Jesus is Worthy

INTRODUCTION (5)

Welcome

Good Morning CrossPointe

Acts (Previously On…)

Today

Jesus is the main theme, not Paul and Barnabas

It’s easy to look at a passage that describes great faith and say be like them.

Jesus is worthy

Read

Pray

SET APART & SENT OUT (5)

Specific Example of Barnabas and Saul

Background

General Reality for All Disciples

PROCLAMATION OF JESUS (7)

The Message

PERSECUTION FOR JESUS (7)

Cost of Following Jesus

Role of Suffering

Jesus, The Suffering Servant

PRAISE OF JESUS (7)

False Worship

True Worship

Appointed Disciples

CONCLUSION (5)

Welcome

Good Morning CrossPointeWe are continuing in our series through the book of Acts, today we will be in .

Acts (Previously On…)

The gospel is being proclaimed among all people through witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Going out from Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, to the end of the earth.

Antioch

We saw the hand of God move as he used un-named men to proclaim the Gospel

The city was transformed by the grace of God

Christians serving others together.

This is "WHAT" is happening - Today we will see the first of 3 missionary journeys by the Apostle Paul.

There's a danger though - we can look at what these mean are doing and then begin to celebrate them as more than mere men.

Today

Jesus is the main theme, not Paul and Barnabas

We need to look beyond just what is happening because that will change how we seek to apply to the apply.

If Paul and Barnabas become the main point then we will make their example our God and seek to be like them

If we understand why Paul and Barnabas do what they do, then we will see the object their lives point towards.

Leave here with a renewed picture of the worthiness of Jesus and why that matters

Read

Pray

JESUS IS WORTHY TO SET PEOPLE APART FOR HIS PURPOSES (5)

Specific Example of Barnabas and Saul

“Church at Antioch… while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, The Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and set them off.”

This is a form of commissioning - like what we did a few weeks ago with Austin & Melissa

They were raised us from among us, God set them aside for a different purpose than he has for us here.

Here’s where we have to be careful...

The danger is that we hear God’s command to “Go into all the world and make disciples...” and then conclude that this only applies to people like Barnabas and Saul or Austin and Melissa. - The missionaries - the special Christians.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, THAT you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

God has set aside a people for his own possessions

THAT we may proclaim HIS excellencies

Everyone who has placed their faith and trust on Jesus is set apart for God’s glory.

General Reality for All Disciples

Here’s where we have to be careful...

The danger is that we hear God’s command to “Go into all the world and make disciples...” and then conclude that this only applies to people like Barnabas and Saul or Austin and Melissa. - The missionaries - the special Christians.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, THAT you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

God has set aside a people for his own possessions

THAT we may proclaim HIS excellencies

Everyone who has placed their faith and trust on Jesus is set apart for God’s glory.

Paul and Barnabas were set apart for a unique work he was calling them to

The question is not whether or not you are called to declare the glory of Jesus.

The question is only where is he leading you to make these declarations.

Why is this good news?

Life is about more than our own fame and reputation.

We are set apart for something greater than ourselves.

People have given their lives to achieve success, to build a name for themselves - but they are quickly forgotten.

“So fame and power are useless, like chasing the wind.”

We are set apart for something so much greater than chasing after the wind. - We are set apart for the eternal glory of God, because he is worthy.

JESUS IS WORTHY TO BE PROCLAIMED AT GREAT COST (10)

JESUS IS WORTHY OF OUR SUFFERING

Cyprus (13:4-12)

Cyprus - The hometown of Barnabas (Acts 13:4-12)

John Mark was with them on the missionary journey

They began telling people about Jesus in the Jewish synagogues

The proconsul (the highest ranking official in a roman senatorial province) was interested and wanted to learn more

Persecution

Magician and False Prophet - opposed Barnabas a Saul and tried to turn to proconsul away

Saul, full of the Holy Spirit said, “you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villany… blindness

Then the proconsul believed

In Pisidia they begin telling people about Jesus in the local synagogue.

Perga to Pisidia (13:13-51)

Perga then to Pisidia - John make left them to return to Jersualem and this will cause a future argument between Barnabas and Saul in the future.

In Pisidia they begin telling people about Jesus in the local synagogue.

People were excited and invited them back the next week.

Problem | Persecution

The whole city showed up to hear the word of the Lord

The regular leaders saw this and were filled with jealousy (making it about them, not the glory of God)

The leaders of the synagogue began contradicting the and reviling Barnabas and Saul.

Paul’s response - we had to start with the Jews but now we’ll preach to the Gentiles

The Gentiles heard this and they started rejoicing

God’s Work

“As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

The gospel kept spreading and spreading and spreading throughout the region

The Jewish leaders pushed all the buttons with some some devout well-to-do ladies and they stirred up crowds against Paul and Barnabas and forced them out of the city.

The disciples were fill with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Iconium (Acts 14:1-7)

Again they started in the Jewish synagogue and a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.

Others didn’t believe and poisoned the minds and the gospel.

So they stayed for a long time.

Then they tried to kill Barnabas and Saul so they decided to leave.

JESUS IS WORTHY - To be Proclaimed at Great Cost (WHY IS THIS GOOD NEWS)

Proclamation

You have a message

You’ve experienced something worth sharing - proclaim his excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The message brings people to their knees, stirs up cities

Jesus is worthy to be proclaimed because he is God, he was slain to pay the penalty our sins deserved, and he rose from the dead.

Persecution

Even suffering can be seen as good news.

Did you notice that in Pisidia the disciples were filled with joy (13:52)

, after receiving a beating the Apostles rejoiced because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus.

A teammate who still works in Chad sent us this story this week.

Yunus fled Khartoum, the capital of Sudan which is east of Chad. He went to a refugee camp in Darfur before heading to N’djamena, the capital of Chad.

The day after Christmas he was beaten senseless because he professes the name of Jesus as his Savior. As he recounted the details of the event to our friend he was fighting back tears. He lost his family, his honor, his country, his job, all his possession, his health and his personal identification.

Jesus is worthy - everything else is lost - but Jesus is worthy.

PERSECUTION FOR JESUS (7)

Cost of Following Jesus

Role of Suffering

Jesus, The Suffering Servant

JESUS IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE (7)

Lystra

So no Saul and Barnabas show up in Lystra and there is a man there, crippled from birth and this crippled man was listening intently to all the Saul was saying.

Saul said with a loud voice, “Stand up and walk” and the man jumped to his feet and began walking for the first time in his life.

False Worship & True Worship

The people saw this and thought the gods from their greek mythology had come to earth.

The priests of the temple wanted to offer sacrifices

When Paul and Barnabas heard about this they tore their clothes in grief saying, “we also are men like you but we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain gods and turn to the living God.

He made heaven and earth

He created mankind in his image - he died - he rose...

But the people wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas - not God.

True Worship

Problem | Persecution

The angry Jews from the previous cities of Pisidia and Iconium were not content to run the missionaries out of town - they wanted to kill them.

Somehow they convinced the crowds they weren’t gods and should be killed. They dragged Paul outside the city and stoned him till they thought he was dead.

The disciples from that city gathered him up and brought him back into the city.

Saul and Barnabas then went to Derbe and continued preaching.

Then they went back to Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidia to encourage the church.

They appointed elders in the church

They continued back to Anitoch where they updated the church on all that God has accomplished.

Transition (What do we do with this)

The people is Lystra wrongly focused on Saul and Barnabas, instead of focusing on the living God their lives and speech proclaimed.

This is why I wanted to be so careful with today’s message.

It would be easy to focus on these natural men and conclude that we should be like them.

Rather, we should hear their message and fix our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus is Worthy

he sets aside a people as his own possession

Life is about more than your success and comfort

Your life has a meaning and a purposes that is rooted in something/someone so much greater than you.

He is worth proclaiming, even at great cost to ourselves

We have a message that is powerful and controversial

It may cost us everything and yet we will gain more than we could ever lose.

He is worthy to be praised, at all times.

He is working

In the midst of active resistance - God is at work.

We get to partner with people who are set apart to serve in different areas than us.

14:26 “sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”

This is the same opportunity we have as we send out missionaries from our church here.

CONCLUSION (5)