The Kingdom Unhindered: Acts 13:13-52

Greeting

Read: 13:13-15

Pray

Intro

OPENING ILLUS: When the Titanic set sail in April of 1912, it carried with it an almost legendary reputation. It was considered the largest and safest passenger ship ever built. In fact, many people spoke of it as practically unsinkable.

But what many people don't realize is that before the collision ever happened, the Titanic received multiple wireless warnings from other ships. Throughout the day and evening of April 14, messages came in reporting heavy ice fields directly along the ship's route. The danger wasn't hidden. It wasn't unknown. The evidence was there.

Yet many of those warnings were never given the weight they deserved. Some weren't passed along with urgency. Others were effectively dismissed because there was confidence that this magnificent ship could handle whatever lay ahead. After all, it was the Titanic. Surely it was strong enough.

Just before midnight, the ship struck an iceberg. Less than three hours later, the ship that many believed could never sink disappeared beneath the Atlantic, taking more than 1,500 lives with it.

The tragedy wasn't simply that an iceberg existed. The tragedy was that there was clear evidence of danger, yet people trusted their own assumptions instead.

That raises an important question for us this morning.

What does one do when presented with overwhelming evidence and a call to action from the Lord?

That's exactly the issue Paul addresses in Acts 13. Standing in a synagogue, Paul doesn't ask people to take a blind leap of faith. He walks them through the evidence. He points to Israel's history. He points to God's promises. He points to the prophets. He points to eyewitnesses of the resurrection. And then he confronts them with a decision.

The issue isn't whether enough evidence has been given.

The issue is whether they—and whether we—will respond to it.

Title: The Case for the King

Main Idea: Because Jesus fulfills every promise God made, every person must respond to Him in faith or remain under judgment.

Sermon

Now vv. 13-15 provides us with the context. Let me read those again:

Acts 13:13–15 ESV

13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”

Paul and Barnabas, we’re told, set sail from Pahpos and they come to Perga in Pamphylia.

Now, I’m sure most of you know exactly where those places are at, and are experts at ancient Mediterranean geography, but for those of us who are not, here is a map that might provide a little helpful visual…

And it is at some point during this journey that John Mark left the group. We’re not going to get into what happened right here, because this incident will come up again in a couple chapters, but Paul did not look to kindly upon Mark forsaking the group.

And if I were to make one quick comment about it, I would say this: gospel ministry is not easy, and it can cause issues among brothers.

So, Mark leaves, but the journey continues for Paul and Barnabas. They come to Antioch in Pisidia, they enter a synagogue on the Sabbath day… and after the Law and Prophets are read, they are given an opportunity to speak.

The rest of the passage from v. 16-52 can be broken down into two main points

Paul’s Sermon in vv. 16-41

The People’s Response vv. 42-52

1. Paul’s Sermon vv. 16-41

Now as we look it Paul’s sermon I believe that it can be divided into four main sections:

The Making of a Promise vv. 16-25

The Fulfillment of a Promise vv. 26-33a

The Testimony of the Promise vv. 33b-37

The Call to Respond to the Promise vv. 38-41

a. The Making of a Promise vv. 16-25

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.’

I want you to notice something: in vv. 16-20: God is the subject of every verb. This demonstrates that the history of Israel is actually God’s history.

He is the one who chose the patriarchs

He is the one who made Israel great in Egypt

He is the one who led them out of Egypt in the exodus

He is the one who put up with the people in the wilderness

He is the one who destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan

He is the one who gave the land of Canaan as an inheritance to the people.

He is the one who gave the people judges to rescue them in their rebellion

In v. 21 we’re told that the people of Israel are then made the subject of the verb, and they are said to have asked for a king. And the king they are given is Saul (that’s a highpoint for Israel isn’t it). They are finally given the reigns in a decision, and that’s the best they can do.

But even in that decision, God is still in control.

He is the one who gives them Saul.

He is the one who removes Saul.

He raised up David as king.

And it is from Davids lineage that God brought to Israel the savior Jesus, whom God had promised.

The entire storyline of the OT is guided by the sovereign hand of the LORD.

And in that storyline God makes promises to his people that ultimately culminate in the person of Jesus Christ.

This is so important for us to understand, and something that serves to help us better grasp the whole purpose and framework of the OT, and really the entire Bible.

The storyline of the Bible is built around certain covenants, or promises, that God makes to his people

All of the covenants that are found in the OT progress and climax in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Here’s a helpful quote from Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum:

“…the Bible presents a plurality of covenants that progressively reveal our triune God’s one redemptive plan for his one people, which reaches its fulfillment and terminus in Christ and the new covenant”— Peter Gentry & Stephen Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant

In other words the entire OT provides us with God’s promised plan for salvation, and this plan is worked out through the covenants.

That’s what Paul is highlighting here. This is why Abraham, Moses, and David are such prominent figures, and why Paul, as well as Peter in his previous sermon at Pentecost, highlight them.

Paul especially highlights the significance of David. And I want to rather quickly read the promise (or the covenant) that God made with David.

2 Samuel 7:8–16 ESV

8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

Now this covenant is interesting, and should be slightly confusing if you’ve never studied it before.

Because if you know David’s story, then you know that there is a time where David is going to defeat all of Israel’s enemies, and there will be peace in the land (go read 2 Sam 8).

And we know that David will have son named Solomon, and Solomon will be tasked with building the temple in Jerusalem. So he’s going to build a house for the Lord, just like the LORD told David.

And we also know that Solomon will commit iniquity…and that will require the discipline of the Lord.

And so, those things track with what the LORD is telling David here in 2 Sam 7.

But then you read some of these other things that the LORD tells David:

“I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” 2x!

v. 16 “your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”

So, you read that and you should kind of scratch your head…why?

Because we know what happens to Solomon…the kingdom does not last forever. The throne was not established forever. The kingdom split in two…, and both kingdoms end up in exile.

Which tells us, that if God is true to his promise, then the ultimate fulfillment of that promise was yet to be complete.

Paul is a good interpreter of the Hebrew Scriptures and knows that God is faithful to his promise.

And so he tells us that of David’s offspring God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises. He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Moses, and David.

And then it’s fitting that Paul points to John—this is John the Baptist. John was the last of the OT prophets. Jesus understands him as the greatest of the prophets, because John was tasked with being the forerunner, the one who immediately proceeds the coming of the Messiah and the new covenant.

His mission in life was to point to the one who was coming after him who was greater than him, Jesus Christ.

So then Paul’s sermon zeroes in on the fact that Jesus was the promised Messiah that was foretold by the prophets

b. The Fulfillment of a Promise vv. 26-33a

Acts 13:26–33 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. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus,

In this section of Paul’s speech, the emphasis is fully upon the revealing of the promise of God that was seen in the person and work of Jesus.

Paul says that they, as the family of Abraham, were given a message of salvation. But sadly that message was rejected because the people did not recognize who Jesus was, and he basically says that they didn’t know how to read their Bibles (they did not “understand the utterances of the prophets…” that’s their Bibles that they heard read every single Sabbath).

The irony being that their Scriptures told them they would reject the messiah, and that he would suffer and die at their hands. And so Paul says that they carried out all that was written of him—they took him down from the tree… and they laid him in the tomb.

They murdered him.

“But God…” God raised him from the dead, and Jesus appeared to many, so that they are now witnesses to what took place.

So what Paul is doing here is just building a case for Christ…

The Scriptures told us what would happen…

It happened…

We saw it happen…

c. The Testimony to the Promise vv. 33b-41

Paul uses two different categories of witnesses

i.) The Testimony of Eye Witnesses

Paul has already told them that there are physical eyewitnesses to the death and resurrection of Jesus (v. 30).

Corroborating eyewitness testimony is alway a nice Ace to be carrying in your back pocket.

Oh you don’t believe me? Well why don’t you go speak with these 500 other people who will tell you that they saw the same thing, and we’re all willing to die for what we saw.

That’s rather compelling…

But there is another testimony that Paul emphasizes even more in this speech, and this testimony would have been more persuasive for the Jews in the audience.

ii.) The Testimony of the Scriptures

Here in the second half of v. 33 he begins to quote from the Psalms, and what he is going to argue from these Psalms, is that they were not ultimately about David, but they were actually intended to be understood as speaking about the Messiah.

Acts 13:33–37 ESV

33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, “ ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.

Paul, in providing scriptural testimony to the work of Jesus quotes from three OT texts:

Psalm 2:7 ESV

7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

This is so interesting! What Paul is saying, through the words of Luke, is that Psalm 2 is being spoken or sung, by the Messiah…!

This is YHWH speaking to the only begotten Son

The second text that is echoed in Paul’s speech here comes from Isaiah 55:3

Isaiah 55:3 ESV

3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Once again this text is interpreted as if it is being spoken to the Messiah.

It is to this anointed one that an everlasting covenant, the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, is being spoken of.

And the last text comes from Psalm 16:10, which is a favorite verse of NT authors. In fact, Peter also referenced this verse in his sermon at Pentecost.

Psalm 16:10 ESV

10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

And this is where Paul really wants the listeners to use common sense when they read.

Because his argument that he goes on to make is this:

David is dead. He went to Sheol. And thus his body faced corruption.

So that verse cannot be in reference to David. Only now, after the death and resurrection of Jesus can that verse be fully understood. Jesus is who the psalmist is speaking of. Jesus is the one who will not be abandoned to Sheol, and who will not see corruption. Why? Because there was no corruption in him. So, Sheol, or death, had no claim on his life.

David didn’t qualify. Solomon didn’t qualify. Abraham and Moses didn’t qualify. They all faced the corruption of death because they were corrupt themselves. Only Jesus, the incorruptible one, qualified.

Thus, Paul argues that the clear teaching of the OT Scriptures is that there would come an individual who would fulfilled these promises.

And now it is up to the people to respond. They’ve heard what Paul has claimed. The ball is now in their court.

d. The Call to Respond to the Promise vv. 38-41

Acts 13:38–41 ESV

38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 “ ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’ ”

This is Paul’s invitation. This is his warning. This is what I try and do at the end of every sermon I preach.

I declare that Jesus has come. He has died. He has resurrected. He has ascended. And because of that he has the power to forgive sin.

Therefore, you must trust in him, and if you do not, you still stand condemned in your sin.

ILLUS: Imagine you're sitting in a courtroom during a criminal trial. The prosecutor stands before the jury and says, 'Ladies and gentlemen, this case is not about whether the defendant knew. It's about what he did with what he knew.'

The first witness is called. 'Did you warn the defendant that the bridge ahead had collapsed?'

'Yes. I called him that morning and told him not to take that road.'

The second witness takes the stand. 'What did you do?'

'I texted him pictures of the washed-out bridge. I told him there was no way through.'

Then a highway patrol officer testifies. 'We had barricades across the road. Flashing lights. Detour signs posted well in advance.'

Finally, another driver is called. 'I was there. I watched him drive around the barricades. I even got out of my truck and waved my arms, trying to get him to stop. He looked right at me... and kept driving.'

By the end of the trial, no one in the courtroom is asking, 'Did he have enough evidence?' The evidence was overwhelming. The question is, 'Why did he ignore every warning that was given?'

One witness would have been compelling. Four witnesses, all telling the same story, leave the jury with one conclusion: he wasn't condemned because he lacked information. He was condemned because he refused to believe the testimony that had been placed right in front of him."

That is what we see in the NT in regards to the Jewish people

By and large the Jews in the NT see the work of Jesus, or they here about the work of Jesus, and they reject the work of Jesus.

Just like their ancestors they continue in their hardened rebellious hearts.

In the OT, God’s people saw the work of God, and they rejected the work of God. And so they perished.

May we not follow in the same footsteps.

2. The People’s Response vv. 42-52

Acts 13:42–52 ESV

42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

In these closing verses I want us to see two different responses to Paul’s speech:

a. The Rejection of the Gospel by the Jews

Their rejection is marked by jealousy and hostility

They are treating this new covenant prophet, in the same way that their forefathers treated the old covenant prophets.

I want you to understand the role of an old covenant prophet. Because I think the idea of a prophet can get easily misunderstood.

The prophets were covenant lawyers:

God had made these covenants with his people—Israel. And time after time the people broke these covenants… And when the people broke the covenant the LORD appointed a man to go to the people to show them how they had broken the covenants.

That’s what Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, etc., that’s what they were doing. But by and large the people refused to listen to the prophets. And as a result judgment came upon them.

Thus, the prophets functioned as the LORD’s prosecutors.

But the prophets also did something else. They accused the guilty, yes, but they also provided hope for the future.

They wrote about a day when the people of God would be redeemed and restored. And most often, this redemption would take place through the work of a particular individual. We’ve already several passages that provided clear testimony to the work of the Christ, but let me provide you with some more (and I have produced a chart that might visually help you):

In the prophecy of Isaiah, this individual is referred to as a fruit-bearing branch and a “suffering servant” (Isa 11:1-10, 52:13-53:12)

In Jeremiah, he is a righteous branch of David (Jer 23:5-6)

In Ezekiel, he is the shepherd king who makes a covenant of everlasting peace (Ezek 34:23-24)

In Hosea, he is the new son of David who is called out of Egypt to redeem his people from the power of Sheol (Hos 3:4-5, 11:1, 13:14)

In Joel, he is the one who brings salvation to those who call on his name (Joel 2:32; cf. Rom 10:5-13)

In Amos, he is the booth (or house) of David (Amos 3:11-12)

In Obadiah, he is the ultimate savior who will go up to Mount Zion (Obad 1:21)

In Jonah, he is the prophet who descends to the depths of Sheol to then resurrect three days later (Jon 1:17-2:9; cf. Matt. 12:39-40, 16:4; Luke 11:29-30)

In Micah, he is the true ruler of Israel who comes from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; cf. Matt. 2:1-6)

In Nahum, he is the stronghold in the day of trouble for those who take refuge in him (Nahum 1:7)

In Habakkuk, he is the one who goes out to bring salvation to his people by crushing the head of the wicked (Hab 3:13)

In Zephaniah, he is the one who is the king of Israel; who takes away the judgments of his people; and who dwells in their midst, bringing them salvation (Zeph 3:14-17)

In Haggai, he is the one who causes the heavens and earth to shake, and who brings a greater presence of God’s glory to a new and renewed temple (Hag 2:6-9)

In Zechariah, he is the righteous king of salvation riding on a donkey who would be pierced (Zech 9:9, 12:10)

In Malachi, he is the Lord who will come to his temple (Mal 3:1)

So, now in Acts, Paul is declaring these same kind of truths to the Jews. He is walking them through their own scriptures, showing them how Jesus is the Messiah, calling them out for the way that they have broken God’s covenant with them.

And their response is not to seek the Lord or to repent and confess their sin. No, their response, like their forefathers is to reject their scriptures, harden their hearts against the word of God, and seek to silence the prophet of God.

They are rejecting the very promise for which Israel was created to produce. God made them a people so that they might bring God’s blessing, the blessing of the Christ, to the nations, and they are now rejecting that blessing.

And because of this, Paul declares that they are unworthy of eternal life. Because they were created first to bring about this promise, they get the first opportunity to respond to the promise. But they’ve rejected it, and the train is no longer waiting for them to board. It’s not leaving the station. The kingdom of God is not waiting for a people that rejects. The kingdom has a greater mission to fulfill.

Paul quotes from Isa 49:6 where the Lord speaks to Israel telling them the reason why he has made them, and it is so that they might be a light to the Gentiles, and to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

But tragically, the majority of the Jewish people reject this calling upon their lives.

And they seek to do everything in the power to thwart the work of Paul and Barnabas, and the Jews are able to incite devout men and women of the city to stir up persecution against them.

The Jews who are supposed to be the offspring of the woman, are now shown to be the offspring of the serpent as they seek to oppose the work of the Lord.

But the work of the Lord cannot be stopped. It will be victorious.

b. The Reception of the Gospel by the Gentiles

The Gentiles, contrary to the Jews, receive the message of salvation with rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord.

And those who do so through faith are given eternal life.

These gentiles who are brought into salvation are the true people of God.

The door for Gentile inclusion has now been busted wide open as we are told that the word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region.

And one interesting note in v. 52: we are told that the disciples are filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

They are filled with joy, after being persecuted by the Jews, and having been driven out of the district.

This is the Christian way. James writes in James 1:2-4

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Philippians 1:29 ESV

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Application

1. Do you trust God’s promises?

For the unbeliever… you are in the same position as the Jewish people in this text…

For the believer… I think it is true that we can sometimes struggle to continue to trust in God’s promises.

2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV

20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Maybe you struggle with the promise of complete forgiveness…

that promise is yes and amen through Jesus Christ

Maybe you struggle with the promise of God’s presence…

that promise is yes and amen in Jesus Christ

Maybe you struggle with the promise of God’s justification…

that promise is yes and amen in Jesus Christ

Listen, if God has kept his promise to Moses, if he has kept his promise to David, if he has kept his promise to the prophets, if he has kept his promise by raising Jesus from the dead, then you can trust that he will keep all of his good promises to you.