. The second thing the verse says is that Paul and Barnabas preached effectively.
1) They preached the Scripture effectively.
2) They preached Jesus effectively.
3) They preached so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.
4) They preached in such a way that those who looked into the Scriptures for themselves saw and believed.
2. And I believe we’re seeing the same things today.
a. I believe we are beginning to see more and more preachers who are anointed of God to preach effectively.
b. I believe we are seeing more and more preachers who are preaching in a way that is understandable.
c. I believe we are seeing more and more preachers who are preaching in a way that is affecting peoples’ lives.
d. And I believe we are beginning to see more and more people getting saved.
e. I believe there are more and more people beginning to realize that there are problems in this world and our time is limited.
f. I believe we are going to see more and more people getting saved.
B. The refusers poisoned the believers’ minds.
Acts 14:2, But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
1. There were those "who refused to believe."
a. There were those in Iconium who refused to believe the preaching of Saul and Barnabas about Jesus.
b. There were those in Iconium who refused to believe even though they had preached so effectively that many Jews and Gentiles believed.
c. This wasn’t a case of Paul not making his point.
d. This wasn’t a case of Paul being a poor preacher.
e. This was a case that even though Paul came and taught the Scriptures effectively, there were some of the long-time religious people "who refused to believed."
2. But not only did they refuse to believe themselves, they refused to let anyone else believe.
a. The verse goes on to say that they stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against [Paul and Barnabas.]
b. Not only did they refuse to believe what Paul and Barnabas preached, they refused to let anyone else believe.
c. They stirred people up and poisoned them against Paul and Barnabas.
d. Gossip and slander.
e. I’m sure they made comments about their character and lack of respect for the long standing traditions of the church.
f. I’m sure they told people that this not what they had been teaching the people about the Bible for many years.
3. And of course this is still true today.
a. There are many who refuse to believe what God is telling us today.
b. There are many who refuse to believe what God is doing today.
c. And sadly too many of those call themselves believers and go to church.
d. There are those who even go to church but refuse to believe.
e. And they poison the minds of believers against their preachers.
f. Sadly the biggest battles that preachers fight today are against their own people.
g. And too many of those preachers simply give up instead of continuing to fight the good fight like Paul did.
C. The brothers continued to speak boldly.
Acts 14:3, So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
1. But notice that Paul and Barnabas haven’t asked anyone to take sides.
2. Paul and Barnabas didn’t draw the battle lines.
3. But they refused to back down from their beliefs.
4. They didn’t just turn tail and run.
5. They didn’t tone down their preaching a little to keep the old-timers from getting upset.
6. No. "[They] spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord."
7. So what if people got upset?
8. So what if there were people who refused to believe?
9. So what if others were poisoning people against them?
10. So what if the religious people got upset?
11. "[They] spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord."
12. And God confirmed their message by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
13. We must continue to speak boldly the Word of God and God will do great things amongst us as well.
D. The crowds were divided.
Acts 14:4, The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.
1. Again, Paul and Barnabas haven’t asked anyone to take sides.
2. It was the Jews who were asking people to choose up sides.
3. Paul and Barnabas were still continuing to preach effectively because many people were sticking with them.
4. But there were others who refused and there was therefore division in the church.
5. And too many churches are divided today amongst themselves.
6. Too many churches are feuding amongst themselves instead of fighting the good fight.
E. The refusers plotted to stone the brothers.
Acts 14:5, There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.
1. Some finally got mad enough that they decided to stone Paul and Barnabas.
2. Why is it that when some refuse to believe all they’ve got left is slander and violence?
3. When there is slander and violence, it is easy to see (for those who want to) who is on the Lord’s side.
4. Fortunately today, we don’t get stoned; but we do have persecution in other forms.
F. The brothers fled to Lystra and Derbe.
Acts 14:6-7, But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the good news.
1. God let Paul and Barnabas know about the plot that was underfoot to stone them.
2. God has a way of letting His people know what they need to know.
3. And so Paul and Barnabas left Iconium and went to preach in Lystra.
II. In Lystra: Delusion
A. The crippled man’s response to the Word.
Acts 14:8-10, In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
1. Paul preached in Lystra and there was a crippled man who listened intently to Paul.
2. The man had been crippled from birth and had never walked.
3. Paul told the man to get up on his feet and the man jumped up and began to walk.
4. This was another miraculous healing by Jesus Christ.
5. It came through the apostle Paul, but it came from Jesus Christ.
B. The crowd’s response to the brothers.
Acts 14:11-13, When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
1. Many of the people in Lystra worshipped the Greek Gods.
2. There was a temple and priest for Zeus in the city.
3. And even the priest of Zeus thought Barnabas was Zeus.
4. The people thought Paul and Barnabas were the Greek gods Hermes and Zeus because they had healed this man crippled since birth.
5. They were worshipping, bringing wreaths, and making sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.
C. The apostles’ response to the crowds.
Acts 14:14-18, But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
1. Paul and Barnabas explained to the people that they were delusional; they were misunderstanding where their power came from.
2. It wasn’t their power, but Christ’s power.
3. Paul and Barnabas told the people they came to town to get them to give themselves to Christ and not them.
4. And even though they tore there clothes and explained the truth to the people, many were still sacrificing to them.
5. These people thought Paul and Barnabas were so great that they thought they were gods.
6. One of the things that I’ve learned in ministry is this: you can’t believe all the bad things people say about you and you can’t believe all the good things people say about you either.
7. These people were delusional in thinking that the brothers were gods.
D. The refusers’ response to Paul.
Acts 14:19, Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.
1. Now you may have thought that since Paul had left Pisidian Antioch and Iconium, that the people who had refused to believe there and had stirred up persecution for them in their own cities would be happy that Paul and Barnabas were gone.
2. But no, they weren’t content for Paul to leave town—they wanted Paul dead!
3. You may recall that Paul had dramatically shaken the dust off his feet when he left Pisidian Antioch-which would have effectively called them heathens.
4. And the people in Iconium had wanted to stone him, but he had gotten away.
5. So the refusers from Pisidian Antioch and the refusers from Iconium came after Paul in Lystra and this time they weren’t going to let him get away.
6. This time they dragged him outside the city and stoned him.
7. They only left because they thought they had accomplished their mission.
8. They only left because they thought they had succeeded in killing Paul.
9. They only left because they thought they had gotten what they wanted.
10. Its an amazing thing to see when someone who calls themselves a believer in God is so unhappy with someone that they run them out of the church; but even then they’re not satisfied, they chase them where ever they go.
11. I’ve seen it happen.
E. The disciples’ response to Paul.
Acts 14:20, But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
1. The other believers did exactly what believers should do when their preacher or another believer is beaten up—they gathered around him.
2. And when the believers gathered around their preacher, he got up and went to back to preaching.
3. The believers didn’t just leave their brother to suffer on his own.
4. The believers gathered around him and nursed him back to health physically, and also spiritually.
5. Because Paul went right on with his missionary journey.
6. Paul was nearly dead, but the next day he went on to the next city and preached again as we read in the next verse.
III. The return: Declaration
A. Derbe: Declared the Good News.
Acts 14:21a, They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples.
1. Almost dead one day, preaching the gospel again in the next city the next day.
2. Almost dead one day, but still preaching effectively the next day and they won a large number of disciples.
3. Almost dead one day, but declaring the Good News of Jesus and winning large numbers the next day.
B. Lystra, Iconium, Pisidian Antioch: Declared encouragement.
Acts 14:21b-23, Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
1. Now let’s review…
a. Paul was persecuted and run out of town in Pisidian Antioch.
b. They wanted to stone him in Iconium and he fled to Lystra.
c. In Lystra, the refusers from Antioch and Lystra found him and stoned him nearly to death.
d. Then Paul goes to Derbe.
e. Now where did he go after leaving Derbe? Back to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.
2. Pretty bold dude, isn’t he?
3. He goes right back to the towns of the people who thought they had killed him.
4. What does he preach in those towns this time? "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,"
5. Why is he telling the believers this? Because surely those who tried to kill him were persecuting those others in the town who believed, don’t you think?
6. Paul says in order to keep their faith and gain eternal life, they would have to endure persecution.
7. Was he speaking as one who didn’t know what he was talking about?
8. He had experienced persecution and stoning and he was going back to strengthen and encourage them to remain true to the faith.
9. Paul went right back to the towns of the people who had tried to kill him to encourage believers to endure hardship!
10. Wow! Paul thought far more of others than himself!
C. Perga, Attalia: Declared the Good News.
Acts 14:24-25, After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
1. After leaving the cities that they had previously been to, he continued back towards home.
2. Along the way, they continued to preach the gospel.
D. Syrian Antioch: Declared the works of God.
Acts 14:26-28, From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
1. Now Paul and Barnabas arrive back where they had been called from.
2. They arrive back at the church where the HS had originally called them into this ministry.
3. They arrived back at Syrian Antioch and they declared the deeds of God while they had been gone.
4. They told the brothers what God had done while they were gone.
5. What would have been the first thing you and I would have told the brothers?
6. "You won’t believe the persecution and the stoning that we underwent!"
7. "You won’t believe how tough it was!"
8. But Luke makes no mention of that.
9. What Luke says is that they "reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."
Conclusion:
A. [NO SCAR? By Amy Carmichael]
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spend,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?
No wound, no scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And, pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has no wounds nor scar?
B. 2 Timothy 3:10-14, You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
1. What do we do when we are persecuted?
2. What should we do when people start harrassing us?
3. What should we do when people start slandering us behind our backs?
4. PRAY!!
5. We should pray and ask God to search our heart and show whether the attacks our warranted in His eyes.
6. We should pray and ask God if He is trying to tell us something through this persecution.
7. We should spend extended time asking God if the attacks are warranted, if we’ve done something to deserve them.
a. If they are, we obviously need to repent.
b. We need to ask God and the people we have offended to forgive us.
c. We need to ask God to change us so that we aren’t that way anymore.
8. But if the persecution is not brought on by anything we have done, but by Christ in us, we must continue in what we have learned and have become convinced of.
a. Christ was persecuted.
b. Paul was persecuted.
c. Your preacher has been persecuted.
d. And Paul says that everyone who believes in Christ is persecuted.
e. When you are persecuted, when you have people poisoning people against you, when you are physically accosted—DON’T GIVE UP!!!
f. Continue to do what you know is right!
g. Continue doing what you have learned!
h. Continue doing what you have been convinced of!
C. Now what is it that Paul was doing that he was willing to endure these persecutions?
1. What is it that was so important to Paul that he was willing to risk his life for?
2. What is it that was so important to Paul that he thought more about than he thought about his own life?
3. Spreading the gospel!
4. Paul thought that spreading the gospel was worth risking his life for!
5. Do we have that same kind of commitment to spreading the gospel?
6. Are we willing to risk everything so that men, women, boys, and girls don’t die and go to hell?
D. The apostle Paul had a great commitment to the great commission and the great commandment.
1. The great commission is: Matthew 28:18-20, Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
a. Paul had a great commitment to the great commission: spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
b. Paul risked his own life so that others could hear about Jesus and receive eternal life.
2. Paul also had a great commitment to the great commandment.
a. A Pharisee once tried to trap Jesus by asking him what is the greatest commandment.
b. Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus replied: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
c. That means that we put God first, others second, and ourselves last.
d. That’s exactly what Paul did and the Scripture says he was full of joy and the HS in the midst of persecution.
3. Paul had a great commitment to the great commission and to the great commandment.
4. Paul demonstrated that in this text and he calls all of us to that same commitment in 2 Timothy 3:10-14 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
5. I believe that if we can have that kind of commitment that sticks with the mission, NO MATTER WHAT, we will build a great church!
6. Because a great commitment to the great commission and the great commandment will build a great church! (repeat) (say it with me)
7. What lengths are we willing to go to?
8. What risks are we willing to take?
9. What comforts are we willing to risk?
10. What money are we willing to risk?
11. What time are we willing to give?
12. What sacrifice are we willing to make?
13. What are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom of God?
14. Paul was willing to give all?
15. What are you going to give?
E. [illustration from Our Daily Bread]
In ancient Rome, crowds by the tens of thousands would gather in the Colosseum to watch as Christians were torn apart by wild animals.
Paul Rader, commenting on his visit to this famous landmark, said, "I stood uncovered to the heavens above, where He sits for whom they gladly died, and asked myself, ’Would I, could I, die for Him tonight to get this gospel to the ends of the earth?’"
Rader continued, "I prayed most fervently in that Roman arena for the spirit of a martyr, and for the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart, as He worked in Paul’s heart when He brought him on his handcuffed way to Rome."
Those early Christians "lived on the threshold of heaven, within a heartbeat of home, no possessions to hold them back."
1. If so many have been willing to give their lives for the sake of the gospel, isn’t there a greater commitment that we should make?
2. What sacrifice do you need to make to the great commission and the great commandment?
3. What is it? Will you write it down write now in your bulletin?
