Seeing Jesus In The Old Testament Series

SEEING JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Text: Acts 13:13-23

Introduction

1. Illustration: One of my biggest heroes was a man named Dr. Stanley Horton. Dr. Horton was the leading theologian in the Assemblies of God for over 50 years. One day, I had the pleasure of having lunch with him, and then spending the rest of the afternoon with him in this office. He told me that his greatest thrill in ministry was when he saw the light come on in a student’s eyes because they began to see Jesus in the Old Testament.

2. The answer to the question “when does the Bible start talking about Jesus,” is the Book of Genesis. The bible talks about Jesus from Genesis to Revelation, and everything in the Old Testament points to Jesus.

3. Read Acts 13:13-26.

Transition: First, let’s set the scene…

I. Setting the Scene (13-14a).

A. Luke begins this section by just giving us some background on what is about to take place. He tells us in vv. 13-14, “Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia.”

1. Paul and his companions leave Paphos for Pamphylia, and they land in the port town of Perga.

2. Two interesting things happen here. At first, they seem insignificant, but they are more impactful than it might seem.

3. First, Luke refers to the group as “Paul and his companions.”

a. Up until this point it was “Barnabas and Paul,” but now Paul takes center stage, and most likely, leadership in the group.

b. Not only does Barnabas’ name not come first, but it’s also not even mentioned.

B. Second, we are told that John Mark left the group and returned to Jerusalem.

1. We are not told why, and there are several reasons that could be considered, but we don’t know for sure.

2. However, what we do know for sure, is that this becomes a source of contention between Paul and Barnabas, since John Mark was Barnabas’ cousin.

3. Once they landed, they travel inland to Antioch of Pisidia.

4. This is not the same Antioch where the church that sent them was located, it shared the same name, but was in another part of the middle east.

Transition: Now, we see Paul…

II. Pointing to Jesus (14b-23).

A. Jesus, who is God’s Promised Messiah

1. Now that Luke has set the scene for us, he begins telling us what was about to happen. In the second half of v 14 and v. 15 he says, “On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. 15 After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.”

a. Luke tells us that as a group they went to the local synagogue for services.

b. Like us, they had a liturgy, or an order of service. They read from the Books of Moses (who can tell me what the Books of Moses are?), and the Prophets.

c. Now, while this was going on, one of the elders sent them a message, asking them if they wanted to speak.

d. There was a custom they had of asking itinerant preachers if they wanted to speak.

e. So, Paul took advantage of this to show them that the Scriptures they were reading from the OT were about Jesus!

f. He was going to show them that all the OT pointed to the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior.

2. Now, Paul seizes the opportunity. Luke tells us in vv. 16-17, “So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me. 17 “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery.”

a. Paul stands up, gets their attention, and proceeds to use the Scriptures to tell them their own history.

b. He shows them how God acted on their behalf, and how all of his actions pointed to Jesus.

c. He does this by using verbs that showed how God did the action and not them.

d. First, he says that God chose Israel.

e. This is verified in Duet. 7:6-8, “For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. 7 “The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! 8 Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.”