The Progression of God's Plan

Introduction

Good morning Church!

I’d like to say it’s good to be here this morning and it’s good to see each and every one of you who could make it out this morning.

If you have your Bible’s with you, and I hope you do, please be turning with me to the Book of Acts and we will be looking at the first 12 Verses of Chapter 13 this morning.

Now, for those who keep up with this sort of thing, two weeks ago we looked at a message entitled The Priority of God’s Plan and then last week, we looked at a message entitled The Power of God’s Plan and this week we’re going to look at a message entitled…The Progression of God’s Plan.

And this is going to be a two part message because Chapter 13 is so long.

This week we’re going to look at the first 12 Verses and then next week, we’ll finish it up by looking at the rest of Chapter 13 Lord willing.

Today though, we are finally going to get to a very important transition that we’ve been building towards since starting the Book of Acts…the transition from Saul to Paul.

The transition takes place as part of God’s progression plan for the gospel. The great Saul, who’s name originally meant “desired” will become Paul which means “small or little.”

Paul thought himself to be someone who was desired and he was desired of God for a mission and purpose greater than he could ever fathom but in order to be used of God, Saul needed to understand that as big a part as he’d play in God’s plan, it was only by the grace of God that he had any part to play in God’s plan at all!

The mighty Saul, a Pharisee of Pharisees, a student of Gamaliel, Jew of Jews, needed to be made small in order that he might do great and mighty things for God!

And so the great Saul, the one who thought himself to be something great, had to die to himself in order that he might live unto God and that’s exactly what he did.

When Saul decided in his heart that his life lived for God meant more than his life lived for self, God gave him a new name and I believe he gave him this name Paul to be a reminder that if there was any seed of pride whatsoever remaining in Saul every time he heard the name Paul he would be reminded that he was who he was because God is who He is!

And that’s a great lesson each and every one of us can take away from this lesson before us this morning.

We are who we are, we have what we have, we do what we do because God is who He is…gracious, forgiving, merciful, loving, and almighty!

Don’t ever get the idea that you are something great because of who you are or what you have done because it is by the grace of God you have been able to be who you are and do what you do.

We’re not only going to see the transition of Saul to Paul this morning but we are also going to see a man try to stand in the way of the gospel spreading to a high ranking Roman official and we’re going to see this fellow find out real quick that the forces of evil stand no chance against the forces of almighty God!

The gospel will continue to go out; it will continue to convict; and it will continue to save until God sees fit to bring all things to an end.

The Progression of God’s Plan will always Prevail!

If you have your Bible’s turned to Acts 13:1 would you say, Amen.

The Makeup of the Church — (Vs. 1)

The first thing I want us to look at this morning is The Makeup of the Church.

The Bible tells us here that the Church at Antioch was made up of certain prophets and teachers and then gives us a list of 5 different men starting with...

Barnabas — Son of Consolation & Encouragement — He was a former priest of the temple (a Levite) and was from the island of Cyprus. He was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith the Bible says.

Simeon — John Phillips has a very interesting take on this man named Simeon.

John Phillips — But who was this man? His real name was Simeon, but he was given the Latin nickname Niger, which suggests he was a black man. And at this point thoughtful speculation begins. One wonders if this was the “Simon a Cyrenian” who was the father of Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21)—the man who carried the cross for Jesus.

Mark mentions the two boys in his gospel, apparently because they were well known when he wrote. When writing to the Romans, Paul mentions Rufus, who, he says, was “chosen in the Lord,” and he speaks of Rufus’s mother as “his mother and mine” (Rom. 16:13). The mother of Rufus was one of Paul’s ten thousand mothers in Christ.

If that Rufus was the son of Simon of Cyrene, then Paul’s reference to his mother may imply that while at Antioch Saul had stayed in his home, and that it was at Antioch that the mother of Rufus proved herself a true mother to Paul.

So then Simeon was quite possibly the man who carried the cross for Christ. If he was the same man, then he must never have tired of telling of that unforgettable day in his life.

Can you imagine having a man like that in our Church? The very man who carried the cross of Christ. Who bore the shame of the cross of Christ but seen Him for who he really was not what He had been beaten, accused, and convicted for!

What a testimony this man must have had for the Lord! If indeed this Simeon was one and the same as Simon the Cyrene he had to be a great pillar here in the Church of Antioch!

Lucius — a Cyrenian whose name means “light, bright, illuminative.” If he was anything like his name suggests, this man brought the light of Jesus to every room he walked into! He illuminated the way to Jesus!

Manaen — and the Bible says this man was brought up with Herod the Tetrarch. His name means “comforter.” He turned out quite different from his counterpart Herod Antipas.

And then we have our dear old friend Saul.

Now, there’s a few things I want to note here about these men who were what we can assume the spiritual leaders here in the Church of Antioch.

First off they were, the Bible says, teachers and prophets.

Chuck Swindoll — God calls prophets to a ministry of “forth-telling,” which in the first century, before the New Testament Scriptures were written and circulated, included “foretelling”—providing new divine revelation that includes predictions of the future (11:28). God calls teachers to help individuals turn truth into action.

Not only were they teachers and prophets but they were a very diverse group of men. They came from different areas, more than likely may have spoke different languages, they came from different backgrounds and raisings and yet they all came together on the only thing that truly mattered which was the work of God!

The other thing I want to bring to light here is the place where they were serving.

They are all serving here in the Church of Syrian Antioch. Now I want to share a little with you about this Church in Antioch from Chuck Swindoll’s commentary to help us understand the impact of what God was really doing in this Church!

Chuck Swindoll — Syrian Antioch (not to be confused with Pisidian Antioch) was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, after Rome and Alexandria, with close to one million residents at its peak. Seleucus I Nicator established the city around 300 BC to serve as the western capital of the Seleucid Empire. To attract colonists, Seleucid generals granted land, titles, and citizenship to compensate Jewish mercenaries. By the time of Paul and Barnabas, Antioch had become a significant center of Jewish worship and culture.[118] As a result, the very large community of Jews attracted numerous Gentile converts to Judaism (known as proselytes), including Nicolas (6:5).

After the Romans conquered the region, Caesars Augustus and Tiberius invested in the city, with the help of Herod the Great, to make it the capital of the newly created province of Syria. Like Tarsus, it became an intersection of Eastern and Western civilization, but more in terms of commerce than education. Unfortunately, the city also became a sometimes-turbulent intersection of good and bad influences. High art existed alongside brutal athletic games; monotheistic Judaism competed with numerous mystery religions. Worship of the Hebrew God attracted stable residents, while tourists came for orgiastic rites in the nearby attractive suburb of Daphne, the seat of a temple of Apollo.[120]

In this compost-like blend of East and West, good and bad, morality and depravity, the gospel germinated, took root, and flourished like a rose in a garbage dump. As the nation of Israel abdicated its privileged role in the divine plan, Syrian Antioch replaced Jerusalem as the center of church activity. It was from Antioch, not Jerusalem, that God raised up missionaries to push the boundaries of His kingdom westward across the Roman Empire.

So, we see here in the makeup of the Church in Antioch that God was moving in a mighty way!

The Holy Spirit was moving, the Church was growing, God was using a diverse group of men to lead His charge and the thing I feel like made all of this possible was their unified love of God and desire to see souls saved!

And the point I want to make before moving on to Verse two is this…God has been moving in this place…there’s no doubt about that.

We’ve been growing and seeing people come to the Lord but if we want to continue to see the mighty hand of God move here at NHMBC we must keep what’s most important, most important and that’s the one we’re here for!

If you are here because of me this morning, dear friend I have bad news for you! I am human; I make mistakes; I will let you down more than likely at some point…if I already haven’t; I may even make you mad!

But dear friend if you are here for me, then you are here for the wrong reason!

We ought to all be here for God and who He is and what He’s done for us, Amen!

These leaders at the Church in Antioch were altogether in one accord with a focus on the glorification of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom!

And if we will make that our focus here at NHMBC, God will continue to move in a mighty way, Amen!

So, we see The Makeup of the Church. Next, let’s look at...

The Ministering & Moving of the Holy Ghost in the Church — (Vs. 2)

The word “ministered” used here is the same word used in the Old Testament to speak of the work of the Levites.

In Luke 1:23 when speaking of Zacharias the father of John the Baptist is says...

Luke 1:23 KJV 1900

23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

It speaks of serving the Lord daily.

John Phillips — The word “ministered” is derived from a word that carries the idea of public service conducted at one’s own expense. The elders at Antioch were not in it for the money. Theirs was sacrificial service as well as spiritual service. It cost them something to be elders. It always does. A person does not qualify to lead God’s people unless he is prepared to make significant sacrifices in time, money, and effort.

These men were serving the Lord daily in some capacity and not only did they minister but the Bible says here that they fasted.

This act of fasting is almost a lost art. Men fasted when they were seeking for an answer from God.

It was their way of showing God that their focus was on Him and His will for their lives and that it meant more to them than anything this world could offer.

They ministered — they were staying busy for God.

They fasted — they were staying focused on God.

And look what happens next...

“The Holy Ghost said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”

Now, the way I take this is that the Holy Ghost spake unto all 5 of these men the same message.

I don’t think the Holy Ghost just told Saul and Barnabas.

And here’s the thought that came to my mind about this section...

These men created through their desire to worship God, through their desire to serve God, through their desire to seek God first, an atmosphere inviting to the Holy Spirit.

God seen the work these men were doing in Antioch; He seen the souls that were coming to know the Lord in Antioch; He seen the desire of these men to serve Him and He gave them more to do.

If we want to hear a Word from God, if we want the Holy Spirit to move us to greater heights, we must also create an atmosphere where He’s delighted to be!

We can come in every Sunday and we can go through the motions just to say we’ve had Church and we can leave without a word or work from God or we can come in here seeking God to join us and ask Him to move and He will!

These men were ministering to the Lord and He said separate unto me Barnabas and Saul. I’ve got some more work for them to do!

Now, before we move on I want to point out one more thing here that came to my mind...

God looked at this Church and said, “You know what, this Church here in Antioch is solid! They have a great group of men leading this Church and I believe I can pull away Barnabas and Saul and although they will be sorely missed, I don’t think this Church in Antioch will ever miss a beat!”

The Church had a robust and resilient group of leadership.

Don’t put all your eggs in the Pastor’s basket Church.

Choose you out men who will lead.

Choose you out men who will serve.

Choose you out men who are willing to fast (men who are willing to set aside their own desires) in order to get a word from God.

Choose you out men who have the congregations best interest in mind and not their own.

Choose you out men to lead who will lead with integrity and insight into God’s word.

Choose you out men who can keep the boat steady even when the winds of the enemy threaten to shake it!

If you will choose men like this to lead this Church, even if the Pastor is called away or one of your deacons is called into ministry somewhere else, the Church will continue on steady as she goes.

Set yourself up for success by choosing men to lead you who are willing to follow God!

We’ve seen The Makeup of the Church & The Ministering in the Church, now let’s move on to the Commencement of the Mission.

The Commencement of the Mission — (Vs. 3)

These men confirmed their message from God with more prayer and fasting and then the Bible says they, “laid their hands on them and sent them away.”

Chuck Swindoll — Through the “laying on of hands,” the leaders said, in effect, “We endorse you and authorize you to carry out this mission on our behalf; we go with you in spirit as we pray for you here at home.”

Now, something of note I don’t want to overlook here before moving on is this...

Where did the Holy Spirit tell them to go?

Up to this point they don’t even know right?

He just said, go and they obeyed and went.

Chuck Swindoll — The Holy Spirit was specific enough to call Barnabas and Saul, but the task would be disclosed later. He gave the men enough information to take the first step. After they responded in obedience, God would reveal the information they needed next in due time.

How many times does the Holy Spirit tell us to go but because we don’t have all the details we just stay?

How many blessings have we missed out on because we didn’t have all the details.

Or maybe because we didn’t have all the details we were too scared to go.

What is the definition of faith again?

Hebrews 11:1 KJV 1900

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

“Evidence of things not seen”

We’re not always going to have all the answers or all the details but we can’t allow that to scare us or detour us from the work that God has for us to do!

When the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and says go, speak, do, we have to have faith that whatever it is He’s calling us to do, He’s already equipped us to handle!

We simply must respond in faith!

These men responded in faith and when called to duty they reported for service!

Now let’s move on down to The Moving of the Missionaries.

The Moving of the Missionaries — (Vs. 4-6)

Vs. 4

Notice who it is in Verse 4 that’s doing the guiding?

The Holy Spirit, right?

If the Holy Spirit is doing the guiding we’re sure to never be misled!

First stop is Cyprus. The homeland of Barnabas. What better place to start and gain some confidence than the place you grew up and knew better than anywhere else.

From there they make their way to Salamis in Verse 5.

Vs. 5

Who were they preaching to here in Salamis? Mainly the Orthodox Jews.

And look who they brought with them to help out on their journey…John Mark.

Vs. 6

From there, they made their way to Paphos and here they found a sorcerer, a false prophet the Bible says, who was also a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus.

Before we get further on into the story I just want to point out the ironies of this one verse.

This sorcerer, whose name is Bar-jesus which means “son of Jesus” had nothing to do with Jesus, the Son of God.

His name interpreted Elymas means enlightened one but he was a non believer who had renounced the things of God and turned to the things of the world.

He was a Jew but did not believe in the God of the Jews.

And on top of it all he was a false prophet claiming to know things he only wished he knew.

Reminds me of the kind of person Paul spoke to Timothy about in...

2 Timothy 3:7 KJV 1900

7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This sorcerer was so entrenched in the ways of dark magic and the things of this world that he had forgotten his roots.

Many things in this world allure us and appeal to our fleshly appetites but we as believers must remember we are not of this world.

We must live in it but not be of it!

We must live each day in light of the world to come!

Now that we know a little about this fellow, let’s take a little deeper look at this Mischievous Sorcerer and how he ties to stop Saul and Barnabas!

The Mischievous Sorcerer — (Vs. 7-8)

Sergius Paulus, the governor of Cyprus hears of Barnabas and Saul's visit and undoubtedly about the message they were sharing all across the country and decides he wants to hear more from these men.

Now, the Bible tells us that Sergius Paulus was also a prudent man, meaning he was a very learned man, an intelligent man and that this sorcerer was with him.

Basically, it was like Elymas the sorcerer was a special council to the governor. He aided him in decisions and more than likely Sergius Paulus put a lot of stock in whatever this man had to say but as we just seen, Elymas was anything but trustworthy!

And the Bible says here that when Sergius Paulus heard of Barnabas and Saul’s visit he called them to come join him because he desired to hear the word of God!

Now, we don’t know why he desired to hear the Word of God but something had been stirred in him and he wanted to know more.

Was it curiosity?

Was it the gossip or chatter of the message these men were sharing that caught his ear?

Was it the fact that people were being saved by this gospel they were sharing?

What caused him to desire to hear the word of God we cannot be sure of but desire to hear the word of God he did.

But look what this mischievous sorcerer does!

He “withstands” them. This word means to be hostile towards, to oppose, to resist.

Basically, as Barnabas and Saul share the gospel of Jesus Christ with Sergius Paulus, Elymas is standing there all the while to try and discredit what they are saying.

He’s standing in absolute opposition to the gospel being shared with this man of great rank, power and authority in the Roman government!

God already has a Roman Centurion who has come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; what better way to solidify the spread of the gospel than to also add a high ranking official of the Roman government to fold as well!

So, Barnabas and Saul are sharing the gospel with this proconsul, Sergius Paulus, and all the while this spawn of Satan, this sorcerer named Elymas is trying to discredit what they are sharing.

Had Barnabas and Saul just walked away and given up, this high ranking official might of died lost in his sins but the stubbornness of Saul and the moving of the Holy Spirit would not allow it!

Look at what happens next in Verses 9-11.

The Misfortune of the Sorcerer — (Vs. 9-11)

Don’t miss the fact that Paul did not operate in his own power but rather in the power of the Holy Ghost!

Filled with the Holy Ghost Paul begins to call this mischievous sorcerer exactly what he was…a child of the devil!

Acts 13:10 NLT

10 Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?

The sorcerers real name Bar-Jesus can be interpreted “son of salvation” and so by calling him a child of the devil he’s also pointing out the fact that he is a fake and a phony!

He says you are full of every sort of deceit and fraud.

Chuck Swindoll — The word translated “deceit” comes from a Greek term describing the work of a con artist, someone who takes advantage of others using underhanded schemes.

Here was a man, Elymas, who had made his living by blinding the eyes of others to the truth and now he would meet the same fate but by the hands of almighty God!

He would learn his lesson the hard way but maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to turn him from his wicked ways and lead him also to salvation!

And as we come to a close we see lastly...

The Mission Accomplished — (Vs. 12)

John Phillips — The word for “astonished” is a strong one. It literally means to be driven out of one’s senses, to strike out, or to expel by a blow. Here it means to be struck with astonishment. The proconsul was violently shaken out of his complacency.

And it was the doctrine or teaching of the Lord, that convinced him, not just the miracle. God would not have us merely put our faith in miracles. Not the sign but the Scripture struck the blow that opened his heart.

The word for “believed” means to believe absolutely, to have faith, to be persuaded, to rely upon, to trust.

Satan was once again defeated and another lost soul was invited into the fold of God.

Saul has now become Paul and Paul he forever more would be.

The preacher to the Gentiles, the writer of 14 Books in the New Testament, the planter of many a Church, but most importantly, a follower of God.

The old man Saul had been laid to rest and now the journey for the new man began!

Closing

The priority of putting God first in everything we do.

We must create an atmosphere that is welcoming to the Holy Spirit of God.

Stand firm in the face of opposition and trust in God that He will make a way.

The need of Salvation