Promises Fulfilled Pt. 2

He told the story of the Old Testament Scriptures which contain the promises of God about a future deliver who will come and ultimately save the world.

And he brought the story to an unexpected climax.

Jesus is that savior.

He is the climax of the Biblical story.

He is the fulfillment of all God’s promises.

He is the worthy one, the anointed one, the savior of the world.

Now with that recap in mind, lets read last week’s text once more to prepare for this weeks.

Acts 13:16–25 ESV

16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

Jesus is the Savior that was promised throughout the old testament story….

but how so?

How has Jesus accomplished the salvation that was promised?

It is to this that Paul now transitions

So lets read just verses 26-31 and then we will pause and pray for understanding.

Acts 13:26–31 ESV

26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.

Lets Pray

Acts 13:26 (ESV)

26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God....

Paul pivots his argument by again addressing the hearer this time as “sons of the family of Abraham.”

Its a purposeful title.

Paul is appealing to them that they might remember the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12.

Genesis 3-11 shows how the curse of sin and death spread through the created world.

It shows with crystal clarity that the great need of humanity is a salvation from the curse of sin that has effected not only creation itself, but every human heart.

Everything looked like it was on an inevitable trajectory of eternal curse, until God intervened, chose a man named Abraham, and made a promise of blessing that would come through his offspring.

In Genesis 12, God told Abraham, “I will make you a great nation” “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The Jews were sons of Abraham.

They were sons of that promise, though they were still weighting on its fulfillment.

So Paul wants them to listen through the lens of that promise of one to come who will bring blessing and not curse to all the families of the earth.

Acts 13:26 ESV

26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

Consistent with Paul’s emphasis last week, Paul begins this section by giving credit to who really is at work here.

Who is it that has sent this message of about blessing, this message about a savior, this message of salvation?

Tt is God.

#1 God is Sending His Message of Salvation

God is actively sending a message which if believed and trusted will be the way of salvation.

Yes Paul was speaking,

Yes the church in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas,

But both Paul and the author of Acts recognized that the ultimate actor behind all of this was God himself.

Remember it was the Holy Spirit of God who sent Paul and barnabas out.

Acts 13:4 ESV

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

God was sending the message of salvation to the ends of the earth.

God was sending the message of salvation to this little synagogue in Pisidia.

And I would argue that God is sending his message of salvation to your ears today

and to everyone whom you speak the message to this week.

Jesus gave this commission at the very beginning of this book.

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The story of Acts is the Story of God sending his saving message to the ends of the earth…

But what is the saving message?

Paul has laid the Old Testament groundwork.

He has pointed them to a man named Jesus who is the Savior.

But where does he go from here?

Well having told the big story of the whole Old Testament…, now Paul zeroes in on the specific story of Jesus’ saving work.

Acts 13:27–29 ESV

27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

Everything thus far has emphasized God’s sovereign working through human history.

But here the works of man are front and center.

Paul knew that if his listeners were to respond to the message of salvation, they would not only need to know how to be saved, they would also need reminder that they desperately need saving.

#2 The Message of Salvation Must Emphasize Human Rebellion

The pattern of the Old Testament is not one of promises only.

The pattern of the Old Testament is that the people over and over again reject the promise giver.

And so it was with Jesus the Savior whom God sent.

Notice how Paul emphatically directs our eyes to the failure of the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem… the ones who were supposed to be most acquainted with the Scriptures, the most holy, the most prayerful, the most in tune with God…

verse 27 says,

“They did not recognize him.”

They did not recognize the Savior of the world for whom they were waiting.

The miracle worker,

The one who spoke the very words of God,

The miraculously gentle, and kind, and holy, and loving God in human flesh,

They could not see who he was.

More than that, Paul says,

“They did not understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath.”

Though they searched the Scriptures, they did not understand God’s word.

Jesus actually confronted them on this in his ministry.

John 5:39–44 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Jesus says the reason they can’t understand the bible is that the bible all points to Jesus, and the reason they can’t believe in Jesus is that they are pre-occupied with seeking glory for themselves.

They did not recognize Jesus as Savior,

nor did they understand the Scriptures which point to Jesus the Savior,

And so, they condemned Jesus.

And they didn’t just condemn him…,

They arranged his execution with a godless Roman governor, and despite his innocence had him gruesomely hung on a tree.

Acts 13:28–29 ESV

28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

We need to reckon with the picture of humanity that Paul is highlighting.

They did not recognize Jesus

Could not understand the Scriptures

And called for the most excruciating kind of murder for an innocent man.

Paul uses the language of “took him down from the tree” to describe the cross because of an allusion to an Old Testament verse.

Deuteronomy 21:22–23 (ESV)

22 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.

The Jews took an innocent man and they hung him on a tree as if he was cursed by God.

They took Jesus, the son of promise, the blessing of Abraham, and they treated him like someone who was cursed by God.

the picture of humanity that we behold at the foot of the cross is a gruesome one.

And Paul’s emphasis here is consistent with all the gospel preaching in the book of Acts.

Look at Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2.

Acts 2:22–23 ESV

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

Peter again in Acts 4.

Acts 4:10–12 ESV

10 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. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Again, just a few chapters later Stephen preaches a sermon that gets him stoned to death.

Acts 7:51–53 ESV

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

Now, I want to pause here and just make a point of application.

In order to share God’s message of salvation,

It is important that we include clear explanation of what it is we need saving from.

Our natural inclination is rebellion.

We do not recognize God’s grace even when it is standing right before us.

We cannot understand God’s word because of our pre-occupation with our own glory.

And anything that we think jeopardizes our pursuit of glory, we either ignore it or we execute it.

We have to include this in our sharing the message of salvation because it is a sin nature that rejects God and the consequences of that sin that we need saving from.

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Don’t take off the rough edges of the gospel message of salvation.

The message of salvation that God is sending throughout the world is not a message of salvation from a bored life, or a lonely life, or an unfulfilled life..

We need saving from our sin that is leading us to an eternal death.

We need eternal life.

The people’s sinful treatment of Jesus is exactly why Jesus had to come.

In fact, the people’s condemnation of Jesus actually accomplished what Jesus came to do.

Look back at the text again, and notice how Paul articulates their rebellion, but also articulates that through their rebellion, God was accomplishing the plan.

#3 The Message of Salvation Must Emphasize Jesus’ Condemnation

Two things are emphasized about Jesus’ execution.

Firstly, he was totally innocent.

He was enduring the curse of crucifixion though he had done nothing to deserve it.

Secondly, this was part of God’s plan.

look back at verse 27.

Acts 13:27 (ESV)

27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

again in verse 29.

Acts 13:29 (ESV)

29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

Paul is careful not to say that Jesus’ death was a cosmic accident.

This was the plan of God all along.

And it is a display of his unmatched sovereignty….

Even when all the forces of evil come together to destroy the anointed one, the seed of promise, the savior of the world, they unintentionally accomplish God’s plan for salvation.

Again, Peter emphasizes the same thing.

Acts 2:23 ESV

23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

This was the plan.

This is the message of salvation.

Jesus willingly embraced condemnation.

Jesus willingly embraced the curse of sin by being hung on a tree.

He died a sinners death though in him there was no sin.

He offered himself as a pure and perfect sacrifice for sin and for sinners.

How would the offspring of Abraham bring blessing to all the families of the earth?

By taking their curse on himself.

By drinking the full cup of condemnation.

So that he could then look at sinners like you and me and say the price as been paid.

We will look at this more next week, but toward the end of this sermon, Paul makes the offer clear as day

Acts 13:38 ESV

38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

This is the message of salvation that God is sending to the world.

Payment for your sin has been made by a savior.

A substitute has been offered.

A savior has come and taken your condemnation.

This is why Paul writes the beautiful words in Roman 8.

Romans 8:1–3 ESV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

No condemnation for us, because Jesus took it on himself.

And maybe your here today and your thinking, that is absolutely crazy.

How am I supposed to believe that this is how the world works and that this is what God has done for a sinner like me?

Well the story did not end with Jesus’ limp and lifeless body being taken down from a tree and placed in a tomb.

Paul continues..

Acts 13:30–31 ESV

30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.

#4 The Message of Salvation Must Emphasize Jesus’ Resurrection

It was not enough that Jesus absorb the curse of sin and death.

He had to overcome it.

He had to defeat it.

He had to show is power and authority over death so that he might truly be the one who can offer eternal life.

He had to be our true deliverer,

our true conqueror of our worst enemies.

He had to rise again from the grave.

And that is exactly what Jesus did .

God raised him from the dead.

And this is no fairy tale story formulated over the course of long periods of time.

Paul stands before this synagogue in Antioch Pisdia as a man who had seen the resurrected Jesus face to face…

in a historical moment where he along with hundreds of others give eye witness testimony to the resurrected Jesus walking and talking and teaching his people for 40 days following his death and resurrection.

We emphasized this heavily in our recent study of 1 Corinthians 15.

Paul writes,

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Christians are not crazy illogical unscientific unthinking individuals.

We are a people who believe the eye-witness testimonies of the men who preached a resurrected Jesus until their dying breath even when facing their own martyrdom for the message they were preaching.

We are a people that believe the same God who according to his own prerogative created the world and everything in it, has carried out a plan to save a sin-corrupted world that showcases his eternal love, justice, wrath, mercy, grace, and glory.

We are a people who have felt the weight of our sin, seen the plan of salvation unfold in the Scriptures, and whose eyes have been opened by the grace of God….

to recognize Jesus for who he is

to understand what has been written about him

and to follow him in faith rather than seek our own glory.

1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

#4 The Message of Salvation Must Emphasize Jesus’ Resurrection

This sermon is really for two groups of people this morning.

Firstly, this sermon is for the unbeliever in the room.

This is the message of salvation that took the first century world by storm.

This is what was preached and this is what has been preached for 2,000 years.

God is sending his message of salvation to the ends of the earth.

He is sending it to your ears this morning.

You can be like the Jews sought Jesus’ execution,

or you can be like Paul the apostle who found in Jesus an eternal salvation.

Believe on him today… if you have questions i urge you not to simply turn your back on these most ultimate things to wast your life away with the trivial and the temporal.

Look into this message. See if its true.

If it is true, it is the most eternally significant message in the world.

Secondly, this sermon is for the believer in the room.

A message like this should have two effects on the believer today.

It should wash over us like a sweet relief,

like healing waters,

it should remind you of the goodness of the good news we live in every day.

Jesus has paid the price.

God the father has shown his love for us even though we are no better than those who called for Jesus’ execution.

We are free.

free from condemnation,

free from sin’s eternal consequence,

free to look forward to our future resurrection

free to trust that God accomplishes his will even when all the forces of evil rallied to destroy Jesus, they unwittingly accomplished the plan for Jesus.

this is good news we get to reflect on this morning.

But hopefully you have not only reflected on the good news, you have been reminded of what the mission really is.

Notice that God is sending this message through witnesses.

This is how God has always operated.

He uses his people to accomplish his purposes.

Peter preached

Stephen preached

Paul preached

The message of salvation eternally saves when people hear it, and understand it, and respond to it in faith.

But they have to hear it.

That is what Paul’s missionary journey is all about.

He is clearly articulating a message people must hear.

look at what Paul says in verse 32.

Acts 13:32 (ESV)

32 And we bring you the good news...

That is our calling.

We are good news bringers.

The good news that has saved us is the good news we are witness of for all of our days and to the ends of the earth.

God is sending his message of salvation and we get to be the ones he sends.

Lets Pray

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