Sermon Tone Analysis

If you had to choose a single word to describe the Gospel’s impact on your life, What word would choose?

(Pause) In this morning’s passage, we continue to follow the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, they seem to have chosen the word “strength” or “encouragement.”

“Encouragement only occurs one time in our text, but it is very clear they hoped the good news would become strength and encouragement to others.

Slide: Paul’s Missionary Journey

In case you can’t see this slide, your Bible might have a map of Paul’s missionary journeys.

In Acts 13:13 we find that Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark set sail from Pamphos, the city where the magician attempted to oppose the gospel, and came to Perga.

Verse 13 also tells us that John Mark left them.

Later in Acts, we find that the issue was so significant that Paul and Barnabas also went separate ways because of their opinions of John.

In this morning’s passage, Acts 13:13-52, we find opposition in the ministry team and opposition in Antioch of Pisidia.

This opposition still did not prevent God, through His Gospel, from strengthening His servants.

Upon arriving in this Antioch, Paul and Barnabas went straight into synagogue, just as they had done in Acts 13:5 at Salamis on Cyprus and just like they would do in Acts 14:1.

It was their missionary strategy.

Why go to the synagogue first?

Jews had foundational knowledge of Jesus and would potentially need much less discipleship in Biblical things.

The synagogues were kind of like the Army reserves.

The Jews had continually recieved training from the Old Testament Scriptures, so with new knowledge that Jesus was God’s son and that Jesus rose from the dead, they could very quickly spring into action.

The Gospel brought.....

Strengthening in the Synagogue (vv14-43)

Acts 13:14–16 (ESV)

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.”

16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.

First, the Gospel strengthened/encouraged Paul and Barnabas.

Paul and Barnabas were strengthened/encougraged

These Spirit-filled men loved sharing the Gospel with people and somehow the priests in verse 15 identified Paul and Barnabas as Biblical scholars.

Many theologians have made all kinds of elaborate guesses at how the priests in this synagogue came to choose Paul and Barnabas, but to me, these reasons don’t really matter.

The only thing we need to know is that God, through the Spirit miraculously created an opportunity for Spirit-filled people to share His Gospel to those He had prepared.

God provides opportunities just like this for us today.

When God’s people are full of His Spirit, it is easy to recognize God’s hand in whatever situation the Spirit has placed them.

Spirit-filled people are granted the desire of their hearts.

Spirit-filled people desire to share the Gospel with the lost.

Paul and Barnabas were encouraged in the synagogue by the priests and by the Spirit, for God miraculously provided an opportunity to publicly share the gospel!

Jews in the synagogues only knew half of the story.

Verse 15 reveals that the worshippers heard from the law and the prophets, but all the Old Testament is pointless without the hope contained in the Gospels.

The Jews only knew half of the story.

Do any of you like reading books?

Imagine if you were reading a very good book and stopped just before reaching the climax and ending of that book.

Imagine that you closed the book, put the book back on the shelf, and vowed to never to pick it up again.

How do you feel about that?

Would you be content to leave the story unfinished and unresolved?

I once read a short story which ended at it’s climax.

There was no resolution of the problems and no explanation how the tensions were resolved.

You may have read it.

It is called, “The Country of the Blind” by H.G. Wells.

This story greatly irritated me because it had no ending!

I created several possible solutions and scenarios, but none were satisfactory.

I needed to know how the author intended end that story, but Wells wanted the reader to end the story for themselves.

It was an early kind of “Choose-your-ending” book.

The Jews in the synagogue knew what God recorded in the OT and they were most familiar with the Pentateuch.

These priests in verse 15 had been reading from the law and the prophets.

Some of the Jews in that Synagogue were content to leave the story unfinished.

Others in the synagogue desperately wanted to know the ending.

Several years after publishing “The Country of the Blind” H.G. Wells published a second version of the story: one which contained the ending.

I was relieved to read how the story ended.

Paul and Barnabas knew the rest of Jesus’ story was too good, too important, to leave untold and unfinished.

God created a wonderful opportunity in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch for Jews to learn how the story ended!

Paul and Barnabas were strengthened a second time and we find this in verse 42:

The response to the rest of the story was overwhelmed.

They wanted to hear it again the next week!

The Word was joyously received in the synagogue.

We discover from verse 43 that Paul and Barnabas were strengthened a third time...

Many people believed in the ending of Jesus’ story!

Those missionaries needed these three encouragements because one week later, their faith would be significantly tested.

Paul and Barnabas were strengthened, and...

The Jews were strengthened/encouraged.

The priests had this right… they asked the missionaries to speak encouragement from Scripture.

Scripture should always be an encouragement.

Gathering together with other believers should always be an encouragement.

The Spirit loves opening doors for His people to walk through and the Spirit desires God’s message to bring strength and encouragement to others.

Little did the priests know, they were about to hear the best words of encouragement ever!

I am not going to read this sermon contained in verses 17-41.

I encourage you to read those verses on your own this week.

I will, however, highlight the two main points in his sermon.

In verse 16, Paul stood, made a cultural gesture with his hand, and said, “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.”

and then preached a sermon with two main points.

First, Paul built on what these people already knew... God is sovereign.

He used phrases to teach them that God is all powerful and is always in control.

Paul taught them that… “God chose our fathers” “God made the Jewish people great in Egypt” “God led them” God tolerated them” “God destroyed their enemies” “He gave them land” “He gave/appointed judges” “They asked for a king and God gave them Saul” “God removed Saul” “God raised up David as king” “God brought a Saviour, just as he promised.”

“God raised that savior from the dead and now offers forgiveness of sins through Jesus, that risen savior.”

No plan or man and no plan of Satan ever thwarted God’s eternal plan of salvation which He had been faithfully completing since the fall.

Everything the Jews knew all pointed to a sovereign God.

This sovereign God was unstoppable!

Paul’s second point is in verses 26- 38.

Paul said...

and in then in verses...

vv32–33 ...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

vv38-39 (ESV) ...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.

The sovereign and unstoppable God whom they loved and feared extended grace to them!

Their heavy sin-debt could be forgiven if they responded through faith in the risen Christ.

What encouragement!

What hope could be theirs!

Paul closed the message with a strong warning to the doubters and scoffers.

This verse which was wholly applicable then and is wholly applicable today.

If you glance at verse 41, that is a quote from Hab 1:5...

Scoffers will perish.

Scoffers will not experience burden-lifting forgiveness.

Scoffers are on the wrong side of God’s sovereignty; God works against scoffers, but works for His faithful.

Even many of the most devout Jews, perhaps the priests themselves, placed their faith in Christ that day.

The Jews were strengthened in their faith, in fact, they were so encouraged that they begged and begged for an encore!