Sermon Tone Analysis

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Please turn in your Bibles to Act 13.

We have come as far as V41, and will pick up covering VSS 42-52 today… finishing out the chapter.

Did you read ahead?

Both of you.

Good!

We are in the midst of what many call “Paul’s First Missionary Journey.”

Last week we saw, Paul, Barnabas, and Saul sail from the Island of Cyprus to the mainland of Asia Minor, where John Mark departed them… causing some hard feelings between Paul and John Mark… at least for now.

Paul and Barnabas alone then travelled North to Antioch in Pisidia.

Where at Sabbath Synagogue Service… a door opened to address the people… both to Jews and God-fearers (Gentiles practicing Judaism).

And last week we read Paul’s first and longest recorded sermon.

Paul masterfully took his audience through Jewish history… highlighting God’s faithfulness, especially that of a promised Messiah.

Then, Paul proclaimed the name of their Messiah… Jesus, the name which is above every name.

Paul explained that Jesus fulfilled the promise made to Israel of a Savior…

And Paul demonstrated that Jesus fulfilled a number of OT Messianic scriptures in His life, trials, death, and resurrection.

And, Paul shared with them really Good News… the best news… the Gospel News…V26 “to you the word of this salvation has been sent.”

And, in V38 “through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Salvation… forgiveness of sins… justification by faith, not by works… all of this was really good news… and we’ll see today that the Gentiles especially embrace this message.

Paul closed his sermon with a warning… anyone who rejected this Gospel message would perish.

Today, we pick up as Paul ends his sermon… we will observe the people who heard Paul’s message were divided.

The title of our message is, “The Response to Paul’s Proclamation”

Let’s Pray!

Acts 13:42-43 “So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.”

When Paul began his message he addressed the crowd in V16 “Men of Israel, and you who fear God…” and then again in V26 “Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God…”

There were two groups represented in Paul’s audience…

Jews…the Men of Israel… the sons of the family of Abraham...

And “you who fear God...” God fearers… Gentiles who were practicing Judaism, but were not full converts to Judaism because they were not circumcised.

Therefore, they did not have the full privileges of Judaism, like Temple worship.

In V42 we see these two groups again.

Jews and Gentiles who just heard the same Gospel message from Paul.

He shared their history, God’s faithfulness to bring their Messiah Jesus and salvation, forgiveness of sins… justification… all found in Him.

Really really good news.

And yet, we are starting to see two very different responses.

In V42, all that is recorded of the Jews is they exited the synagogue, and for some of them… that’s all that happened.

Just an exit… not a response.

They don’t respond to the Gospel.

We might describe them as… indifferent.

Today still… many who hear the Gospel respond in indifference.

They either don’t care or just won’t receive the word of God.

This brings to mind Jesus’ teaching of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.

This indifferent group is represented in the first of four groups of people in the ‘Parable of the Sower’:

Matt 13:3-4 “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside [a hard-packed pathway]; and the birds came and devoured them.”

The sower is like a farmer planting seed, and in this parable… “The seed is the word of God.”

According to Jesus in Luke 8:11

Jesus interpreted His meaning of the seed that fell by the wayside in Matt 13:19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

This is he who received seed by the wayside.”

When a person’s heart is like a hard packed path… the Gospel does not penetrate.

It’s not that it can’t… they just won’t allow it… and God doesn’t jack-hammer our hearts.

So, the enemy comes along side this person who rejects the gospel and snatches the Gospel away… like a bird devours seeds.

And, the seed was indeed snatched from some of the Jews that heard Paul’s sharing of the Gospel.

These Jews stand in contrast to the Gentiles, who respond passionately and excitedly about the Gospel.

V42 states, “the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.”

Isn't that a beautiful response.

They just can’t get enough!

I typically get the opposite reaction… “Is he almost finished?”…

especially on a fellowship lunch day!

No… I can honestly say that this church is hungry for the word… and this blesses me… as I’m sure Paul and Barnabas were blessed by these Gentiles.

What a blessing it is when people beg to hear more of the word of God.

This always encourages the preacher.

These Gentiles also parallel the good soil represented in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower…

Matt 13:8 “But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Jesus gives the interpretation in Matt 13:23 “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Jesus said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit...” Jn 15:5

Paul sowed the same seed… the same message… to both Jew and Gentile alike.

But, for some of the Jews the word of God and Gospel message fell on hard hearts that would not receive it.

But, the Gentile’s hearts were good soil… and from their lives much spiritual fruit would be the result… fruits of the Spirit in them (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…even spiritual gifts) and through them… fruits of ministry as they reach the world around them.

I can preach a message… and the same thing could happen.

The word will be the same, but what does the listener do with it?

Will you allow it in?

Or, will you harden your heart?

The Holy Spirit only goes where He is welcomed.

Now in V43, some Jews follow along… they didn’t beg for the word to be preached to them like the Gentiles did…

But, they were interested… in V43 we read “… many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas...”

Their interest was peaked, so they follow the preachers to hear more.

They are not closed off… they are open-minded.

The other group that followed were Proselytes- Gk. prŏsēlutŏs, pros-ay´-loo-tos… meaning “one who has arrived.”

In antiquity, this was a term only used of foreigners/Gentiles who had converted to Judaism.

They had been circumcised and were full converts, unlike the God-fearers.

In the non-inspired Apocryphal writing, the Book of Judith… a proselyte is portrayed.

Judith 14:10 “When Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God.

So he was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel, remaining so to this day.”

Today, when we used the word “proselytizing” it means the attempt to convert someone from one religion, or no religion to another.

And, often this is often used in a negative connotation against Christians.

I once worked with a Jewish man… who was a difficult man… and one day our conversation went from talking about hunting to clean and unclean food.

He said he could eat venison… because it was kosher.

And, I think I made a comment about how Christians are no longer under dietary rules because we have freedom in Christ.

And he harshly responded, “Stop proselytizing me!”

What struck me as ironic… was shouldn’t he, as a Jew, been the one trying to proselytize me… a Gentile?

At one point the Jews were the light of the world, but Jesus passed that torch to us Christians today.

“You are the light of the world.”

Matt 5:14

So, go and proselytize!

Well back in Acts 13:43, to these Jews and Proselytes… Paul and Barnabas spoke to them and “…persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.”

They urged or convinced them “to continue in the grace of God.”

Perhaps they needed persuading to continue in grace… as they were taking their first steps away from the yoke of the law… and their fist steps towards Jesus.

John 1:17 declares "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

The law was a list of do’s and don’ts and promised life for obedience and death for disobedience.

It wasn’t purposed to grant salvation, but to bring knowledge of sin… and point the Jews to their need for a Savior…

Who Paul had just declared to them.