The Missionary to the Gentiles

· INTRODUCTION: Good morning GPC! Would you turn with me to Acts 13:44-52? This morning we get to finish Paul’s time in Antioch. While you turn there, I just want to highlight a few announcements from our bulletin. (Announcements)

o Would you please stand with me for the reading of God’s word? This is God’s word. (Read passage, pray, you may be seated, drink).

· Do you ever have a plan or think you know how something is going to go, just for it to go completely differently? Or do you ever eagerly await something just to realize when the event comes that your hope was misplaced?

o I’ve often heard people talk about meeting their heroes with some level of disappointment because they quickly realize that their hero is just another person like them!

o In some ways, I think this is similar to what the people of Antioch experienced in Acts 13:13-43. They got to hear a message of hope and they felt cheered up by it!

§ Yet at the same time, as we will see today, some reject the message because the more that they think about it, the more underwhelming the message is to them!

§ After all, the Christian message is a simple one; you are not enough, but through God’s GRACE, YOU ARE SAVED!

· It’s a simple message, but that does NOT mean that it is an easy message!

· In fact, as we will see today, many people don’t simply REJECT IT, THEY are VISIBLY AND PHYSICALLY ADVERSARIAL TO THE MESSAGE THAT WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE!

o Yet as we will see, God is going to use those actions by some to bring even more to know HIM!

§ What an amazing God we serve!

§ This morning our main point is that God’s grace is worthy of our praise regardless of our situation.

· BODY: This week we get to study the conclusion of Paul’s time in Pisidian Antioch. That places him in what is now Southern Turkey. Remember, last week, we saw him go into the synagogue. He preached the gospel clearly and directly.

o He showed from prophecy how God has given us salvation through Jesus!

o At the end of his message, the people at the synagogue asked him to return the next week and tell them more!

§ So, it’s now been 1 week for us and we are going to see what is going to continue happening in Acts 13!

§ It begins by saying, “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.”

· True to his word, Paul and Barnabas show up to preach the next week on the sabbath!

o Almost all of the city is present! Word has spread quickly about this Jewish teacher who has a message about the forgiveness of sins!

o Remember, Paul and Barnabas’s message was a message of GRACE! It was a message to CLING TO THE GRACE OF GOD!

o The gospel is simple! We are saved not by our own deeds, but by GOD’S GRACE!

§ How wonderful is that!?! That’s what Paul and Barnabas are going to proclaim again!

§ It’s also the message that we proclaim! In fact, more than that, it’s the message that our world needs!

· Unfortunately as we see in verse 45, not all people are happy with this message! Luke writes, “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.”

o What a horrific thing! The Jews are jealous and they allow their jealousy to overwhelm them! Remember, just last week, literally, one week before this, Paul challenged the Jews to PAY ATTENTION AND SUBMIT TO GOD!

§ Rather than doing that, they are following their sinful, human-nature! And let’s be honest; jealousy is a huge part of human nature!

· The Jews see that they are losing power and they DO NOT LIKE IT! So, they feel that they need to contradict Paul, despite them being the people who called him to preach in the first place!

o Yet, when push came to shove, they did not want to actually be impacted by the gospel; they just liked the idea of having a new few insights!

§ That can be us so easily. Someone at our job, or in our lives is younger, more popular, more skilled, whatever the exact thing, and then we go from being friends to being jealous!

· Sometimes, we skip straight over the FRIEND part and just are jealous!

o Have you ever watched a group of teenagers interact for the first time? If so, you’ve seen that typically there is a period of feeling each other out.

o During this period, everyone wants to impress the others!

§ But occasionally, you’ll have someone who just DOES NOT CARE!

§ This is somewhat like what is going on here! The Jews want to be influential and popular, but here comes Paul!

§ Paul doesn’t care about popularity, he just wants the gospel to be proclaimed!

§ What drives Paul and Barnabas have; not because of human gain, but because of the HOLY SPIRIT!

· In verse 46 and 47 we read, “And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

o How do Paul and and Barnabas respond to the Jewish people? They offer a sharp rebuke!

§ They remind the people that GOD SPOKE TO THEM FIRST! Yet, they have rejected God!

§ Now, the Gentiles are hearing the word and they are believing!

o Paul and Barnabas then say that God has made them to be a light for the Gentiles, which is actually a quote from Isaiah 49:6. THIS WAS ALWAYS GOD’S PLAN!

§ God was always going to open this to Gentiles! He sent Jesus not just to save someone based off of ethnicity, but to give his life as a sacrifice for ALL PEOPLE!

§ God’s plan is for ALL PEOPLE to be able to be saved through FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST!

· THE GOSPEL IS NOT JUST SOMETHING FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE, OR THE FIRST CENTURY! THIS IS FOR EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, AT ALL TIMES!

o Let me make a note of clarification. As I just said, the gospel is for everyone and this includes the Jewish people!

§ The Church did not abandon their efforts to reach them! In fact, that’s what Peter and James did very effectively in Jerusalem. But, Paul refocuses on gentiles.

§ There are a couple takeaways from this.

· First, God uniquely equips each one of us. God uniquely equipped Peter to reach the Jewish people and Paul to reach gentiles.

o It sounds weird because Paul was a Jewish religious leader, but he was uniquely qualified to reach the Gentiles! God had totally TRANSFORMED HIM and softened his heart!

§ His ministry to the gentiles was consistent proof of this total heart transformation!

o So, we each have our unique giftings. What does that mean for us? Well, it leads us to the second takeaway; that God has a unique role for us.

· God’s unique role for us is set up for us before we are ever born! That’s what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10! That God has prepared things for us to do in advance!

o But everyone’s role is different! I’m not gifted musically and God has not called me to be a worship pastor! (And churches everywhere should be thankful that they don’t have to hear me lead singing! Sarcastic)

o God has given us each a unique role and has set that up for us!

· So we are uniquely equipped for our unique role and that leads us to our third takeaway; that God perfectly positions us to serve together for His glory.

o This isn’t just something that I’m saying, this is something that Paul talks about in Ephesians 4 and Romans 12.

§ In Ephesians 4, Paul talks about how we each are given various gifts, something that he mirrors in Romans 12. He also talks about this in 1 Corinthians 12 .

§ In 1 Corinthians 12:14-26, Paul talks about how we each have a unique role to play! For instance in verse 16, he says, “And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.”

· So, our giftings do not determine whether we are part of the body. But further, in verse 21, he argues that ALL giftiings matter as he says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.”

o What I want us to take away here is that, “We are each uniquely equipped, for unique roles and we are perfectly positioned by God to serve together for HIS GLORY!”

§ For Paul and Barnabas, that meant traveling and reaching the Gentile population, instead of the Jewish population of Jerusalem!

· For others like Timothy, it meant leading a church as he did in Ephesus. Still for others, named and unnamed, it meant faithfully going to church together and living out the community of discipleship found in 2 Timothy 2:2 and Titus 2.

o Each and every one of us have a role to play! We are going to keep walking through our text, but keep this in mind! We each have been Uniquely equipped, for a unique role, and perfectly positioned to serve together for God’s GLORY!

· In verse 48, we read, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

o What a glorious message this is! Jesus came for everyone and the gentiles are placing their faith in HIM!

§ They are rejoicing and many placed their faith in Jesus!

· Let’s not overlook that last phrase; as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. In fact, let’s get technical with it for a minute. After all, part of why we go through scripture verse by verse is so that we CAN dig deeper in many topics!

· R.C. Sproul says of this phrase, “All who came to faith that day did so by divine appointment. God had decreed from all eternity that they would come and hear the Apostle Paul and be quickened to faith by the Holy Spirit.”

o Truly, even in salvation; GOD IS AT WORK! GOD is working in US TO LEAD US TO SALVATION!

§ As Matthew Henry says of this verse, “God gave grace to believe to those who believed!”

· GOD IS AT WORK! Dr. L Scott Kellum makes the statement when talking about the Greek phrase ἐπίστευσαν ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι, which means “all those who believed were appointed.”[1] “This statement is as unqualified a statement of absolute predestination as is found anywhere in the New Testament. Luke clearly saw no contradiction between human responsibility and divine sovereignty.”

· This matters because of three things! First, WE SERVE A BIG AND SOVEREIGN GOD!

o He isn’t just sovereign over salvation; he’s sovereign over your life! That trial you’re going through? God’s got it!

· Secondly, it’s important because none of this is about Paul and Barnabas and that is freeing! God is sovereign and the effects of our evangelism isn’t determined by our perfection in it!

o It isn’t about how perfect our evangelism is; salvation is from God to us and God is working when we are saved!

o Yet, notice, Paul and Barnabas are FAITHFUL TO GO!

§ That’s what we continue to see in verse 49 where Luke records, “And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.”

Thirdly, this matters because this is not just a theological debate of calvinists and arminians at a seminary! TRULY, GOD IS SOVEREIGN TO SAVE and truly that effects us on a daily basis!

· Notice, that there is great growth in this region for the gospel! The truth is contagious and God is at work!

· Verses 47-49 are so positive! Verse 50 can almost feel like a cold ice bath after a workout! Luke writes, “But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.”

o Look at this! The Jews stir up anger and division! They physically drive Paul and Barnabas from the district; that is the suburban area!

§ They are angry, so they incite the wives of the leading men of the city and they decide it’s time to get rid of Paul and Barnabas!

§ They are jealous, angry and filled with hate!

· Listen to how Paul and Barnabas respond. Don’t just hear this; LISTEN TO THESE WORDS. “But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

o Look at how they respond to persecution! First, they shake off the dust from their feet as Jesus told them to do and THEN, they ARE FILLED WITH JOY FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

§ They respond to this not by quitting, or throwing their hands up in the air and getting discouraged, or blaming God; they respond with JOY! They move on to Iconium and they are filled with joy! That’s such a testimony!

§ Would we be filled with joy if we faced persecution? Would we panic? How would we respond?

· I’ve been on a George Whitefield reading tear recently. He survived an assassination attempt once, which is crazy.

· Afterwards, he wrote, “We are immortal until our work on earth is done.” Notice, he didn’t panic. A statement like that truly is a testament to having your faith securely in God!

o Keep that quote in mind as we go through Acts! “We are immortal until our work on earth is done.”

o The opponents of Jesus wanted to scare Paul and Barnabas. They wanted to harm them, but God protected them!

§ Truly, God is faithful to protect us from all the plans of satan! God is truly sovereign!

§ Truly, at ALL TIMES, GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE, REGARDLESS OF OUR SITUATION!

· CONCLUSION: As we wrap up this morning, there’s a lot we’ve touched on, but I want to narrow it down to three things. I want us to consider

o First, Who Jesus is in this passage

o Secondly, how we are each uniquely equipped by God, made for unique roles and we are perfectly positioned by God to serve together for HIS GLORY!

o Finally, I want us to consider how we respond to trials in life.

· Let’s start with that first point. Who is Jesus in Acts 13:44-52? Simply put, Jesus is SAVIOR! Jesus is SAVIOR! He is the one that they proclaim and the reason that Paul and Barnabas proclaim Him is that HE SAVES!

o Just as Jesus saved then, Jesus saves now! His perfect life, his death on the cross and his resurrection brought life and salvation TO ALL WHO BELIEVE, regardless of ethnicity, background, or time period!

o So today, just as Paul and Barnabas did, I want to call on you, if you have not already, to put your FAITH IN JESUS!

§ Only through that can We be saved!

§ Don’t delay; accept this free gift of salvation JUST AS THE GENTILES DID IN OUR PASSAGE TODAY!

· Just as they experienced; it is a totally transforming thing! It isn’t just about what happens after death; it also TOTALLY REVOLUTIONIZES YOUR LIFE!

· If you have any questions about this, talk to me! Talk to someone around you! We want to share this with you!

· The second application point we had was to consider how We are uniquely equipped by God, made for unique roles and how we are perfectly positioned by God to serve together for HIS GLORY!

o That’s a mouthful. Let me shorten that. We are equipped, made, and positioned by God! Let’s talk about each of these for a second. First, we are all equipped.

§ Think about yourself for a second. You have unique talents right? You have things that you can do well! If you don’t agree with me on that statement, let’s chat after church. I seriously mean that, because I know that God made you uniquely in HIS IMAGE and gave you special talents.

· So, you have some special skills you are thinking of. That’s part of how you’ve been equipped, but that’s really more how you were made.

· When you read your Bible, when you come to Church, when you pray? Those things; those things are designed to EQUIP YOU to serve God!

o Truly, we do not believe it is any coincidence that you came to GPC today or any other week! We really believe you are here for a reason.

o Part of that is that it is our job to equip one another to serve God! We want to go to scripture together and pray for one another!

o We want to be equipped to serve God and we know that we can rest assured that we will be because God is faithful!

§ Secondly, we know that God has made us! Like I was just saying, we each have our own unique skills, our own unique talents, quirks, and personality traits!

· We have those because GOD MADE US! He designed each one of us! And as He designed each of us, He has set out things for us to do! Another way of saying that is that God has given us unique roles inside of HIS PLAN!

§ Finally, we have been perfectly positioned to serve together FOR HIS GLORY!

· Think about that! Not only is it no accident that you are here to be equipped, you are here to serve with us! We truly believe that!

· How can you serve? I see a lot of options, but let me just provide three practical options that you could do starting today.

o First, we can always use more help in the nursery or in our Sunday school program for our children!

o Secondly, we can always use more help in greeting people as they come into our church! Help us be welcoming!

§ Even if you are new, you can help here! When I was in seminary I was interning at a church and the pastor had me greet a few weeks.

§ I didn’t know anyone, so I was pretty intimidated. But, do you know what happened?

· As I greeted people, I BEGAN TO KNOW THEM! I got to know the Church!

· So whether you’ve been here for a week, or for your entire life, or anywhere in between, why don’t you help Linda or Tom greet one week?

o Finally, and I truly think this is the most important one; what if you joined with us to PRAY! Pray for one another, pray for our church, pray for our community! PRAY THAT GOD WORKS IN OUR COMMUNITY!

§ Join with us in prayer! We can do that every single day, whether we are busy or have nothing going on!

· Our final application today is a straightforward one that can be admittedly hard to put into practice and is directly tied to our main point. That’s a challenge of “How do we respond to hard times?”

o The believers in Acts 13 rejoice and find Joy in the Holy Spirit despite the trials that they face!

o So how can they do this? Well, simply put, through reliance on the Holy Spirit! There is absolutely no other way that this is possible!

§ In their times of trials, the believers cling close to God! They run to God for comfort, wisdom and encouragement!

§ Rather than running to earthly pleasures and earthly comforts, they go to God! God is faithful to COMFORT THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT!

· So for us, what do we do when we face rejection, or a hard time? Do we go to our strength, or do we go to GOD?

o Let me pray for us as we close.

[1] Holmes, M. W. (2011–2013). The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (Ac 13:48). Lexham Press; Society of Biblical Literature.