Paul’s Sermon Acts 13:13-41

Introduction

As Paul and Barnabas left Antioch, they set out to tell others about Jesus and as their pattern went they always started in the synagogue. This morning we are going to look at Pauls ministry in the other Antioch. We are going to see the request of the religious leaders and the sermon of Paul.

The Request of the religious leaders vs. 13-15

Here we find Paul, Barnabas and Mark loosing themselves from Paphos.

Paphos was on the coast of the Island of Cyprus.

As they got out of Paphos they moved back to the mainland and go to Perga which was on the coast of Pamphylia.

Notice another footnote about John Mark.

The Bible tells us that he returned back to Jerusalem.

Because of this Paul decided not to take him on his next missionary journey.

Once John Mark departs they leave Perga and go to Antioch in Pisidia which is not the same Antioch that they started in.

As they come into Antioch, they go into the synagogue on the sabbath day and sat down and participated in the the reading of the Law and the prophets.

Paul and Barnabas didn’t go to the synagogue hoping someone would invite them over for lunch or to bring news from Jerusalem, they went there hoping for a chance to preach Christ.

He was about to get the chance, but when the religious leaders asked him to speak they had no idea what they were getting themselves in too.

Look at what the rulers of the synagogue say to them.

“Ye men and brethren if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on”

Exhortation- The form of words intended to incite and encourage.

Paul was going to incite and encourage them, but probably not the kind they were looking for.

Paul’s Sermon vs 16-41

As Paul starts to answer them he stands up and beckons or signals with his hands

He addresses two groups as he begins his sermon

The Men of Israel

Ye that fear (reverence, respect)God

Paul wrote a 3 point sermon that Luke transcribed for us

The first point of his sermon was Israel’s Holy Mission vs.16-25

Israel a chosen people

In Genesis, God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation know as the Children of Israel.

He exalted the Israelites- He told Abraham “I will bless those that bless you and curse those who curse you.”

We can look back at history and see that God has always taken care of His people,

By bringing this up, he arrested the attention of the leaders of the synagogue.

Paul then brings up the Exodus from Egypt, how God took them out with an high arm.

Deuteronomy 7:6–8 “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

Next he reminds them about how God was with them in the 40 years of wilderness wanderings.

Look at the wording Paul used to describe how the Israelites.

40 years he suffered their manners in the wilderness.

For forty years God hear the Israelites unbelief, disobedience, rebellion and apostacy in the wilderness, but God was patient with them, because they are his chosen people.

The next thing Paul brings up is a special place

After the wilderness wandering the Israelites crossed the Jordan river and led by Joshua they defeated 7 nations in the land of Canaan, and then God divided the land amongst the twelve tribes.

The land was God’s gift to the people- Something they were constantly reminded of as their pride and self will caused them to fall.

Next Paul brings them back to a bad time in Israels history

One commentator said “Mere mention of the days of the Judges was all that was necessary. These people knew their Bibles. The days of the Judges were days of continual rebellion, self-will, apostacy, moral pollution, and religious perversion.”

God appointed Judges to deliver Israel from captivity.

During the time of the Judges the Israelites were in an endless cycle that went like this

They served the Lord, then they would fall into sin and idolatry, then they would be enslaved, then they would cry out to the Lord, and God would raise up a judge, then they would be delivered, and then the cycle would start over.

The time of the Judges lasted 450 years and it ended when Samuel the Prophet

Samuel the prophet brought them back to God and led them into the Kings of Israel

The time of the kings started with Saul as king

The children of Israel wanted a king and God gave them Saul

We learn from the book of Samuel that Saul was given as king in displeasure and as a punishment for Israel

It had always been God’s intention for Israel to have a king, in fact it is mentioned in the mosaic law who could or couldn’t be king

It wasn’t wrong that the Israelites wanted a king, it had to do with their motives, the moment, and the man.

Their motivation to get a king was to be like the other nations around them, but they were supposed to be different than the other nations

The timing of the king was wrong, they were getting ahead of God

Saul was chosen in self-will by Israel and it turned out to be a desire.

The hand of the Lord was removed from King Saul and David was anointed as King.

David made a great king, because he had the hand of the Lord on him.

He was a shepherd and a soldier. He united Israel and conquered their foes.

David was a man after God’s own heart and a shadow of Christ across Israels history.

So far Paul had brought them from Abraham to David, and now he is going to skip ahead to Christ.

Christ was promised through the lineage of David, and Paul was showing them that the prophecy had been fulfilled.

Psalm 132:11 “The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.”

Jesus was the promised seed, the Son of David, the rightful heir to David’s throne. The long wait was over. Jesus was the Christ, the messiah of Israel, the hope of the world.

The Paul shifts to John the Baptist

John was the forerunner for the Messiah. He came and prepared the way announcing the soon coming of the Messiah. People flocked to his teaching.

The Paul reminds them of what would have been common knowledge at the time

As they are trying to figure out who John the Baptist is, he tells them he is not any of those people, but the one who is coming after him, he is not even worthy to take his shoe off.

Why did Paul bring up John the Baptist?

One commentary said this “Having told them that Jesus was the promised seed of David, Paul very cleverly called this independent witness to the stand. John the baptist had been popularly acknowledged by the common people as a prophet. He had announced that he was the herald of the coming King, that his ministry was to announce and introduce the Messiah.

Israels mission was to prepare the world for the coming of Christ.

Pauls second point Israels mistake vs. 26-37

God’s salvation had come to earth through the person of Jesus Christ, but the Israelites missed it.

Paul was about to tell them the sad story of how they murdered the messiah, but first he reminded them that salvation is for everyone.

He reminds them of their ignorance vs. 27

Those that dwell in Jerusalem and the rulers knew him not

The prophets foretold of him, the same prophets they read every sabbath day.

The prophecy was also fulfilled when they condemned Christ

What a shame it would be for us to come to church every week and hear the truth of the Gospel preached and to miss it like the Israelites missed Christ.

He reminds them of their urging vs. 28

Although they found no cause to kill Jesus yet they persisted on his death until pilate consented to it

So they crucified their saviour just as the prophets foretold, and when they did all they could do they took his body down and laid it in a sepulcher.

They thought they had gotten rid of Jesus, I’m sure even his followers had some doubt following the crucifixion, but soon that doubt would be over

Then he reminds them of the resurrection. vs. 30-31

But God:

You might have killed Jesus, but God raised him from the dead.

Not only did he rise from the dead, but their are many witnesses that saw the risen Christ

Pauls proclamation vs. 32-37

The promise made to the fathers (Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” ) God fulfilled in his son Jesus Christ.

He then quotes Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.”

Because Christ died and raised from the dead we no longer return to corruption, then he quotes (Isaiah 55:3 “Incline your ear, and come unto me: Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, Even the sure mercies of David.” )

Then Paul quotes Psalm 16:10“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Where David predicted that the dead body of the Messiah would lie uncorrupted in the tomb.

When David fell on sleep, his body saw corruption, but when Christ whom God raised from the dead died, he saw no corruption.

Jesus not only escaped corruption, he conquered death for you and for me.

Pauls last point brings us to our final point as well; The gospel vs. 38-41

Through Jesus Christ you can have forgiveness of sins

There is no other way to get forgiveness of Sin, you can’t earn it and you can’t buy it, it only comes through Jesus Christ.

By Jesus you are justified from all things

Isaiah 53:11 “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities.”

He ends by quoting Habakkuk 1:5 “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: For I will work a work in your days, Which ye will not believe, though it be told you.”

Surely Paul was thinking about the impending doom if they rejected Christ.

John Phillips said this “Such a salvation as He offers in not to be spurned: the cost is too enormous and the benefits too great, the terms of acceptance too simple and the alternatives too final and dreadful.”

If you reject Christ you can expect sure and dreadful judgement that ends with an eternity in hell, separated from God.

Conclusion

This morning we have come to a time of decision, to not accept Christ as your saviour is to reject him. If you have never trusted Christ as your saviour come this morning and we can show you from Gods word how you can be saved.