The Preaching of Paul

Introduction

This passage of scripture includes the first recorded sermon of the apostle Paul. We can see in this passage the emphasis of Paul’s preaching.

Christ was preeminent, though Paul may have mentioned many other biblical personalities, it was always with the intent of bringing Christ to the forefront.

What were the central themes of Paul’s message? These same themes should also be the themes of Christian teaching and preaching today.

The emphasis of Paul’s preaching was:

Christ as the Central Figure of Human History ( Vs. 13-26)

Paul begins at the patriarchs of Israel and God’s sovereign plan to bring them out of Egypt.

He then moves to the time of the Judges, a space of about 450 years which led to the time of Samuel the prophet and the new governmental system with a King at its head.

He begins to go into greater detail here with good reason as he moves from Saul’s reign to that of David. From there he immediately connects the prophecies spoken concerning David and the lineage of the messiah to Jesus.

He then moves to John the baptist and his declaration of Jesus as the messiah.

Paul is presenting Jesus Christ as the culmination of all the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. He is hoping that the Jews to which he is speaking will be able to see that in Jesus Christ all the prophecies they have read time and time again are fulfilled.

From the beginning of time, all of human history was moving towards the entrance into the world of Jesus Christ.

All of the people of the Old Testament were looking forward to Christ’s coming and every generation since His coming must look back unto Him.

- the unpacking of this idea - If we are to preach the Bible, we must necessarily preach Christ, for He is the central theme of all scripture.

- blessed are ye that see and hear

The Resurrection as the Central Event of the Historical Record (Vs. 27-37)

Paul then moves to what was to be the central event of all of history. The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was the resurrection that was to be the primary emphasis of Paul’s preaching. Many men had died and had been buried, but only Jesus Christ had the power to rise again from the dead!

The resurrection was the culmination of God’s plan of redemption! When Jesus Christ arose from the dead God’s plan for the redemption of mankind was completed!

Paul clearly understood the importance of the resurrection.

It is the resurrection that sets Christianity apart from all other religious claims.

Lee Strobel- “WhenI began to seriously investigate the claims of Christianity, if for no other reason than to liberate (his wife) from her faith. And I knew that my debunking of Christianity had to start with its bold, central claim: that Jesus Christ died and came back to life.”

His investigation ultimately led him to trust Christ as savior!

It is the resurrection and subsequent ascension of Jesus Christ that has made salvation available to all mankind. So just as Paul emphasized the resurrection, we must also place great emphasis upon it as we attempt to reach the world with the gospel.

The Responsibility of Every Man to Receive/Reject Christ

The

Paul seized every opportunity that he had to declare Christ as the messiah and to declare the good news of the gospel but he also called upon every hearer to make a decision to trust Christ as savior.

Paul was not interested in just the communication of the knowledge of Christ. His entire intent was to bring his hearers to a point of decision either to receive or to reject Jesus Christ.

In this particular instance we see Paul declaring that the only hope for forgiveness of sins is found in Jesus Christ. He declares to them that their hope of justification by the law is in vain. Then he sounds a warning lest these hearers should be like those who have gone before them in rejecting the revelation of Jesus Christ.

You and I must also be intent, as we preach the gospel, on bringing men/women to a point of decision. Each time Paul declared the gospel message, he called upon his hearers to make a decision concerning Christ.

Our giving of the gospel is in vain if we do not attempt to bring our hearers to make a decision to receive Christ as their savior. The goal is not to win a debate or to assert our position in an argument. The goal is to bring men/women/boys/girls to the savior!