Acts Chapter 14
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Can you imagine what it would be like if your legs didn’t work?
In this story, there is a man whose legs don’t work. He’s an adult man and it’s been this way since he was born.
Paul comes to this man fixes his legs!
When we’re born, we’re spiritually broken.
We don’t love God the way we ought to and we don’t obey him the way we ought to.
But as we grow up, God gives us faith and he heals us.
And when we die, God promises to give us new bodies in case there is anything broken in our body while on earth.
Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.
“They” = Paul and Barnabas
Jewish synagogue
Jews AND Greeks believed
“Spoke in such a way...”
Sometimes there is language of “God adding to their number” or “God granting faith”
Sometimes there is language that indicates that it was the action of the apostles.
It’s all under the providence of God
God and the Holy Spirit move through the people of God to accomplish the will of God.
When we stop to realize that we are his vessels, on this earth to accomplish God’s purposes, it truly is humbling...
I’m here and I represent a King, not just any king, the King of all kings...
My master is all powerful and all good.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
Unbelieving Jews...
They rejected the messiah.
English Standard Version Chapter 10
they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge
There response (So, therefore) to opposition was to remain longer, to fight harder, to speak boldly.
And God backed them up.
They were GRANTED signs and wonders. (Signs and wonders are not something you “claim” they are granted)
These signs were validations of the message.
But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.
Stone them… This was the way ancient Jews executed the death penalty for blasphemy against God
These were devout men who believed with all their heart that they were serving God...
But at the end of the day, they rejected the messiah...
So they fled and continued to preach...
Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.
Faith to be made well could be translated to be saved...
I actually the faith Paul saw was the same faith that you and I have. Faith unto salvation.
[[STORY??]]
Faith aligns us to the will of God.
Faith does not manipulate God into aligning with our will.
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
RC Sproul talks about 3 usages for the word miracle.
1. Natural, but a display of God’s power (baby)
2. Natural, but a display of God’s timing and providence (Bethlehem star)
3. Supernatural, acts of God that contradict nature (Water to wine)
Biblically speaking, this 3rd kind seem to be given to specific individuals to validate God’s messengers.
Think Moses or Elijah
Think Jesus, think the apostles...
The church’s origin story starts with the supernatural to validate Jesus and the apostles.
But I think we would be in error to assume that because the birth of the church was rich with miracles, we should expect the church today to be rich with miracles...
Many churches and entire denominations believe that something is wrong if they are not experiencing the world in a way similar to what we read in Acts, and it moves people to fake it… (sometimes in good faith, and sometimes in as wolves)
And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
This is the real deal.
Parallels closely to Peter’s healing in Chapter 3, demonstrating Paul had similar authority to Peter.
People knew this man and he was miraculously healed
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
True gospel transformation and true gospel preaching brings us to our knees in humility… it doesn’t puff us up… if it does, it’s likely we are not rightly believing or preaching the gospel
This is the gospel:
Turn from these vain things to a living God.
What do you need to turn from?
What are you putting your hope and trust in?
What are you waiting for to bring your life meaning and happiness?
What are you pursuing that you are certain will make the wrongs of the world right?
These are idols...
There are taboo idols, culturally unacceptable (like drugs, alcohol, and laziness)
There are more deceptive idols, like hard work, pride, relationships, and kids...
In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
Mankind is without excuse in knowing God… Similar argument made in Romans 1.
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
“Your kingdom come YOUR will be done!”
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
We are at war against the powers of darkness.
Life isn’t a game; it’s the real deal.
The significance of your suffering goes beyond YOU.
The significance of your life goes beyond YOU.
(This is the opposite of what the world says)
Don’t look within yourself, look outside yourself.
Unjust suffering comes in many shapes and sizes, but rest assured that all unjust suffering has the potential to draw you close to Jesus.
When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Do you realize your religion was born out of suffering?
Patriotism is largely dead in our culture, but there was a time in the not too distant past...
Patriotism changed people...
The church was born out of sacrifice and suffering, certainly starting with Jesus, but not ending there.
And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Missionary work IS church planting work.
God designed his kingdom to grow and expand through local churches.
Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.
The door of faith was opened to the Gentiles...