Motivated by Truth
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10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
A. Rapport for the time
Perspective—a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
We have a perspective on just about everything in our life. A way in which things are done or accomplished. For instance our perspective on church for many of us comes from a history of attending church and our experiences in church. We may have grown up sitting next to our parents in a pew learning how to pay attention or simply not trying to get pinched by our mother.
What has Christ place his Holy Spirit inside of you to empower you to do what? Live the same life you have alway lived?
B. Reading of the text
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
C. Review of the text
Over the last few weeks we have look at what a Christian is to represent and then asked ourselves if we are doing that well in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we got the end of chapter 12 we sought to give Glory to God alone for he is the only one worthy . As we made it to chapter 13 last week we recognized a transition point in the book of Acts. From Chapter 13 on we are on mission with Saul who will now be called Paul. Paul the disciple who was:
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Paul was did not walk with the other apostles and Christ. He did not experience all that they had experience so therefor he described himself as one untimely born.
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul clearly understood that his coming to the Lord was not his own doing and the apostleship given to him by the Lord set a requirement upon his life that would drive everything that Paul would ever be.
D. Relevance of the text
The question this morning for your heart is what is the motivating factor of your life? As a Christian are you a seeker of the truth both for your life and others? Do you understand you role in the Kingdom of God? Or are you just happy with what you are at this moment? You seek nothing else but to be saved and desire nothing of the Kingdom of God. From what we have defined as Christian that to know the Lord and love the Lord places a desire inside of us that will be used by God for his Good.
T.S. Let’s jump into the text this AM and see Barnabas and Paul Going to be used by their LORD.
I. Yep. I”ll Go!
I. Yep. I”ll Go!
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.
Just looking at the text Luke wants us to be constantly reminded that the Holy Spirit is the one that grows HIS church. I wanted to give you another working definition of a church..
A church is a group of Christians who assemble as an earthly embassy of Christ’s heavenly kingdom to proclaim the good news and commands of Christ the King; to affirm one another as his citizens through the ordinances; and to display God’s own holiness and love through a unified and diverse people in all the world, following the teaching and example of elders.
Beloved you grow as an individual with the word of God being applied to your life in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel goes forth in the power of the Spirit. You have been transformed that power into something different.
One commentator said: “The early Church grows through the power of the Spirit working through the apostles.” Beloved the church grows today through the same power of the Holy Spirit.
Salamis is a city in Cyprus of about 150,000 people with the majority being Gentiles. Remember Cyprus is the home of Barnabas so would be a great place to start.
vs. 5 establishes a pattern for the Paul and Barnabas that we will see throughout Acts.
Paul is to take the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles but along the way he begins in the synagogues because they are filled with people who know the OT scripture and Paul can use it as a jumping off point as he is traveling with Barnabas to spread the good news.
Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, Vols. 1 & 2: Introduction and 1:1–14:28 IV. Starting with Synagogues (13:5)
Paul saw the priority of salvation history as for the Jew first and then the Gentile (Rom 1:16; 2:9–10) and affirmed that the gospel was for all (e.g., Rom 10:12; Gal 3:28), including in his congregations (1 Cor 1:24; 10:32; 12:13).
T.S. As they are going to spread the good news their is opposition to the Gospel.
II. Opposition to the Gospel
II. Opposition to the Gospel
6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Paphos is on the western end of the island.
Jewish false prophet Bar-Jesus---means son of Jesus/Joshua/the savior. He is a Jewish Sorcerer(magos) which according to scripture should not ever go together.
10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer
9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’
24 For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.
vs. 8 proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
Sergius is the governor of Cyprus seeks to have Barnabas and Paul share with him the word of God. But with the proclamation of the Gospel comes opposition.
The gentleman would have not desired for the governor to become a Christian because it would put him out of a job completely. But we are also looking at a spiritual battle taking place between darkness and light. Between the Truth of Jesus Christ and the false prophets of men who seek themselves and are looking to further themselves.
Beloved there is a long list of “Preachers” today that are seeking their own interest these days and we need to be Kingdom wise about what we listen to and what we allow ourselves to absorb. As Christians we need to seek after the truth that has been given to us by God in his word and not what men manipulate the word into being.
III. God’s swift Judgment
III. God’s swift Judgment
9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Saul—Hebrew name-----Paul—Roman name for Saul
Roman citizen----
37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.”
Saul will be know as Paul in Acts from this point forward as he looks to spread the fame of Christ amongst the Gentiles. He seeks to fit in as best he can by using his name Paul in the greek. He would later say that he becomes all things to men that some may come to know His Savior..This is the object of Paul’s affection and desire.
What an amazing contrast we have between the power of darkness and the power of light. You have Paul in vs. 9 filled with the Holy Spirit and in vs. 10 you have a son of the devil. Elymas has had the attention of the governor for some time and doesn’t want to lose him to the Truth that Paul desires to tell.
Paul calls him not son of Jesus—Bar Jesus but son of the devil.
Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, Vols. 1 & 2: Introduction and 1:1–14:28 (2) Judgment (13:11)
Elymas has been blinding others spiritually, and now he is blinded; Elymas has been making crooked the straight ways of God, and now he needs someone to lead him by the hand. Paul recovered spiritual sight when struck blind; now Elymas, who also has opposed the faith, receives the same opportunity (see comment on Acts 9:8). This judgment miracle, in contrast to one associated with Peter, which it parallels (Acts 5:5, 11), ends more gently, just as Peter’s prison liberation proves gentler to his captor (16:28 vs. 12:19).
There are but two paths.
10 “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”
Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, Vols. 1 & 2: Introduction and 1:1–14:28 (2) Judgment (13:11)
But the disciples in the Gospel had to grow in faith (Luke 8:24–25; 9:40–41; 17:5), and even in Acts, Peter continues learning (Acts 10:28); Luke’s portrait of their faith is not “flat,” in literary terms. Many miracles are performed through Paul and his colleague soon after this in 14:3, 9–10, perhaps from the encouragement of his experience here; by 19:11–12 he seems to be acting on a much more intense level (though this might simply reflect greater popular interest), comparable to Peter’s intense ministry in 5:15–16. What is most clear is that these signs help fulfill and vindicate the Gentile mission (15:12