Wednesday August 30, 2023

ACTS 13 (NLT)

Pastor Jeremiah Keillor

Jonathan Taylor, Kenny Edwards, Dennis Walker

All of you!

New Living Translation – Swindoll Study Bible

Commentary Notes: Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott We Must Have Some Religion

William Blake: “Man must and will have some religion; if he has not the religion of Jesus, he will have the religion of Satan and will erect the synagogue of Satan, calling the Prince of the World, God, and destroying all who do not worship Satan under the name of God.

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott “Worship Is the Submission of All Our Nature to God”

“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His Holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin. Yes—worship in spirit and truth is the way to the solution of perplexity and to the liberation from sin.”

Worship = Prayer, Praise, Reading and Hearing God’s Word

14 But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. *{Pamphylia and Pisidia were districts in what is now Turkey} On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services.

15 After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets *{Greek – from the law}, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.”

16 So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me.

17 “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery.

18 He put up with them *{some manuscripts read “He cared for them”; compare Deut 1:31} through forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

19 Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance.

20 All this took about 450 years. “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet.

21 Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, *{1 Samuel 13:14} a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’

23 “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!

24 Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized.

25 As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’

26 “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us!

27 The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath.

28 They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.

29 “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross *{Greek – From the tree} and placed him in a tomb.

30 But God raised him from the dead!

31 And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.

Jesus is the Son of God

32 “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors,

33 and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ’ *{or “Today I reveal you as my Son”}

34 For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’ *{Isaiah 55:3}

35 Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ *{Psalm 16:10}

36 This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed.

37 No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay.

The Good News!!!

38 “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.

39 Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. *{English translations divide verse 38-39 in various ways

40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said,

41 ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’ ” *{Hab 1:5}

If You Can’t Say Something Nice

42 As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week.

43 Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.

44 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord.

45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.

47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’ ” *{Isaiah 49:6}

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.

49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.

50 Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town.

51 So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium.

52 And the believers *{Greek – the disciples} were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Additional Scriptures

Deuteronomy 1: 31

31 And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.’

1 Samuel 13:14

14 But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD ’s command.”

Psalms 2:7

7 The king proclaims the LORD ’s decree: “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father.

Isaiah 55:3

3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

Psalm 16:10

10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.

Habakkuk 1:5

5 The LORD replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.

Isaiah 49:6

6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

God’s Calling to Go

Acts 13:1-4

When God says, “Go”, then go! – From NLT Study Bible

There must have been a stir in the church in Antioch- change was afoot. Two key leaders were about to depart for an undetermined amount of time. It could not have been easy for the their fellow leaders or for the rest of the body there. But throughout a period of prayer, worship, and fasting, the church had come to a clear sense of God’s guidance: The Spirit was telling them to send forth Barnabas and Saul. They acted in faith and followed God’s leading into this change. They laid hands on two beloved leaders, and they sent off Barnabas and Saul with God’s blessing. The result was the first missionary journey – the continuing spread of the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Is God calling you to move for some reason? To change locarions? He does that at times, you know, and not just to paid ministers or to leaders like Paul. As I consider the change of location the Spirit called these men to make, I see four lessons.

First, do not automatically remove any possibility about where the Lord is calling you to be. You might be thinking this text applies only to your neighbor or your friend, but if you are a believer, you have the indwelling Spirit of God. If you have automatically discounted the possibility of any relocation, you are flirting with disobedience. We walk by faith and not by sight. Remember Jonah? God called him to Nineveh – a distant and scary place, but one where the Lord had a great work of repentance to bring about.

Second, do not allow activity to dull your senses. Antioch was a bustling church, and its leaders were in the middle of a time of prayer, worship and fasting. But did you know you can be doing all that and still be so focused on your ministries and your plans that you remain dull to the Lord’s voice? If you are busily engaged in good and profitable and fruitful ministries –that’s great. But always stay sensistve to the Holy Spirit. The Lord might say, “Hey, I want you over there” or “This year I don’t want you doing that. I want you here instead.”

Third, remember that God always has selective moves in mind – specific people for specific areas. The big takeaway here is that if you are led to a certain area, you have no right to manipulate other people with guilt for not moving to that area too. He called YOU there. Let Him call others where He wills. Of course, if the Lord has called you to stay where you are, then stay put. Give it all you’ve got! While Paul and Barnabas departed, there is no indication that the other leaders named in Acts 13:1 were ever called by God to live outside of Antioch.

Finally, when God says “GO”, then go! That is the only proper response. If He is telling one of your loved ones to go, then stop telling them to stay. Let the Lord call the shots in their lives. You will really show maturity when you do.

Commentary

Verses 14-31 When we come together to worship God, we must do it, not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God. The bare reading of the Scriptures in public assemblies is not enough; they should be expounded, and the people exhorted out of them. This is helping people in doing that which is necessary to make the word profitable, to apply it to themselves. Every thing is touched upon in this sermon, which might best prevail with Jews to receive and embrace Christ as the promised Messiah. And every view, however short or faint, of the Lord's dealings with his church, reminds us of his mercy and long-suffering, and of man's ingratitude and perverseness. Paul passes from David to the Son of David, and shows that this Jesus is his promised Seed; a Saviour to do that for them, which the judges of old could not do, to save them from their sins, their worst enemies. When the apostles preached Christ as the Saviour, they were so far from concealing his death, that they always preached Christ crucified. Our complete separation from sin, is represented by our being buried with Christ. But he rose again from the dead, and saw no corruption: this was the great truth to be preached.

Verses 32-37 The resurrection of Christ was the great proof of his being the Son of God. It was not possible he should be held by death, because he was the Son of God, and therefore had life in himself, which he could not lay down but with a design to take it again. The sure mercies of David are that everlasting life, of which the resurrection was a sure pledge; and the blessings of redemption in Christ are a certain earnest, even in this world. David was a great blessing to the age wherein he lived. We were not born for ourselves, but there are those living around us, to whom we must study to be serviceable. Yet here is the difference; Christ was to serve all generations. May we look to Him who is declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, that by faith in him we may walk with God, and serve our generation according to his will; and when death comes, may we fall asleep in him, with a joyful hope of a blessed resurrection.

Verses 38-41 Let all that hear the gospel of Christ, know these two things: 1. That through this Man, who died and rose again, is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Your sins, though many and great, may be forgiven, and they may be so without any injury to God's honour. 2. It is by Christ only that those who believe in him, and none else, are justified from all things; from all the guilt and stain of sin, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses. The great concern of convinced sinners is, to be justified, to be acquitted from all their guilt, and accepted as righteous in God's sight, for if any is left charged upon the sinner, he is undone. By Jesus Christ we obtain a complete justification; for by him a complete atonement was made for sin. We are justified, not only by him as our Judge but by him as the Lord our Righteousness. What the law could not do for us, in that it was weak, the gospel of Christ does. This is the most needful blessing, bringing in every other. The threatenings are warnings; what we are told will come upon impenitent sinners, is designed to awaken us to beware lest it come upon us. It ruins many, that they despise religion. Those that will not wonder and be saved, shall wonder and perish.

Verses 42-52 The Jews opposed the doctrine the apostles preached; and when they could find no objection, they blasphemed Christ and his gospel. Commonly those who begin with contradicting, end with blaspheming. But when adversaries of Christ's cause are daring, its advocates should be the bolder. And while many judge themselves unworthy of eternal life, others, who appear less likely, desire to hear more of the glad tidings of salvation. This is according to what was foretold in the Old Testament. What light, what power, what a treasure does this gospel bring with it! How excellent are its truths, its precepts, its promises! Those came to Christ whom the Father drew, and to whom the Spirit made the gospel call effectual, ( Romans 8:30 ) . As many as were disposed to eternal life, as many as had concern about their eternal state, and aimed to make sure of eternal life, believed in Christ, in whom God has treasured up that life, and who is the only Way to it; and it was the grace of God that wrought it in them. It is good to see honourable women devout; the less they have to do in the world, the more they should do for their own souls, and the souls of others: but it is sad, when, under colour of devotion to God, they try to show hatred to Christ. And the more we relish the comforts and encouragements we meet with in the power of godliness, and the fuller our hearts are of them, the better prepared we are to face difficulties in the profession of godliness.