Acts 13 Part 2

Today we are going to talk about one of the most foundational, yet under applied aspects of the christian faith. This story today is powerful, straight forward, and deeply necessary. This topic is the foundation for every christian endeavor, because it is the lens in which we see the world. Of course, what I am talking about is the gospel. Gospel is a term we hear a lot in church settings, and because it is so common it is easy to forget the meaning and relevance. The word gospel just means, “good news.” But what “good news” is it referring to in this context? The Apostle Paul will unpack that for us in today’s text, so we will talk more about that specifically as we go along.

However, the critical piece of this I want you to understand right upfront is that in this world there are many things claiming to be gospel, AKA “good news” The words of Paul we will read in are so crucial for us guarding against the lies and false gospels the world presents to us. The world is constantly feeding us lies through tv, social media, our friends, our professors, culture in general, our coworkers, and almost every other aspect of society.

We need to constantly be reminding each other of the gospel, because the messages from the world can be very compelling.

Listen to this quote from Bruce Thornton, writing for the Hoover Institution in an article titled “The Religion of Environmentalism.”

“This summer President Obama visited Alaska, where he stood in front of a shrinking glacier and said, “Climate change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is happening now.” At a conference in Anchorage, he made the apocalyptic prediction that “submerged countries, abandoned cities . . . entire industries of people who can’t practice their livelihoods, desperate refugees seeking the sanctuary of nations not their own, and political disruptions that could trigger multiple conflicts around the globe” would be the wages of failing to act now to stop global warming.”

Regardless of whether or not you believe these comments from President Obama are realistic, this quote is meant to serves as an illustration for something far bigger than the potential threat of global warming. The things the president are saying might be true, I am not up here to pass a judgment on that today. The reason I am showing you this quote is to highlight a critical part of a false gospel narrative.

Here’s what I mean: In the true christian gospel, we see the fall of mankind as rebellion against God. All people fall short of the glory of God because of sin.

In global warming narrative, the fall of mankind the shrinking glaciers and the warming of the plant over time. This is one of many parallel that transform the modern view of global warming into more than I potential threat, it becomes a lens in which people see the world. It can become a religion. It can become a person’s gospel.

The worldview version of global warming sounds something like this:

The world would be perfect and healthy if it were left alone, this is its original and perfect state (Creation)

But because of carbon omissions and other compounding factors mankind has fallen into disarray and impending doom (Fall)

But we have a way to salvation, if everyone does their part we will be saved! The fallen world will be redeemed (Redemption)

Then the planet will be saved and mankind will live happily for the rest of time (Restoration)

Does this narrative pattern sound familiar? It is the story of the christian gospel, repackaged as a worldview that promises salvation that it cannot deliver. As we will discuss later, the narrative is a mirror image of the Christian Gospel, yet it places the salvation and hope for mankind in a place that offers no hope or salvation.

Today’s message is so relevant for us as we try to navigate the countless claims of good news in the world. Today’s message will help us apply the true gospel to these worldly claims. Let’s pray, and ask the Lord to guide us before we approach the text.

Prayer:

Father, please speak to us through Your word. We are unable to interpret this on our own and truly understand the deepest meaning. Reveal truth to us, and help us go beyond simple interpretation. Help us get to the heart, and transform us. Give me wisdom as I teach, and open the ears of your people to hear. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Turn in your bibles to Acts chapter 13. I believe it is important for us to read this whole text first, primarily so we can hear Paul’s sermon in its entirety.

Acts 13:13–52 ESV

13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, “ ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 “ ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’ ” 42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 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. 47 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.’ ” 48 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. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 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. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Let’s dive right into it starting in Verse 13: {Don’t read the text again}

Acts 13:13–16 ESV

In the first verse you may notice a shift. Up to this point it has always said, Barnabas and Saul, now it says “Paul and his companions.” This is actually intentional. The first person mentioned represents the leader of the group. When they started out on this journey Barnabas was the leader, this was his thing. He went and found Paul and invited him to be a part of it. John Mark was with them too. Yet for whatever reason, possibly because they were traveling to Roman territory, but we don’t know for sure, Paul is appointed as the new leader.

John Mark also drops off at this point. It says pretty plainly that he left them to head back to Jerusalem. We don’t know why he left, lots of people speculate different things. But Regardless of the reason, we know this is seen as a little bit of a desertion. It is an abandonment of some kind, and it is counted as a fault against him. We know this because when Paul is preparing for another trip he references Mark’s decision to leave in Acts chapter 15.

Acts 15:37–38 ESV

37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.

Paul is dealing with some kind of illness at this point too, and that is actually the reason they head to this region. This region is know as Galatia, and Paul explains this in his letter to them later on:

Galatians 4:13 ESV

13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,

Some people speculate this illness was malaria, because it was a common affliction to those in the lower regions. Whereas it wasn’t so much of a problem at higher altitudes, like in Galatia.

They finally reach their destination, which was Antioch. I won’t go into more detail on this city, but just know it is not the Antioch they came from when they started this journey. It is a different city with the same name.

Once they arrive, they follow the same pattern of preaching in the Synagogues. We covered some of the strategic reasons they might have done this in our message last week, go and check that out if you missed it!

So they are sitting in the Synagog, and after reading from the Law and the prophets, they address Paul and Barnabas and ask them if they have any exhortation for the people. This might seem kind of weird, but it wasn’t uncommon for a prominent figure to be called on during this part of their routine. After all, Paul was an educated man. He was well respected, and he studied under the great Gamaliel. Paul wouldn’t have been surprised by this invitation, and he takes full advantage of the oportunity to share.

Paul proceeds to share a sermon that can be broken into three parts:

The anticipation and preparation for the coming Messiah

The rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus

The application and appeal

I’ll give you a minute to write those down, then we will pick it back up in verse 16 to cover the first part of his sermon:

Acts 13:16–25 ESV

16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

This is a masterful explanation of the anticipation of the coming Messiah. It is very relevant for the Jews and the Gentiles who are present, because both groups in this case would have had a reverence for God and would have been anticipating the Messiah. When he says “and those who fear God,” he is talking about God fearing Gentiles.

Paul is preaching a sermon that is fully rooted in the scriptures, and diligently explaining from the old testament how Jesus is the fulfillment of it all. His knowledge of the scriptures and first hand encounter with Jesus allows him to connect all the dots, and he walks through a significant amount of the history leading up to Jesus’ arrival.

He references John the Baptist, a well known figure. Making the claim that John was preparing the way for Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Paul continues in part two: The rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus

Acts 13:26–37 ESV

26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, “ ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.

Paul continues his message, deeply rooted in the scripture they know and trust, and points to Jesus as the Messiah.

But what do the Jews do with the promised Messiah? They crucify Him. He says that the Jews didn’t recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah or understand that the prophets were talking about Him. So they kill Jesus by hanging Him on a cross. But as we see in verse 27, through Jesus’ death the prophecy was fulfilled.

Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplished something significant! When He died, God poured all of His wrath for sin on Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect life. He never sinned, and He was completely righteous before God. We are the ones who deserve God’s wrath and punishment for sin. But Jesus took our place, He took the judgement we deserve, and then offers us justification through faith.

Martin Luther called this “The great exchange.” Jesus received the punishment we deserved for sin, and exchanged His perfect rightousness to us.

As it said — Jesus doesn’t stay dead, God raised Him from the dead an He appeared to lots of people. These people were eye witnesses of His resurrection. Jesus concurred death when He rose, and He is seated at the right hand of the father. This is the high point of the gospel story as Paul is laying it out.

This is the center point of the entire story of humanity. Everything leading up to Jesus’ death and everything after is centered around that moment in history when He came and accomplished the work of salvation for His people.

But Paul doesn’t stop there: The application and appeal

Acts 13:38–41 ESV

38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 “ ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’ ”

Paul is proclaiming the gospel to them. The “good news” that Jesus is the Messiah and through His death He made a way for salvation. Yet, not everyone will believe. There are plenty of people who hear the good news, that we can be right with God through the free gift of salvation, and they don’t believe it. Instead they reject Jesus and cling to some other false Gospel.

That is one reason this message is so relevant to us as christians. We know the true gospel, but that doesn’t make us immune to false gospels that threaten to lead us astray. So often christians get swept up into some form of idolatry in a false worldview. Sometimes people have good intentions when this happens, but they are not careful to apply the gospel to the issue they are considering.

Let’s go back to the environmentalism example I talked about in the beginning.

Let’s suppose that a person wants to make a difference for the planet. They hear about global warming and that is concerning to them. On the one hand they could buy into the whole false gospel narrative and orient their life around that cause, or they could apply the true gospel to the same issue.

But what does that mean? Apply the gospel? To make this easier to visualize I will break the gospel story up into four parts. If you have been at our church for any length of time you might have seen this:

Creation Fall Redemption Restoration

God created the world, it was perfect. Mankind falls into sin. Jesus comes and redeems the world through his death. Because of His death, resurrection, and eventual return, all things will be restored. That is the gospel narrative in summery. This is the good news that Paul is preaching.

The counter gospel of global warming I mentioned in the beginning follows the same structure…

Creation - The world would be perfect and healthy if it were left alone, this is its original and perfect state

Fall - But because of carbon omissions and other compounding factors mankind has fallen into disarray and impending doom

Redemption - But we have a way to salvation, if everyone does their part we will be saved! The fallen world will be redeemed

Restoration - Then the planet will be saved and mankind will live happily for the rest of time

But what would happen if we took the core concern of global warming and overlaid the true gospel?

It would sound something like this:

God created the world perfectly, it has fallen into disrepair because of sin and brokenness, things aren’t perfect, Jesus redeemed the world and has promised to restore a new heaven and new earth in the last days.

Now, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take care of the planet. But this is the key difference — We don’t take care of the planet because our hope is in the restoration of the world through lower carbon omissions. We take care of the planet because we are all stewards of God’s creation, and we are given dominion over the earth to grow and advance God’s kingdom. How is it that we can grow and advance God’s kingdom in the first place? Because of the gospel! Because Jesus came to redeem the world. First and foremost He redeemed a people, but ALL the brokenness we experience from sin will be restored because of His redemption.

You see, the gospel is the story in which all of humanity makes sense. And people are blind to that reality by default, and they seek out other similar narratives to try and find hope and restoration.

But the only true hope and restoration to be found is in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

This can be applied to ANYTHING, and should be applied to EVERYTHING, in our lives and culture. Let’s take suffering for example. The world has countless explanations for suffering, yet all of them fall into the category of a false gospel.

Take Marxism, what is the cause of suffering according to Marxism? They would say that suffering exists because of imbalanced power. So the redemption in that narrative is a balance of power that leads to equality of outcome. There is a power imbalance, that is the fall. But redemption comes through equalizing power and achieving equality of outcome.

What does the true gospel say about suffering?

The reality is that sin is the cause of suffering in the world. Mankind has fallen into sin, and we are hopelessly depraved people. But we have a means of true redemption! Jesus came and died on the cross to redeem the world. He has set all things right. This brings us back to the principal we talked about two weeks ago. No sin, hurt, or suffering will go unreconciled. Jesus has set all things right.

Now, I don’t know if we have any environmentalist or marxists in the room today, if we do I am glad you’re here. But I am sure that we have lots of people in the room who love money. Of maybe we would say “tempted” to love money. Can the gospel be applied to money? Of course!

Especially in America you might hear a story that goes something like this:

I started from nothing. My parents weren’t wealthy, I lived off beans, rice, and taco bell. (Creation)

Because I don’t have money I am hopeless. If I just had some money I would be so much happier (Fall)

But if I work hard, get my education, build a small business, invest in real estate, I can become successful! (Redemption)

Once I have reached success, my net worth is finally a million dollars, I will be happy for the rest of my days in retirement (Restoration)

This narrative is so popular it actually has a name. “The American dream.”

And I’ll say this again: There is nothing wrong with being rich, and there is nothing wrong with working hard to be successful. BUT there is something wrong with putting your hope in this false gospel. It is a tail as old as time, money can’t even buy happiness, let alone salvation for a person’s soul. Being successful, rich, or retiring at 45 years old means NOTHING for your life.

Jesus said this Himself in one of His sermons:

Matthew 6:19–24 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Overlaying the true gospel helps us see that Jesus is our treasure. And through His work on the cross we are eternally rich through an inheritance that is eternal. We are stewards of the money God gives us, and He has promised to provide. Think of the gospel story: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. If this is the good news you believe in, it changes the way you think about money. Verses thinking money is the thing that can save you.

What about marriage? What about education? What about friendships? What about hobbies? What about your family?

The good news of Jesus is the lens in which we see ALL of these things and thousands more.

Church, this is actually good news! We could breakdown thousands of false gospels. We could apply the gospel to thousands of things, including our own lives.

This gospel ACTUALLY offers hope. This gospel ACTUALLY offers salvation. All of these other so called gospels promise something they cannot deliver. They lead people down a path to destruction while promising salvation they cannot provide.

This is the same message Paul was preaching 2000 years ago, and the people respond in verse 42:

Acts 13:42–43 ESV

42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

There is a huge positive response to the gospel message in Antioch. But just as Paul said in his sermon, there is also those who do not believe, even when told.

Acts 13:44–47 ESV

44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 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. 47 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.’ ”

The Jewish leaders become jealous of the positive response to the gospel, so they revile Paul and Barnabas. But they continue in boldness and wash their hands, so to speak, of the ones who reject the gospel message. The bible knowledge commentary I was using to study provides this explanation for why it was necessary to preach the gospel to the Jews first. It reads:

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 13:46

It was necessary that the apostles go to the Jews first for a number of reasons. First, the coming of the earthly kingdom depended on Israel’s response to the coming of Christ (cf. Matt. 23:39; Rom. 11:26). Second, only after Israel rejected the gospel could Paul devote himself to the Gentiles. Third, the message of Jesus is fundamentally Jewish in that the Old Testament, the Messiah, and the promises are all Jewish. (On “the Jew first,” cf. Acts 3:26; Rom. 1:16.)

But in verse 46 it says the Jews “thrust it aside” and rejected the good news. Paul isn’t a traveling salesman selling some cheap goods here, he is offering up to them the best news the world has ever heard. And when the Jews reject it he says “you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life.” He then transitions his ministry to the Gentiles.

And the Gentiles are thrilled by this!

Acts 13:48–52 ESV

48 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. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 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. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

This story ends when Paul and Barnabas are driven out of the city by persecution. But before that many had believed, both Jews and Gentiles. They heard the good news of salvation and submitted their life to Jesus.

The application potential in this sermon is broad. The gospel is more than a “feel good” story. It is the center of humanity, and the lens that we see the world through. I want to narrow the scope a little as we come to a close with these two points of application:

The first point is for the christians in this room. We must be careful not to get swept up in the false gospels that the world presents. More than that, we must be watchful over one another. Protecting each other and applying the gospel to everything in our life and culture. This is one of the reasons that the church is so important. Ask yourself these questions: what false gospels am I tempted to believe? What false gospels threaten my children? What false gospels threaten my brothers and sisters in this church?

As christians we must be diligent to apply the gospel to our own lives, to the lives of unbelievers, and to the culture at large. It is crucial that we practice this regularly, and that you have people around you who can speak the gospel into your life. There is no element of life that the gospel doesn’t impact.

The second point is for those of you in this room who would not consider yourself christians, or maybe you’re hearing this good news for the first time. If that is you, ask yourself what worldview you are currently putting your hope in. Everyone is seeing the world through a narrative that fits this mold. If you look closely, every worldview has a creation, fall, redemption, and restoration story. But only one of these claims to be gospel is true. The one and only true gospel is the story of Jesus and the work He has done for the salvation of His people. This story is for you. This good news is for you. You can be saved by Jesus if you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and confess with your mouth that He is Lord.

Speak with me after the service if you have more questions about that. I would love to share more about the good news of Jesus Christ with you.

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