REJOICE IN GOD’S WORD OF LIGHT
May 14, 2006 - EASTER 5 - Acts 13:44-52
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Dear Friends in Christ:
The second Sunday in May always seems to be a special day. Today is no different. This second Sunday of May is much like all of those other second Sundays in May. Today’s weather is nice. We are reminded how important it was that the Lord provided for us faithful mothers. There is a joy in our hearts whether we are a mother, or honor our mother, or recall the memory of our mother. There is closeness and a sense of peace in recalling our family ties. We also realize that this is just a worldly celebration set up by men. It is not a bad celebration. The Lord also reminds us today that as much love and joy and peace and contentment we feel because of our mother or for our mother, or a mother for her children, we are even more closely connected as children of God. We heard it in our Scripture lessons already that we are God’s children, and he loves us. We are the branches and he is the vine. Without him we have no nourishment or life, nothing at all.
Peter describes this joy that you and I have and even though we don’t see Jesus physically. We realize the joy we have for our mother or our parents or our friends when we do see them. Peter says God’s love is multiplied even though we can’t see him. "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:8,9). So the peace and contentment and love we feel this morning, we are to multiply that even more. Why? God has given to us the salvation of our souls. From today’s text:
WE REJOICE IN GOD’S WORD OF LIGHT
I. By hearing and believing, and;
II. By proclaiming God’s truth.
I. BY HEARING AND BELIEVING
In our text we continue with what we studied last week. Paul and Barnabas and his friends left Jerusalem to sail across the Mediterranean. They landed in Antioch of Pisidia. There they preached God’s word. That was last week. This week is also another week in our text as it says: "On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the world of the Lord." From last week’s Sabbath to this one, the disciples were teaching and preaching and proclaiming God’s Word. In that week, a few short days, God’s word was heard and believed by those who were willing to listen. We are told almost the whole town came out. Imagine the joy of Paul and Barnabas, the excitement as people gathered around. Many for the first time heard the Gospel message that Christ had lived and died and rose again. You would think there would be no one who would oppose such a message.
Yet, what does the next verse tell us? "When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying." Here these people were members of the synagogue for all of their life. When they saw the Gentiles coming in, they were not so happy. This is Paul’s first missionary journey. We remember when he goes back to Jerusalem, he has to justify to those in Jerusalem that the Gentiles could believe. The Jews thought the Gentiles couldn’t believe without knowing the Ten Commandments. The Gentiles couldn’t believe without being circumcised or that they couldn’t believe without knowing all the laws and commandments of God in the first five books of the Bible. Yet, that is not the case. The Gentiles rejoiced in God’s Word of light by hearing and believing.
The message was simple. Paul says to the crowd: "This is what the Lord has commanded us: ’I made you a light for the Gentiles.’" Paul realized that God had made him a light for the Gentiles. Barnabas realized God had made him for the Gentiles. There were some of the Jews who did understand that prophesy from Isaiah a long time ago. The Jews were also to be lights for the Gentiles. By their hearing and believing, they could be in the light; and their light would bring others to that light. Still we find the Jews are filled with jealousy. Too many people gathered to hear Paul and Barnabas but did not come to hear their message of the law, which offered no hope.
Note the great change for these new believers. In verse 48: "When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed." They heard and believed by the power of the Holy Spirit. They were glad and rejoiced in this word of light from God himself. There were those who stood against Paul and Barnabas and rejected them. That too, was part of God’s plan. Verse 46: "Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ’We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.’" They continued preaching and the Gentiles rejoiced at hearing God’s word of light.
The point is today we are the Gentiles. From the rejection of the Jews of Christ and from the rejection of the Jewish nation of Christ’s word, you and I are saved. We are far removed from that first preaching of Christ’s resurrection. Yet, that message is to be new to us everyday. We, too, are to be as joyful as the Gentiles when we hear the fact that Christ has died for our sins. Rejoice in this word of God that is the light of our life. We dare not ever underestimate the importance of hearing God’s word. We have heard this passage time and again as we are told in Romans: "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Sadly, today there is going to be many who hear about the importance of mothers (who are important); but more important than that is the message of Christ and salvation and his resurrection. This message is sometimes swept under the carpet for the social gospel and making people feel good.
We rejoice because by hearing God has planted his word in our hearts. God has given us eternal salvation. We are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. We know as we have learned that we cannot come to the Lord on our own or find him. Nor do we want to, because our sinful nature stands opposed to God. We are born as enemies of Christ. So we rejoice even more this morning realizing that it is purely out of God’s love for us, his free grace that any of us are saved. It is purely out of God’s grace, and his divine love for us that any of us would have eternal life. This is because we cannot earn it or deserve it and cannot buy it. Paul writes in Timothy: "God has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time" (1 Timothy 1:9). That describes God’s grace. Before we were born, before our parents were born, God knew us. He knew us before the beginning of time that he was going to shed his grace on us. It was before the beginning of time that he knew that he was going to call us his children. God knew that he was going to prepare a place for us in heaven, knew that he was going to be the vine and we would be grafted into him as branches. God gives faith to us freely and abundantly.
Consider the prophet Isaiah who had the invitation for the people to come and eat what was good and drink from the best of the wines freely. Then he says: "Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David" (Isaiah 55:2b, 3).
Our Lord says to us today, Rejoice in God’s Word of light by hearing and believing. Rejoice in God’s Word of light by proclaiming God’s truth.
II. BY PROCLAIMING GOD’S TRUTH
Again, we don’t want to end up worshipping Paul, but we do want to learn from his example. Paul did not give up. Even though he was in Damascus and preached for the first time, he had to leave the city before they did harm to him. Next place, Jerusalem it was the same thing. He comes to Antioch. Our text says: "The Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city." You can see them whispering in the back, stirring up the congregation until finally they didn’t like Paul. It doesn’t say they liked his message. The Jews didn’t like his message. We know how good they were at stirring up dissension. These were the ones with the same background who incited the crowd until they crucified Jesus. Paul didn’t expect any better.
Then it says: "They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region." First the church became upset and against them, then the city until finally they were kicked out. Paul and Barnabas were kicked out of the first city where they could do mission work. It happens in the next city, too. They go to Iconium and were kicked out of there. They went on to Lystra and were kicked out of there. Then in Derbe, they were kicked out of there and Paul was stoned and left for dead. Paul still continues on his journey back to encourage the believers even though from Derbe to his hometown was only 70 miles. Instead of going back there and giving up, he goes back to all the churches he was kicked out of. Paul realized he needed to rejoice in God’s word of light by proclaiming God’s word of truth. Even though many people stood opposed to God’s message, even though the church leaders stood opposed to it and stirred up persecution, God’s word was still the truth.
In verse 51: "So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium." God’s judgment stood against those who rejected God’s word. They were not rejecting just Paul and Barnabas. They were rejecting God’s word. We just studied that in Bible study. When the people grumbled and complained against Moses, they weren’t rejecting Moses but rejecting the Lord. There is a warning there. But what was the message they proclaimed? He says: "I have made you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." That is what Paul and Barnabas were doing. That is what the other Apostles were doing. We heard about Philip and the baptism recorded in our first lesson. In verse 46 Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly. From synagogue to synagogue they receive rejection after rejection after rejection on their first journey. The second journey is the same thing.
How does chapter 13 end? "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Paul and Barnabas were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. They continue to go on to proclaim God’s word. The disciples that stayed behind in Antioch the churches of Pisidia were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit. Some of the Jewish people were not filled with joy. They continue to try and destroy that church after Paul and Barnabas left, but they could not. That church in Antioch stood as being one of the great Gentile churches of its time. It endured because the word of God was planted there. The church endured because the word of God then flourished from there. It endured because of God’s grace.
God’s word today endures because of his grace. God’s word today has been planted in our hearts for most of us from very early on. We can thank faithful parents for that. We can thank God who gave us faithful parents. Everyday God’s grace is amazing. Everyday no matter what we face in this life, no matter what challenges, no matter what sin or temptations, no matter what troubles or difficulties, God is with us; and he has given us in this life faith by grace. In 2 Corinthians: "For God, who said, ’Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). As this world progresses ever faster to the day of judgment, there are less and less who know the true meaning of the knowledge of salvation. There are less and less who understand the simple fact of Jesus’ resurrection.
God gave us that light of the knowledge of salvation in order to proclaim God’s truth and joy. Satan gives us all kinds of excuses. He tells us: "We are not so comfortable telling others about our faith. We are not so sure." Yet we are sure, because we know the Scriptures. God has placed them in our hands and in our hearts and in our lives. Yet if we don’t feel comfortable or prepared, there is an easy solution, isn’t there? Jesus says: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me" (John 5:39). Do we want to know the answers? Open up the Bible. Listen well on Sunday and come to Bible Study. Study God’s Word. Then we see the answers and we rejoice. If there is nothing else you can do in this life and if you don’t feel comfortable talking about your faith, then simply rejoice always and always be happy.
There are plenty of reasons you can find not to be happy. Everyone else does that too. Turn on the news and see all the things to be scared about. But there are even more reasons to rejoice. If you can’t find many reasons to rejoice, there is always the one reason to rejoice--God has filled us with an inexpressible and glorious joy. We look back at this example and how much harm was done to God’s church because the Jewish leaders stirred up the women and the leading men until finally they kicked Paul out. Did that make them happy? No. Did that make God happy? No. What about the Gentiles? The Gentiles, who we could say didn’t know any better, rejoiced in the simple fact of their salvation. Salvation is what we have, day after day for our joy. Let people ask us about the joy that we have; and then explain to them with gentleness and respect, that Christ is my Savior. In Ephesians: "For you once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord" (Ephesians 5:8-10). Paul writes, "Find out what pleases the Lord. Search out his righteousness, goodness and truth." We live in a world that does not want to discover what pleases the Lord. We live in a world that is not concerned about truth at all or righteousness or goodness.
We may not think of that. We may think that the world around is not sure about faith and eternity – which is true. The world is also not concerned at all about the basic morality of life. On Sunday afternoons on public radio (not to support public radio), they have an hour program called, "This American Life." Two weeks ago they talked with people who had committed crimes. An older lady in her sixties or seventies stole things from stores. Then she got caught. We would think, "Confess and take your punishment." She was upset she got caught. She felt she didn’t get everything out of life that life owed her. In her mind it was okay to steal. She did not even call it stealing. She was just taking what belonged to her from merchants in stores. She thought this was ethical and moral. This is the society we live in. The Lord says we need to be ethical and moral in this world by living in the joy of our Christian faith! We know what is good and right and true. If we do nothing else, may we be shining examples to those who are in darkness.
We rejoice today on this special day that the world has set aside to honor mothers. You and I know that one day is not enough. In the same way the Lord has set aside everyday of our life to honor him and glorify him and rejoice in God’s word of light, because we do not sit in the darkness anymore. We know what is good and right and true. We are filled with an inexpressible joy. We are given eternal life, so that we can rejoice in God’s word of truth. We do it by hearing his word, by believing his word, and by proclaiming God’s truth -- all by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Listen to the Psalm writer: "Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ’The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy" (Psalm 126:2,3). The Psalm writer described the people in the nations around them who saw the children of Israel. Hopefully, the people around us can see and say the same. We are filled with joy, not just today, but everyday. Indeed, the Lord has done great things for each and everyone of us – and – we are filled with joy! Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
Sunday radio broadcast @ 9:05am on KQNK 106.7FM or 1530AM + www.kqnk.com
Easter 5 readings: ACTS 8:26-40; 1 JOHN 3:81-24; JOHN 15:1-8
