Acts 13 (2)

The Gospel Rooted the Scriptures of Old.

The late R.C. Sproul tells of a story once of a time where he was speaking and asked someone to hand him a bible. Some one from the crowd came up an handed him one. He immediately look at the student and said, “I asked for a bible.” The young student had handed him a New Testament, and not the entire bible. He only gave him half a bible. In our day and in many circles we look at the Old Testament with some befuddlement. It seems foreign to us it seems like such a ancient and distant culture that we know little about and separated by several thousand years.

We must remember though that the Gospel was first preached using the bible but not the bible in the exact form that we have it today. Remember that Luke is recounting this event after the fact so that it would be inscripturated. The much of the New Testament had not yet been out to pen and parchment. When the NT writers speak of the scriptures they are speaking of the Old Testament writings the Tanak, torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim. The Law, the prophets, and the writings. Luke mentions the Law and the Prophets that were read in the Synagogue.

When the Gospel was first preached it was preached from the Old Testament scriptures. It is interesting that Paul tells his young companion and Timothy ...

2 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

We live in a world where there are all sort of what so called “red letter” Christians who believe only the words of Christ found in red, or even prominent preachers out there who are asking us to unhitch from the Old Testament, making us to believe that we can divorce ourselves from the context of the Old Testament and make sense of Jesus. If you get rid of the Old Testament you fundamentally destroy the gospel making salvation non-nonsensical.

The old testament built the foundation upon which the Christ should come. It provides the context for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus did not just appear randomly on earth and say here I am, believe on me, without the proper context. Jesus is called the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world, the requirement of blood sacrifice, the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, the law and sin, the chosing of Abraham , Israel, David, all of which help us built and make ripe the need and anticipation for the Savior to come. After all the early Jews were anticipating something there was a messianic fever within Israel even if her trust was misplaced and her interpretation wrong.

Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Paul was a Jew, a pharisee of pharisees. Marilyn Ferguson though she was evidentally wrote many book on the New Age said this which I though was insightful in out context.

“Making mental connections is our most crucial learning tool, the essence of human intelligence; to forge links; to go beyond the given; to see patterns, relationships, context” – Marilyn Ferguson

Acts 13:39 LSB

and that in Him, everyone who believes is justified from all things which you could not be justified from through the Law of Moses.

The Gospel is rooted in the Old Testament.

The promise to David King of Israel (13-25)

Just like Stephen though a slightly different starting point , Paul shows the history to of the Jews from Israels slavery in Egypt, to coming into the promised land, to the Judges and the kings, and finally the promise of the Davinic throne.

Psalm 89:49 (ESV)

Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?

Jeremiah 23:5–6 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

The hardening and rebellion of the Nation of Israel (26-32;46;50)

God’s sovereignty based upon His promises. Israel and the Gentiles killed the Savior God raised Him.

Acts 4:10 ESV

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.

Romans 11:1–25 (ESV)

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes that would not see

and ears that would not hear,

down to this very day.”

And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them;

let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,

and bend their backs forever.”

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

This generation was a crooked and perverse generation which the scriptures say sought a sign but did would not believe even if though the Son was raised from the dead. Vs 46 tells us that Israel has brought judgement upon herself because she has rejected the Christ her Messiah. She rejected the very chief and cornerstone the foundation and only possible way to salvation and therefore is by her own judgement condemned.

She misjudged the promises of God by believing that they would come through the law an her traditions, she cast aside the Messiah and built upon the foundation of another and therefore her house cannot stand, because it is built upon the shifting sand.

Israel thought they were the chosen ones who had brought the savior into the world have become estranged from the Father. Even in the midst of a judicial hardening of the nation of Israel God has promised that everyone whether Jews or Gentiles would believe on Christ will be justified

The Promise to David Kept (33-37)

Psalm 89:28–29 ESV

My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.

NEW AND BETTER

The Promise of Justification to all who believe. (38-52)

vs 17 and 26 Men of Israel and you who fear God, and brother, sons of the family of Abraham and those who fear God. To be justified is a legal term that is used in which God declares the sinner to be righteous through faith in Christ. Luke here and Paul further develops this especially in Romans the juxtaposition between the law and grace. The law which cannot produce the righteousness of God but only death, vs the righteousness that is imputed to the believer through faith.

What make this new people of God unique is not her dietary laws not her external marks and rites of circumcision or her rituals. Christ did away with all of the ceremonial aspects and this is where many get off the rails in terms of the importance of the Old Testament. He did not come to do away with the law or destroy it but to fulfill it.

EXPLAIN

Christ did everything that the OT could not.

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Paul says in Gal that the law was our schoolmaster bringing us to Christ.

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Galatians 2:16 ESV

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

A warning to Israel.

Israel is not without hope if she will repent, but if not the words of the prophet will ring true for her.

CONCLUSION: We have lost our context