The Mission Continues - Part 2
Notes
Transcript
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
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.”
Finishing up Paul’s first Missionary Journey.
Here is the map I showed you last week.
The theme of this section and sermon will be “perseverance”
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Perseverance
Perseverance. Action or condition of steadfastness.
Our goal with In Christ’s mission is to persevere to the end.
No matter what is thrown at us.
So that we can say, like Paul said, at the end of his life...
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Four examples of perseverance in Acts 14
First, we must...
Persevere Through Opposition
Persevere Through Opposition
Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.
I liked what the New American Commentary said about this section.
Acts 4. Acceptance and Rejection at Iconium (14:1–7)
Even though there was strong resistance to the Christians (v. 2), still they were able to maintain their witness. The two apostles were not about to back down. They had the power of the Holy Spirit to speak “boldly” for the Lord (cf. 4:29–31). Far from being intimidated, they were inspired to even bolder witness.
Paul and Barnabas persevered through opposition in Iconium so much so, that the people had to plan to kill them in order to get them to stop preaching Christ there.
BUT EVEN THEN, they kept preaching Christ… Just in new places!
It is very likely, FBC, that as you continue to do ministry in San Bruno, as time goes on, opposition will arise.
Especially if you do what I’ve been telling you, from this book, what you you should be doing...
Interacting with the community.
Door to door evangelism.
Other community evangelism missions
If you share and propagate a biblical gospel, you will likely face opposition.
From non-believers.
From governing authorities.
And from spiritual forces.
But you must persevere through the opposition.
Don’t stop preaching Christ
In China, Christians are told they must replace Jesus with the Emperor, and pledge allegiance to the CCP if they want to continue being free to worship publicly.
I’ve met people who refused to do this. They kept sharing the gospel. They kept sharing the scriptures. They kept meeting in private.
They were abducted, tortured, and pressured to stop.
They ended up fleeing here.
There are many Chinese American Christians with similar stories.
Learn from our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Don’t stop. Don’t give in.
Persevere through opposition.
Second, we must...
Persevere Through Misunderstandings
Persevere Through Misunderstandings
Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
The people of Lystra interpreted Paul and Barnabas’ ministry and preaching through the lens of their pagan folklore. They assumed that their “gods” were visiting them as Paul and Barnabas so they responded the way they thought they should, in order not to incur wrath from them but instead receive material riches.
The crowd essentially believed that Paul and Barnabas were Hermes and Zeus sent to peddle a prosperity gospel.
When we share the gospel and minister to others now, unless the Holy Spirit changes their perception, they will interpret what we do and say wrongly.
When we tell them that we are Christians...
They may think we believe the prosperity gospel.
That we are Jehovah’s witnesses.
When we tell them of what Jesus has done for sinners...
They may think we are saying God wants to make them rich and keep them from getting sick.
They may think they can keep loving their sin.
They may think Jesus is just one of many ways to know God.
Or that we hate people who still love their sin.
When live lives holy lives because we follow Jesus...
They may think that we believe that we have to be good in order to go to heaven.
Or that we don’t want to associate or bless people who are messy.
There are tons of ways people misinterpret us and misunderstand our message.
But, what we should do is what Paul and Barnabas did...
Humbly seek to set the record straight
Humility - They told them not to worship them because they are humans.
Then they said three things about God in order to set the record straight.
God created all things. Acts 14:15
“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
God is patient and merciful. Acts 14:16
In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.
God has testified of himself through natural providence. Acts 14:17
Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
This is a good model “apologetic”
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics Apologetics, Need For
Apologetics, Need for. Apologetics is the discipline that deals with a rational defense of Christian faith.
Application
Be patient and kind with people who misunderstand your faith.
Seek to be humble in your dealings with those who misunderstand Christ and our message.
They tore their robes out of humility and the horror of stealing God’s glory.
The MacArthur Study Bible Chapter 14
14:14 tore their clothes. A Jewish expression of horror and revulsion at blasphemy (see note on Matt. 26:65).
Don’t expect people to know what the Bible tells us.
Most people have zero understanding of what the bible teaches and need us to bridge it to where they are currently.
This is what Paul did with the pagan gentiles. He didn’t talk to them like they were Jews.
Persevere Through Misunderstandings
Third, we must...
Persevere Through Tribulations
Persevere Through Tribulations
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
The crowd that once wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas now decide to wring their necks. They are persuaded to kill them.
Paul miraculously survives.
And then the next stop on their gospel preaching mission they encourage the church by saying that Christians must continue in the faith and that we can expect to endure tribulations on our way to glory!
This text details how Paul endured a serious tribulation and then that we should expect tribulation too.
The word in the original language means to experience distress, affliction, and trouble.
For Paul, it manifested a just before this as him being stoned, almost to death.
In our current context, I don’t think we will experience tribulations to this extent. But I do believe there are two types of tribulation we can expect here not.
Tribulation from living in a fallen world.
Sickness, saying goodbye, stress from life.
Tribulation from faithfulness to Christ.
Loss of friends, jobs, and even being silenced or fined.
But, regardless of the type, whether it be a type of tribulation from living in a fallen world, or from being faithful to Christ, We are called to persevere.
We must set our eyes on the prize.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
We persevere through tribulations by remembering that Jesus Christ is our goal. We are moving from him towards him. From his death and resurrection towards him returning to resurrect and redeem us completely!
Persevere Through Tribulations
Lastly, we...
Persevere By The Grace Of God
Persevere By The Grace Of God
Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed 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. And they remained no little time with the disciples.
So, Paul and Barnabas finish their first missionary journey.
Notice how Luke brings it full circle by saying that Antioch and “commended” Paul and Barnabas “to the grace of God for the work they had fulfilled”.
Commended, here in the original language, means entrusted..
He is essentially saying that when Paul and Barnabas were sent out, the church, and Paul and Barnabas understood that.. The mission was enacted, enabled, and empowered by the grace of God!
The church wasn’t entrusting God’s mission to Paul and Barnabas, Paul and Barnabas were being entrusted to God and his mission.
They were surrendered to God.
This is God’s mission and He invites us to trust Him and go with Him to accomplish it.
This means, that the fact that they persevered was not so much something to be attributed to their motivation, their skills, or their conviction. But it was mainly attributed to the grace of God.
Their motivation, their skills, and their convictions were all a free gift of God’s grace to them. God was working in them and had been with them the entire time!
This means, for us, all the positive and good things accomplished, taught, preached, and done through me here these last 3 years are not things that happened because of me. Because I’m special.
They are all things that have happened by God’s grace.
Every person who serves in this church. Who will serve in this church. Our Ministry is enacted, enabled, and empowered by the grace of God!
So, give God glory.
Not me. Not anyone else. Give God glory!
Summation
Persevere Through Opposition
Persevere Through Misunderstandings
Persevere Through Tribulations
Persevere By The Grace Of God
FBC, you have been given a mission from Jesus.
Have you, personally, started it?
Have you, personally, kept with it?
Have you participated in it corporately?
Do you see church as a place where you are meant to fulfill the mission?
Or is church and christianity just something meant to pacify your boredom and entertain you?
Jesus fulfilled His earthly mission in order to secure our eternity and participation in continuing His mission!
Jesus lived the life you couldn’t live, died the death you deserve, and resurrected from the dead so that we might be brought into His life and mission all for the glory of God!
He persevered and offers to help you persevere!