The Acts of the Apostles 54

Subtitle: The Justification of Believers

Acts 13:33-41.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 10, 2023.

We are picking up today part of the way through Paul's address in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch.  They had joined the group's meeting on the Sabbath, and have been asked to share with the assembly.  Paul takes advantage of the situation to declare that Jesus is the Messiah.

However, Paul emphasizes their, our, spiritual need, the need to have our sins forgiven, and to be justified before God.  We will talk more about what this means.  Yet, imagine having all of the sins of your past removed from your account before God because of Jesus!

It is amazing to me how many Western people have some kind of belief in karma.  They think that if they do enough good things to outweigh their bad things, then they should be acceptable.  Of course, the Eastern religions posit reincarnation because they know that such a work would be difficult to achieve.

However, the Bible says that we will only have one mortal life to live and then we will face judgment.  There will not be an innumerable number of attempts to get it right.

Rather than the image of scales, we should see the image of cleanliness.  I grew up in central Idaho where there is not much pavement and lots of dirt.  I loved the look of white clothes, and white shoes.  However, they would very quickly be stained with dirt, pitch, etc.   The real question is this.  How can I get it sparkly clean again?

It is good to do good things, but that cannot clean the stain of the bad things you have done.  How can I be cleansed?  How can I be justified before God so that, when I'm standing before God, and I've done all of this, He may justify me?

This is why Paul's sermon was important to them that day, and is still important to us today.  It is through Jesus that we can be forgiven and justified.  You can have the help of Jesus by the Holy Spirit to battle sin in your life and move forward justified.  For the Christian, death itself becomes the final stroke against sin in our life.  It is God's final help to us.  "Here son, let Me help you."  For the believer, death is not a loss; it is a gain, a promotion, a victory!

Let's look at our passage.

Paul continues preaching in Antioch of Pisidia (v. 33-41)

Paul had earlier revealed that the man Jesus had come forth as had been promised by God to David.  Jesus was the One that God promised David would come from his offspring.  This Jesus was the ultimate Seed of David, and was now God's Savior for Israel, and even for the Gentiles.  They were there that day to tell them this good news.

Yet, the good news also has some attendant bad news.  The rulers and those who dwell in Jerusalem crucified him.  What?  But, don't fear.  God has raised Jesus from the dead.  He now has provided salvation for all who will believe on him. 

This is all as the Old Testament Scriptures had promised.  God had promised to send a Savior and, even in the face of their faithlessness, He had done it.  In fact, God did it in a way that actually used their sinfulness to accomplish it.  Jesus had to die in order to pay the price.  It wasn't right what they did, but it accomplished a good thing because of the love of God.

This is part of our human condition; it is not just a Jewish thing.  Christianity was never intended to be a list of 10 things you have to do, or 7 sacraments that will keep you good.  It is a relationship with God where He puts His Spirit within you.  We are now enabled to walk with God because Jesus has laid down his life for us.  In fact, Jesus has laid himself down for us as a foundation that we build on, or a road that we walk on.  Each step I take in Christ, I am walking on him.  It is holy ground, and I had better take my shoes off.  That is how much he loves us.

Paul uses the phrase "raised up" 7 times in this passage.  One time about David, and six times about Jesus.  It starts out by referring to him being raised up as a Savior, just like God raised up David to be a king in the place of Saul, just like God raised up prophets to speak to the sins of Israel.  It is a metaphor that refers to the power of God coming on a person and enabling them in any particular task.  However, it has a double meaning.  It also hints at the raising up of the resurrection, which God did with Jesus.  In fact, Paul could have gone on to emphasize that Jesus was raised up even higher at his ascension, into the heavens and at God's throne! 

Paul then reminds them of some of those Old Testament prophecies starting with Psalm 2:7.  This psalm opens with the kings and rulers of the earth planning to cast off the LORD and His Anointed One (Messiah).  It doesn't detail their plan, but quickly moves to a rebuke from God. 

By the way, the Apostles in Acts 4 quoted these first three verses as talking about their day: Herod, Caiaphas, Pilate, and others plotting to get rid of Jesus.

Yet, Psalm 2:4-9 shows us that God will not change His mind, regardless of what the kings and rulers do to cast off Messiah.  Verse 6 literally says, "I, I have set My king on My holy hill!"  The word for set has the sense of being poured out, and in this context, would be a reference to the installation ceremony, coronation, of the king where he is anointed for the position he now takes.   Yet, also notice the emphasis that God gives to Himself.  He doesn't care what the great powers of the earth think.  He is the great God whom no one can overrule.  Four times He emphasizes His activity, His choice for Messiah, and His place for Messiah to rule.

Verse 7 then has the Messiah declaring what the Father has told him.  "You are My Son, Today I have begotten you."  The begotten language is not saying that Jesus is a created being, or that God literally procreated and made him.  In the context, you can see that the Anointed One is being rejected and cast off.  He already exists, and is even made to be king.  The begetting is connected to his installation as king.  Something has happened during the rebellion of the kings of the earth that has brought Messiah into a new relationship with the Father.

All of this is a direct connection to God's covenant promise to David in 2 Samuel 7.  He told David that one from his line would not only inherit the forever kingdom from God, but he would be a son to God and God would be a father to him.  Upon the resurrection, Jesus now stood as the immortal, but human, son of David who could inherit all things.  He had become the perfect Redeeming King for Israel and the Nations of the earth.

I think that we have a misunderstanding about Jesus.  We can think that his interpretation of the Old Testament came out of left field and was completely unforeseen.  However, it is clear, as you walk through David's psalms, the prophets of the Old Testament, and certain portions of the Law of Moses, that some of these people understood far more than we give them credit.

Of course, Jesus was always the Son of God in that He dwelt with him from the beginning in relationship.  Yet, something unique happened on the event of His resurrection that no amount of being divine could replace.  He was now the perfected, immortal son of David, son of Abraham, Son of Noah, Son of Adam, who could inherit all things.

Of course, any age since the first century can be seen as raging against God and His Anointed.  We can see this today in our republic.  Why do all the powerful people in our land rage against God and His Messiah, Jesus?  Why do they imagine a vain thing, that they can cast off any restraints of godliness in our society?  They project that they shall cast off Jesus, his people, and any restraint on their future plans.  That is today's spirit, and that is an antichrist spirit, an anti-Christ spirit.

Yet, today as well as in the first century, the God of the heavens laughs.  You don't have a say in this, no matter how powerful you are among humans.

Verse 12 of Psalm 2 warns the kings of the earth to kiss the son lest they perish in the day that his wrath is kindled just a little.  So, we live in a time where the wrath of God is paused, and men, both small and great, are given opportunity to make their peace with Jesus, to come to terms with God's choice of Jesus, which we cannot overturn.

The next passage that Paul quotes is Isaiah 55:3.  Though he is continuing to talk about Jesus, this begins the explanation of what he means by the "sure mercies of David."  Paul clearly sees it speaking of the resurrection of the Messiah, which Psalm 2 doesn't reveal.  Notice that Isaiah 55:3 speaks of us coming to God in a way that our "soul" will live, and we will receive an everlasting covenant with Him.  Whatever the sure mercies of David are, Isaiah saw them as connected to our souls living and entering into an everlasting covenant with God.

Paul then goes to Psalm 16 to show us what David would have considered to be the sure mercies that God had promised him.  This psalm has David praising God for the hope that he has.  He particularly has the belief, a promise from God, that his soul will not be left in Sheol, or the grave (vs. 10).

Just like Job (see Job 19:25-26), David believed that he would be resurrected some day.  His destiny was not to be stuck in a spiritual holding place called the grave.  Yet, he also believes that God will not allow His Holy One even to see corruption.  Either David is speaking of himself as God's holy one, or he is referencing the promised one that was to come from his line, the Messiah.

Of course, Paul argues that the people of Israel know that David died, went into the grave, and decayed.  Either God's sure mercies to David failed, or David spoke of himself being released from the grave some day and the Messiah not even seeing decay, which implies a death.

The Psalms as a prophetic collection lays forth the idea that the promises of God to David would be filled in one of his seed who would be the perfect Anointed of God.  The Psalms lay out the case of God raising up David, the failure of David, the promise of God to David of an Anointed Son, and the promised fulfillment.  This is why the Psalms end in a collection of praises, Hallelujah Choruses!  Jesus is the Greater David, just as he is the Greater Moses, the Greater Adam, etc...  He is just Greater!

It was Jesus who saw no corruption.  On top of this, at the resurrection of Jesus, we are told in Matthew 27:52-53 that many Old Testament saints were resurrected at that time as a kind of first fruits of the resurrection of the righteous.  Most likely, David was in this group.  So, God kept His word completely to David in the person of Jesus.

If David knew that these things would happen, how come the religious leaders of the days of Jesus didn't?  It is the same for us.  When you spend too much time going after the things of the flesh (but in a religious way, mind you), you start to lose and forget God's word.  You stop understanding the things of God and hand down confusion to the next generation, and it continues.  Lest we become despondent, remember that the world isn't falling apart.  It is simply falling into place.  God is teaching us through the events that happen, both good and bad.

Having established the facts of what Israel has done, what God had promised them, and then what God had done in their day, Paul moves to what this has to do with them, or anyone for that matter.  They were 500 miles away from Jerusalem.  How does this impact them.  We are not only thousands of miles away from Jerusalem, we are also separated from these things by nearly 2,000 years.  So, what does this mean?

God has a message for Israel and for the nations of the world.  That message has not ceased to be relevant all of these years later.  Through Jesus, anyone can put their faith in him and be forgiven of all their sins.  The word is literally to have your sins removed, like something that is so sticky that only God can get it off of you.  Jesus has become the perfect Savior, and the good news is that he is a savior for Israel and the Gentiles.

In verse 39, he also speaks of justification.  The word essentially means to be made right, or just, in God's sight.  Some have used the play on words, just-as-if you had never sinned, to define it.  However, the biblical picture of us standing with God on the shores of the New Heavens and the New Earth (see Revelation 21-22) is not so much that it is as if we had never sinned.  It is more that we have come out of a conquered place, and have been restored.  That restored place is much stronger and powerful than the place Adam and Eve stood in back in the Garden.  They were innocent of the knowledge of good and evil.  We will not be innocent children, easily tricked.  Rather, we will be powerful sons of God, full of the knowledge of what evil has to offer, and what the love of God means to us.  There will be no Satan in that day, but if there was, no one would listen to him.  This is justification. 

We should note that Paul speaks about things that the Law of Moses could not justify.  The Law was not intended to justify anyone, but there is a certain kind of justification within it.  Yet, the justification that Jesus offers justifies everything about us.

Paul ends with a warning to the people about rejecting Jesus.  It is interesting that Psalm 2 also ended with a warning to the kings and rulers of the earth.  The last line of that psalm reads, "Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him [God's Messiah]."  Of course, that is the question isn't it.  What will you do with Jesus?  Paul quotes from Habakkuk 1:5, which addresses those who are despising God and His work.  Am I a despiser?  No matter how gracious God is, and how far He goes to remove our sin and make it possible for us to be right with Him, there is no grace for those who despise God and His Anointed Savior, Jesus.  Isaiah says, "There is no hope for the wicked."  Habakkuk says to the despisers, "marvel and perish."  These are strong words, but when you realize all that God has suffered and gone through in order to save them, and yet they reject Him, then it makes complete sense.

We cannot have salvation, the sure mercies of God, redemption, forgiveness, and justification without true repentance.  The door to repentance is the presentation of the person and work of Jesus.  To reject Jesus is to take your stand against God and His Anointed King.  It is also to take your stand against your own hope of salvation.

"Eternity, eternity, where will you spend eternity?"  Another song says, "What will you do with Jesus?  Neutral you cannot be.  Some day your heart will be saying, 'What will he do with me?' "  Now is your turn to judge Jesus, but know that some day very soon it will be him judging you.  Yet, in his mercy, God gives us time and many chances to come to our senses.  O praise God for all of His mercies!

Justification of Believers audio

Evangelist Ernie Salinas

Title:  Deception

Text:  Matthew 24:3-4

This sermon was preached by visiting Evangelist Ernie Salinas of Longview, WA on September 3, 2023.

There will not be an article created for this audio.

Deception audio

The Acts of the Apostles 53

Subtitle: Far from Home

Acts 13:13-32.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 27, 2023.

Today, we are looking at Paul's first missionary journey into Gentile lands.  Of course, there were others with him, but he is the common thread throughout them all.

The very act of leaving the safe place of home and going to unfamiliar places to share Jesus is an act of faith, boldness, and courage.  The disciple Peter before the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a courageous talker.  Yet, he failed when it really mattered.  His spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak. 

How do you deal with that?  In truth, this is a picture of every single one of us.  We deal with it by seeing our weakness, accepting it, and then turning to Jesus in faith.  He then fills us with His Holy Spirit, and we partner with the Holy Spirit by being a person of prayer (something Peter failed to do the night of the betrayal of Jesus), being a person of the word, and letting the Spirit show us how to walk out the righteousness of Christ in our life.

After the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it wasn't impossible for Peter to make a mistake, but he was a different man.  He had become a man of faith, courage, and boldness in the Lord.

We may not do all of the things that we see written in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, but may we be filled with the faith, boldness, and courage that comes from the Spirit of God.

We should always be thankful for the blessing of home, especially if you had a home that honored Jesus.  When I was a kid, I remember being homesick.  My mother was having a baby, and I stayed at my cousin Terry's house.  We always played together and had a blast, so it was perfect.  Yet, after a certain number of days, I began to be homesick.  The silly thing is that my house was 1 block away at the time.  I am thankful for the home I grew up in.  Christians should be home makers.  No matter what you are starting with, the Lord Jesus will help you to create a safe place for your children, teach them the truth of Jesus, and to do so in love, with loving discipline.  Let your home become a place where there is a sense of belonging, being cared for, and helped in every way.

All of that said, there is a sense in which we are not at home in this world (it is not Jesus enough), and yet we are always at home, no matter where we are, because Jesus is always with us by His Holy Spirit.  Christ is with us, and we will always find brothers and sisters of like precious faith when we reach out.

There is a certain class of great truths in which two seemingly polar opposite realities must be embraced at the same time.  It appears paradoxical to say that we should remember that this world is not our home, and yet, we are always home, no matter where we are in this world.  Another example of this is called the Stockdale Paradox. [Note: in the audio, I was unsure of the name of the paradox, and I surmised it might be called Stockwell.]  Stockdale was a POW during the Vietnam war, and spent years being tortured and held captive.  After he was returned following a treaty, he pointed to this paradox that helped him to survive.  He had to be brutally honest about his true circumstances, but also, never lose hope that he would prevail in the end.  Further, he emphasized that we could confuse these two things, and needed to keep them separate, yet held firmly.

So, we are not home yet, and we know it.  However, when I leave this world and my spirit goes to the Lord, it will not be a complete surprise because I have been at home with him for years now.  It will be more of a sense that says, "Wow!  It is even better than I imagined!"

Let's look at our passage.

The Gospel goes to Anatolia (v. 13-15)

Here's a good map for understanding the places that are talked about in this passage:  map.

Paul and Barnabas had gone from the coast of Syria to the island of Cyprus.  There they shared the Gospel and ended up on the western end of the island in Paphos, the seat of government for the island.

From there, they will sail northwest to what we call Turkey today.  It is sometimes referred to as Asia Minor, but the book of Acts also refers to a region called Asia, which is only a small part of this isthmus.  So these terms can be confused.  Another term used for this area is a name the Greeks gave to the place, Anatolia (Gk. for "east").

The coastal city called Perga is in the area called Pamphylia.  As you go north you quickly hit mountains.  At their divide, you enter a lesser region called Psidia.  At this time, Psidia is administered for Rome under the Galatian region.  Thus, Luke's story jumps pretty quickly to a city of Psidia called Antioch.

Yes, this is another city called Antioch (long story).  This city is either called Antioch of Pisidia, or Pisidian Antioch to distinguish it from other places with the same name.  By the way, Paul and Barnabas started this journey from Antioch of Syria, or Syrian Antioch.  This should help us get a feel for where these things are happening.

When they first land at Perga, there is no mention of preaching there.  They quickly head into the interior of Anatolia.  Some have speculated that Paul may have picked up a sickness like malaria (the area has mosquitos) because of Paul's statement in Galatians 4:13.  He says that he first preached the gospel to the Galatians due to sickness.  The city Pisidian Antioch is in the region of Galatia, and so are the towns that will mentioned later on in this missionary journey.  I take time to mention this particularly because of what happens next.

We are told that John Mark departed from them and went back to Jerusalem.  This wasn't on the agenda.  Mark was brought along to help them on the journey.  We are not told why.  However, we can be fairly certain that it wasn't for a good reason because, in Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas will argue about taking Mark with them on a second missionary journey.  We can talk about their discussions then.

For now, I will focus on John Mark.  He may have left simply out of homesickness.  Even adults can grow weary of being on the road and dealing with the stresses of new territories.  Of course, there could also be a sense of fear.  They had encountered spiritual opposition on the island of Cyprus through Elymas Barjesus, Paul was now sick, and they were headed into the interior of this Gentile place.  Mark may have just hit the end of what he was able to face.  Regardless, Mark finds himself far from home, and chooses to go back to Jerusalem where his mother and family were.  However, he is also quitting on the work that God had given to Paul and Barnabas.  This is important because, even today (more so then), it is important to have a strong group of guys when you travel foreign lands.  He is leaving them in a weaker position, at least, in the natural.

I will say that there is no sense that John Mark is departing from the Lord, and apostatizing.  However, he is quitting on the work that God had made him a part of.  He may be thinking that it was really Barnabas and Paul's calling and not his.  This may not be a salvation issue, but it is serious.  We are volunteers and not hirelings, but the Spirit of God is working in us to fit us for the work that He desires for us to do.

Am I fit for the work that God has for me?  In some ways, natural ways, I am not.  However, trust and faith in God helps us to be fit, and to become even more fit. 

All work sounds good in theory, but it entails a lot of sweat and sore muscles, which aren't so fun.  Imagine someone coming up with this amazing idea.  "I'm tired of foraging every day, but I noticed that grain will grow up out of the ground from places where we drop it.  Why don't we clear about 10 acres of land here and plant it all with grain.  Then, we can harvest it all right here close to home, and we won't have to forage!"  This is a brilliant idea, but it also involves long hours of blood, sweat, and tears, removing stumps, plowing virgin ground, protecting the young plants and then harvest.  It is a lot of work.  Perhaps, you could give up on such a daunting task and simply forage a couple of hours every day.

Work is a good thing even though it is difficult.  There is a joy in the reward that comes from the work.  However, over time as we mature, we begin to gain an appreciation for the work itself.  Like an old, trusted friend, we begin to enjoy the expenditure of strength that is good for us in and of itself.

In life, you will always run into things that are too big, and too hard for you.  You would rather be home, or in an easier place, an easier time.  Perhaps, you can even now smell the cookies that mom used to make for you in the kitchen, and taste the tantalizing swirl of hot cookie and cold milk.  Being fit for service is not a one time deal.  It is not a one and done chance.  In God's economy, if we fall short, the Spirit still works to bring us back around.  Yes, it's bigger than you, and he that is in the world is also bigger than you.  Yet, He that is in you is greater than them both!

After John Mark leaves them, Paul and Barnabas head into the interior on the edge of Galatia to a town called Pisidian Antioch.  There is a synagogue in this town, so they attend on the Sabbath (Saturday).

Synagogues focused on reading the Law and Prophets, with commentary, exhortations, and worship.  It is not mentioned in the Old Testament because this activity did not develop until they came back from Babylon.  They had been there 70 years, and precious few really knew how they were supposed to serve Yahweh.  Synagogues developed as teaching centers. Yet, they also became invaluable in far away Gentile lands where they would have little interaction with Jerusalem and its ceremonies.  The early church meetings were somewhat patterned after these teaching centers.

At some point they ask Paul and Barnabas as visitors to address the group if they wished.  This may be a courtesy knowing that Paul has studied in Jerusalem, but it may simply be a rural area hoping to hear news of things in Jerusalem, etc.  Regardless, Paul will take advantage of this opportunity to speak.

Paul preaches in the synagogue (v. 16-33)

We have an extended sermon from Paul here.  We will look at part of it today and the rest on a subsequent Sunday.  In some ways, Luke is giving us highlights of how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem into Gentile lands, even to Rome, the seat of the empire.  However, at times, Luke does what he does here.  He moves in with a microscope and gives us the notes version of sermons preached by the apostle Peter and the apostle Paul, as well as others (deacon Stephen being one in particular). 

In any address, you are aware of your audience and speak accordingly.  This would be mainly Jewish people, as well as some Gentile God-fearers.  They would be aware of Jewish history, the theology of God, etc.  Thus, Paul quickly runs through things that he would not be able to do if he was speaking to Greek philosophers on Mar's Hill in Athens.

He starts with a basic reminder of Israel's history.  Yet, he emphasizes some important things.  They became a nation when God chose them and exalted them out of a low position in Egypt.  He brought them out of Egypt with an uplifted arm.  The arm of the Lord, as well as the hand of the Lord, is an Old Testament picture that represents God powerfully stepping in and helping you in a time of need.  It connotes acts of power, miracles, and signs and wonders, as well as the closeness of God.  Of course, the New Testament reveals that Jesus is, and has always been, the Hand of God and the Arm of the Lord.

They then spent 40 years in the wilderness.  Paul deftly says that God "put up with their ways."  This is a reminder that, even at their beginning, God extended mercy to them over the top of their resistance, and even rebellion.

God was faithful to bring them to Canaan and give them victory over the seven nation that were there.  They were then given an inheritance in the land.  It is always good in the midst of blessing to remind ourselves that the mercy of God has brought you into it all along the way.  I do not deserve even one of His blessings.  I have come to it by His grace all along the way.

In verses 20 through 23, Paul reminds them of how their governance changed after this.  For the first 450 years, they essentially had a tribal-clan structure.  However, they kept turning to idolatry, and God's judgment would be to let their enemies dominate them, enslave them to a degree.  They would invariably start crying out to God for help.  This brought about the idea of the judges.  The word for judge emphasized that they would give the decision of Lord.  However, as you read the book of Judges, you see that the primary requirement to being a Judge over Israel was to first have been empowered by God's Spirit to help deliver, or save, Israel from their enemies.  The victory over their overlords was proof that God was with a person, and then they would serve as a Spirit-empowered judge over Israel.  This was not a monarchy, and so when the Judge died, the people would without fail end back up in bondage, cry out, and receive another Deliverer who would then judge them for a season.  This went on for 450 years.

At this point, they wanted a king and so God gave them Saul son of Kish.  Their desire for a king was not for noble reason.  They wanted a king because the nations around them had kings.  This was clearly not the reason they continued to be enslaved.  Notice that there is a sense of the rebellion of Israel in both of these governing styles.  Judges 17:6 says, "In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."  In 1 Samuel 8, God tells Samuel that their desire of a king was a rejection of Him. He was not pleased, but gave them their request because He could use it for His purposes.

Saul was a monarch that satisfied their flesh (head and shoulders above the rest).  He was great in the flesh, but weak and small in the spirit.  Paul nicely states that God "removed" Saul and raised up David because David would do His will.  The Messianic promise is given to David who is the perfect man after God's heart who does His perfect will (even better than David).  This Messiah would first deliver, save, Israel and then He would proven the right to Judge Israel.  In fact, Jesus is the Savior and Judge of all the earth and the heavens.  He is the ultimate King.

In verses 24 to25, Paul reminds them of the ministry of John the Baptist.  He emphasizes the testimony of John that Messiah would follow Him.  He preached repentance in preparation of the coming of Messiah.  Thus, Israel should expect Messiah to have shown up by now.

In verses 26 to 29, Paul emphasizes that God has sent them with the Word of Salvation for the people of this synagogue.  He is declaring that the promised Savior has come and that word of this salvation has come to them through Barnabas and him.

Of course, this good news begins with bad news.  The people and rulers of Israel did not recognize the Savior, nor did they understand the message of the prophets that they read every Sabbath.  Because they did not know God and His Word like they should have, they executed the Savior even though they could nothing wrong with him.

We should note that Paul is not pointing the finger at the Jewish people.  He was one of them!  He had rebelled resisted and had believers in Jesus put to death.  This is what we all are without God's help.

Yet, even this execution of Messiah was a fulfillment of all that the prophets foretold concerning Messiah.
It is very important for us to be a people of the Word of God, but it is even more important to know the word along with the Spirit of God.  If we let Church be a matter of the flesh, and not relationship, then we will only follow the same path.  We have to guard our hearts and watch ourselves through prayer.

Even when God is undeniably working through a man, as He did with Jesus, we are able to deny the undeniable.  They did this in the wilderness when they resisted Moses who had clearly proven that God was with Him.  Yes, and, many are doing the same today.

Some may go the other direction.  They may discount the word of God as the moldy word of God, and continually seek a new word from God.  The written word of God keeps us anchored in the true Spirit of God, but it cannot take His place.  If we study the word in exclusion to relationship with the Spirit of God, then we only create an idol.  However, if we neglect the word, then we easily fall prey to the many deceiving spirits out there.

How can I know that I am hearing the Holy Spirit?  You focus on being a person of the Bible, but also a person of prayer seeking God's help to understand. 

Finally, in verses 30 to 33, Paul speaks about the resurrection.  "But God raised Him from the dead!"  Hallelujah.  I praise God that He often overrules the choices and decisions of people to fight His purpose.  He will not control your choice, but neither can you control His choices.  Hallelujah!  If Israel had their way, they would have never entered the promise land.  Yet, God in His mercy took them back out into the desert for 40 years, until a whole generation of unbelievers died.  Then, He led their kids back to the promise land.  "Do you want to go in this time?  Yes, sir!  I'm tired of living out in this desert!" 

May God help us to grow weary of living in the wilderness.  The sooner we die to things of the flesh, and turn to God's Holy Spirit for help, the sooner we will be able to move beyond desert times in our lives (not that they are all bad).

Paul emphasizes the many witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus, and Paul and Barnabas are in Pisidian Antioch as witnesses of these things.  God had fulfilled His promise to the fathers of Israel, and thus, to them.

We will pause here on Paul's sermon.

We mentioned how John Mark turned back at a point far from home.  Yet, Paul is a man who is far from home as well.  Yet, he stands faithfully with the Lord Jesus Christ.  When we go in the name of Jesus, he is always with us.  And, if he is with us, then we are never far from home.  It is a matter of your mind.  Far from home is relative.  To some, going to another State is no big deal.  Whereas, to others, going across the street may be very intimidating.

God has a work for us that, in some ways, takes us away from our homes.  Going out from the place of comfort, a place blessed by God, is uncomfortable, but His blessing goes with us wherever we minister.  May God help us to hold on to that sense, "Jesus is with me!"  You don't have to fear, or at least, you don't have to fear for very long.  Who knows what we are going to run into.  Maybe, we will run into a sorcerer who is foaming at the mouth in jealousy.  Whatever it is, God is with us, and we don't have to be afraid.  We can be courageous, bold, and filled with faith because we are filled with His Holy Spirit.

Far from Home audio

The Acts of the Apostles 52

Subtitle: The Gospel Spreads from Antioch

We apologize that the audio for this sermon is not available.

Acts 13:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 20, 2023.

As we share the Gospel with people, we will have a variety of responses.  Some will be disinterested.  Others will show interest and may or may not believe.  However, some will not be content to ignore believers.  They may actively work against the Gospel, or even persecute us.

Of course, we cannot control how people are going to respond, and we shouldn't want to do so. Yet, we can make sure that we are a person that is filled with the Holy Spirit and led by God in sharing the Gospel.  This takes time spent in prayer, fasting and seeking God for direction.

Let's look at our passage.

Consecrated to the Lord's ministry (v. 1-4a)

Verse 2 states that there are a group of prophet-teachers who "ministered" unto the Lord at a particular time in Antioch.  The word "ministered" here is also used of priests who serve in the temple.  It can basically point to the things that we do in order to serve the purposes of Jesus.  However, this is more specific than all of the things they could be doing like preaching, and witnessing.  It appears that they are intentionally gathered in prayer and worship of God, perhaps seeking His will regarding something.

The five men who are listed here would not be all of those in Antioch who were prophet-teachers, but they may have represented the ones that were considered the most mature in the Lord.

The Apostle Barnabas is listed first.  When he was first introduced in Acts 4:36, we saw that he was originally from the Island of Cyprus. 

Then, we have Simeon called "Niger."  Niger is Latin for the word black.  It seems most likely that he is of African descent.  Some connect this Simeon with the Simon from Cyrene who was forced to help carry the cross of Jesus (Matthew 27:32).  The name is the same, just a different spelling. 

The third man listed is Lucius of Cyrene.  Nothing else is said of him. 

Fourthly, we have a man named Manaen who was raised with Herod the Tetrarch.  Herod the Tetrarch was the one who married his half-brother's wife, which was condemned by John the Baptist.  He eventually had John's head cut-off to satisfy the anger of his wife.  He also is the Herod that Pilate sent Jesus to during his interrogation of him. 

I would just insert that there is a world of difference between these men who were raised as boys together.  One was an immoral ruler who executed a righteous prophet, and the other (Manaen) is a Jew who has put his faith in Jesus, is filled with the Holy Spirit and is used as a prophet-teacher within the church of Antioch.  You never know where people's choices will take them, whether because of their raising, or regardless of it.

Lastly, Saul of Tarsus is listed.  I believe Luke has listed him last on purpose because this chapter is a pivotal point  in the book of Acts.  From here on, we will see Saul become known as Paul, and the emphasis will become more and more about what God did through the Apostle Paul.

This is quite a list of men who were in the church at Antioch.  God will always be faithful to bring to a church others bearing gifts from Him to help them grow spiritually and in numbers.  Yet, these men grew in the Lord somewhere.  Thus, many in Antioch, who benefitted from the Lord's Spirit in these men, would also be gifted by God to serve His Church.

It is not clear if only these five are praying, or if they are meeting as a church.  Regardless, they are praying, fasting, and seeking God.  In this environment, a word from the Holy Spirit is given.  It is not said who shares this word, but I would guess it is not Barnabas and Saul, since the word is about them.

The Holy Spirit mentions that God is calling Barnabas and Saul to a particular work.  We do know that Saul was told at his conversion that he would "bear My Name[Jesus]" before kings, gentiles, and the children of Israel.  In short, they will become apostolic missionaries.

You will not find the word "missionaries" in the New Testament, but you do find the word mission.  For our purposes, I would describe a missionary as someone who purposefully goes into other cultural areas in order to start and to establish new groups of believers in Jesus.

Of course, we are all called to share the Gospel with others, but the Church had not developed the mentality, at that point, of purposefully going into new areas in order to start churches.   It is the Holy Spirit, God Himself, that stirs up this concept within the church at Antioch.  Whether you are called to share the Gospel generally wherever you are, or God specifically calls you to go to certain places, we should remember that everything we do is to be unto the Lord, for Him.  We should all be filled with God's Spirit and being a witness of Jesus to the world around us.  This should be a matter of prayer for all of us.

The Spirit tells the group to "separate" Barnabas and Saul for the work.  God had a holy work for them that was unique compared to the rest of the group.  Thus, they were to be set apart, consecrated, for this particular work.  All of us have a holy calling on our life as servants of the Lord.  Yet, God has a specific calling upon these two that is going to take them out of the group and into the Gentile lands beyond.  Thus, we do see a distinction in the New Testament between those who lived holy lives and witnessed to the world around them where they were at, and those whom God sent on the road in order to expand the extent of those who had heard about Jesus.

Those who are staying put are to help in the sending of those who are going out.  In a sense, this church in Antioch would be giving them to the work of the Lord.  This is a spiritual sacrifice, but also a spiritual offering.  Thus, the calling of people to ministry has a personal aspect to it, and yet, it also has a group aspect to it.  Churches need to hear from the Spirit and come alongside those that the Spirit is calling into missions, whether to cultural groups within America, or around the world.  This is primarily spiritual.  We pray for them; we fast for them, and we even lay hands upon them as we pray.  This pictures the church participating in the commissioning of these men.  Yet, it is also material.  They will need supplies, and funds to be on the road.  The calling is of God, but it is fulfilled by Barnabas, Saul, and the Antioch church stepping forth and exercising their faith in the leadership of Jesus.

The Gospel goes to the island of Cyprus (v. 4-12)

After praying for Barnabas and Saul, they help to see them off on this missionary journey.  It will become the first official missionary journey, and is often called Paul's First Missionary Journey.  You may want to pull up a map.  Antioch is 20 miles inland on a river, so they travel down to the Mediterranean Sea to a town called Seleucia.  From there, they sail to Cyprus, landing at a coastal town called Salamis.  These men contain a precious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it has now reached Cyprus.

Why did they go to Cyprus?  It was close, that is for sure, but so were other places.  Barnabas is from Cyprus, and so he may have wanted to share with his homeland.  Regardless, Luke depicts throughout the book of the Acts of the Apostles that the Holy Spirit is really the one who is leading this spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  How we need people who are responding to the leadership of the Holy Spirit rather than worrying about who is the leader and who gets to make the decisions about what is done.

Verse 5 tells us that they go to the synagogues of Salamis and preach to the Jews there.  This becomes the pattern of Barnabas and Saul.  Wherever they go, they make sure the Jews have heard the Gospel first.  This is not about prejudice and racism.  Rather, it has to do with the fact that they were the most interested in the coming of Messiah.  The Gentiles had been cast off, and God had created Israel to be His witnesses to the nations.  Thus, the Jews, who knew the Word of God (but not Messiah), would be given the knowledge that Messiah had come, and was not calling them to take the Gospel of Messiah to the Gentiles.  Paul refers to this in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

We might also note that some synagogues had God-fearing gentiles who were connected to them.  Thus, this is a wise place to start.  They would simply look for believers in Yahweh in an area and then work from there.

The wording in the beginning of verse 6 can be interpreted to mean that they traveled across the island in order to reach the town of Paphos.  However, it can also mean that they traveled around the whole island preaching in the synagogues and telling people about Jesus.  Eventually, they made it to the other side of the island at the administrative headquarters for the island, Paphos.  I think this is the most likely.  Luke doesn't get into the specifics of the response in these towns.  Rather, he wants to hone in on a particular confrontation that happens in Paphos.  Acts is a book of the highlights of the highlights, if you will.  The focus moves quickly to this one place.

It is in Paphos that Barnabas and Saul run into a Jewish false-prophet who also practices sorcery named Bar-Jesus.  This is a patronym, with the name of Elymas being given later.  Of course, his name is quite ironic.  Barnabas and Saul are spiritual sons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Elymas is really a son of the devil.  But, more on that in a bit.

The word used for sorcery here is the same that was used with Simon of Samaria in Acts 8:9.  It is not the "pharmakeia" term of the book of Revelation.  That word focuses on potions that the occultist would create to do their dark arts.  This is the word that refers to the knowledge and rituals that an occultist would do in order to obtain information from the spirits, which we know to be evil spirits.  Thus, this Jewish man is a complete apostate to the Jewish faith, much less someone who will be interested in the fact that Messiah has come. 

He has used his occult arts to weasel his way into the confidence of the proconsul of Cyprus, an administrative position given by Rome.  His name is Sergius Paulus.  Though Sergius Paulus is an intelligent man, he still doesn't know any better than to have an occultist as one of his advisors.  This is the intelligence of a natural man who is willing to get help from any source as long as it "works."

Sergius has clearly heard about these new comers to Cyprus.  He sends for Barnabas and Saul to explain what they are doing probably for two reasons.  As the proconsul, he needs to keep a close eye on anyone going around the island teaching anything new.  He cannot afford for any uprising to jeopardize his position.  Yet, he does seem to be personally interested in hearing what they have to say.

Luke tells us that Elymas "withstood" them in order to keep Sergius from believing.  You had better believe that those spirits Elymas consulted did not like Saul and Barnabas being there.  However, Elymas recognizes a threat to his gravy train as well.  He continues to argue against what Barnabas and Saul state.  This reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:8 where it tells us, "Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these [speaking of false-teachers] also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;..."

Whether Sergius understood it or not, a spiritual battle for his soul was taking place in front of him.  At this point Saul, full of the Holy Spirit, rebukes Elymas.  Notice the wording used.  Elymas was a man full of deceit and fraud.  Though some are able to connect with real spirits through the occult arts, these spirits themselves are deceitful and frauds.  The Bible warns against turning to any spirit, but the Spirit of God, for advice or power.  Those who follow deceitful spirits have already deceived themselves and so become frauds and deceits to all they connect with.  Elymas is clearly leaching off of the power and position of Sergius Paulus.  He is enriching himself through a deceitful practice.

He is also called a son of the devil.  Elymas knows that he is rejecting the One True God of Israel, Yahweh.  His is following his true spiritual father, the devil.  He is also called an enemy of all righteousness.  What Saul and Barnabas are doing is the essence of righteousness.  They are ambassadors of God's Anointed Savior of the world.  They come bearing peace terms for every man, woman, boy and girl in the world from the God of heaven.  Elymas is trying to protect his gig.

Saul also calls him out for perverting the straight ways of the Lord.  Perhaps, Elymas had used his knowledge of the Scriptures to speak against what Saul and Barnabas said.  Of course, he was twisting those Scriptures to say what he wanted, just like the devil did with Christ in the wilderness temptations.

At this point, Saul tells Elymas that he will be blind for a time.  Immediately, a darkness came upon Elymas and he could not see.  I don't believe that Saul just made this up.  I think the Spirit of God reminded Saul of how he too had resisted the Gospel, and God had struck him blind temporarily.  It is not likely that this occultist who has rejected the Scriptures would now believe in Jesus, but it would be the grace of God regardless.  He is not struck dead.  Instead, he is only temporarily blinded.  I doubt that he ever showed his face again in the proconsul's presence.

This act of God's power completely convinces Sergius.  He becomes a believer in this Jesus that they talked about.  Yet, he is astonished at the teaching of the Lord as well.

Luke does not mention how long they stay, or how many become believers, but the favor of the proconsul would go a long way to helping the Gospel put down roots in Cyprus.  Today, Cyprus is about 75% Christian with most being Greek Orthodox.

We will have to deal with all kinds of people in sharing the Gospel.  Such spectacular displays of power by God are usually seen when the Gospel goes into new areas.  They don't always continue because spectacular displays of power do not make great believers, as is witnessed by the generation that was brought out of Egypt by the Lord Jesus and Moses.  Saul's response isn't the normal in Acts or throughout history.  Yet, he was led by the Holy Spirit.

This is what is important for us today.  We can be too focused on praying for God to reduplicate certain powerful works of the past.  Let us pray for healings, for awakenings, and works of power.  However, let us have an ear that is tuned to hearing the Holy Spirit and being led by Him.  This will enable us to be faithful to the Lord Jesus in our generation.  Let's serve the Lord by sharing the Gospel, regardless of how people respond.  May God fill us with boldness to share the truth in the face of those who resist and stand against the Gospel of the Lord Jesus!