2022-07-17 Preaching Jesus (2): The Promised Redeemer Acts 13:26-41

PREACHING JESUS (2): THE PROMISED REDEEMER (Acts 13:26-41) Date: ____________________ Read Acts 13:25-41 - Bernard of Clairvaux: "Yesterday I preached myself, and the scholars came and praised me. Today I preached Christ, and the sinners came and thanked me." Paul did the same: I Cor 2:2: "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Paul preached Christ. In this sermon at Pisidian Antioch, Jesus is front and center. We've outlined it loosely in three parts: I. Jesus: The Focus of History (16-25) II. Jesus: The Fulfillment of Prophecy (26-37) and III. Jesus: The Forgiver of Sinners (38-41). This is Christ-centered preaching which leads to Christ-centered healing and Christ-centered living. I. Jesus: The Focus of History (16-25) - Last week we saw that everything about redemptive history centers in Christ alone. II. Jesus: The Fulfillment of Prophecy (26-37) Now, in v. 26, Paul moves on to show how OT prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus' life. Here is God's power and wisdom at its sovereign best. I've organized it around 3 simple words. As prophesied, Jesus was I. Marginalized; II. Criminalized and III. Revitalized - all predicted and critical components for effecting salvation. A. Marginalized -- 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." Jesus arriving on the scene, fulfilling prophecies they read every Sabbath they missed Him In fact, eventually they fulfilled the worst of those prophecies themselves by condemning Him to death. What irony. The Savior arrives, displays His credentials, but then is rejected, condemned and killed. How did this happen? Well, we know the first 30 years of Jesus' life were basically uneventful from the prophetic standpoint. But when His ministry actually began at age 30, the floodgates opened, did they not? Isa 35:5 prophesied: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6) then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy." Sounds just like Jesus in the gospels. These persistent physical signs and miracles testified that something entirely unique was happening. Someone with absolute authority was on the scene. John claims in Jn 21:25, "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." Paul can claim in Acts 26:26c, all of "this has not been done in a corner." It was there for everyone to see, talk about and investigate. It fulfilled exactly what the prophets had predicted. And there was spiritual healing, too.. At the first sermon He read from Isa 35, and also from Isa 61:1-2a: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor." Then He rolled up the scroll, turned to His audience and said, Lu 4:21: "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." That rocked His audience. They "marveled at the gracious words coming from his mouth." But when He told them there would be no miracles for them for lack of faith, and when He suggested that in Elijah and Elisha's time, God favored some Gentiles who showed more faith than the Jews, their wrath knew no bounds. He miraculously escaped them trying to throw Him over a cliff. So it went for 3 years. Enthusiastic crowds at first, but interested mainly in what He could do for them. They loved His miracles, but not Himself. A turning point came when he fed 5,000 one day and refused a repeat the next: "After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him" (Jn 6:66). When He refused to kick the Romans out, one of His own inner circle betrayed Him. And the crowd that cheered Him on Palm Sunday, thinking He was about to ascend the throne, cried for His execution on Friday. Despite all His credential, Jesus was marginalized for failure to fit their mold! Fulfilled prophecy? Yes. Isa 53:3: "He was despised and reject by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hid their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Even as they marginalized Him, they showed Him to be genuine. They missed truth in plain sight. B. Criminalized - It's one of history's great ironies. Not only did Israel reject their Messiah; they actually criminalized and killed Him. But once again, in an amazing display of God's glorious sovereignty, what they did fulfilled prophecy after prophecy. They missed the obvious in their own actions. They were so focused on Messiah as political deliverer they willfully overlooked other prophecies related to a suffering Messiah. Didn't like those, so they ignored them - and then, remarkably, became the instruments for fulfilling many of them, to their own condemnation. Paul says: 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." They didn't mean to fulfill all that was written of Him - but they did! Dozens of OT predictions of a suffering Messiah were fulfilled to the letter in Jesus' life. The mob who hailed Him on Sunday cried for His death on Friday. It is as tho their group pix was glued over Psa 69:4: "More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause." Even the reprobate Pilate declared Him innocent. His own people killed Him anyway. Then the list builds: Jesus' betrayal by a friend, prophesied in Psa 41:9. Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12-13). Psa109:25: "I am the object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me they wag their heads." Fulfilled Mt 27:39: "And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads." Psa 69:4b predicted, "Mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies." Mark 14:56: "For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree." They couldn't every get their story straight. Psa 22:16c: "They have pierced my hands and my feet", and Isa 53:5a: "He was pierced for our transgressions" - predictions of crucifixion hundreds of years before it was invented. Many related to the cross. Casting lots for His clothing (Psa 22:18). No broken bones (Psa 34:20) - unheard of at a crucifixion, yet, Jn 19:33: "But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his bones." His being given sour wine or vinegar to drink (Psa 69:21b). That His side would be speared (Zech 12:10). Even His burial was a prophesied. Isa 53:9 predicted: "And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death." Crucified bodies were usually cast into a mass grave. But a rich, secret believer, Joseph of Arimathea, asked for and received the body of Jesus, so "when they had carried out all that was written of him," Joseph, Nic and some women friends, "took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb." What a story! So, they criminalized and vulgarized Him, in excruciating detail of OT prophecies, showing He was indeed the One. But the greatest irony of all is this: in crucifying their own Messiah, they provided for their own potential salvation. His death was no accident. It was the fulfillment of God's promised seed obliterating the power of sin and death. This also fulfilled prophecy. Isa 53:5: "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." Jesus died for the very ones who killed Him making forgiveness, release from guilt and peace with God possible for all. J. I. Packer summarized the gospel in 3 words: "Adoption through propitiation." The wrath of God was turned away from sinners by the death of Christ so that we might be reconciled to God and brought into His family. That's what the cross accomplished. And it all happened from a human perspective thru Jesus' own people criminalizing and crucifying the Lord of glory. But in a twist of fate only God could have arranged, their worst sin could be the means of their ultimate redemption. What a God! C. Revitalized - The proof of all this? The keynote of Paul's sermon: 30) "But God raised him from the dead." God overruled man's verdict. That, Paul says is good news! It is the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy that the Jews would receive the sign of Jonah. . . . . It is ultimate proof that Jesus was the Messiah. He was in the words of Rom 1:4: "declared to be the Son of God in power . . . by his resurrection from the dead." Paul offers two proofs of the resurrection. 1) Eyewitnesses: "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." He does the same thing in I Cor 15: 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me." He and Jas were noteworthy; hostile witnesses who suddenly turned around. And 500 at once! That would be convincing in any court! 2) His resurrection fulfills prophecy. Paul offers 3. From Psa 2:7: "You are my Son; today I have begotten you." Yes, it refers to Jesus' birth, but Paul says it applies in a greater way to His resurrection. On both counts, God promised; God delivered. Then he quotes: 34b) "I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David," from Isa 53:3. How does that relate to resurrection? Well, God told David, "I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever" (II Sam 7:13b). The resurrection of Christ now makes that possible. And finally, "You will not let your Holy One to see corruption" (Psa 16:10). That could not be true of David. He was dead, buried and decayed. But Jesus would never see that decay. His resurrection was one more promise made and fulfilled. The resurrection is unimaginably wonderful. E. A. Poe wrote a poem about a raven with one word -- "Nevermore." It is a perpetual reminder that you can't go back. As we get older we begin to realize that certain things we've loved are irreversibly gone. Youth begins to fade. Friends begin to go separate ways, move away, and finally begin to die. Family members are lost. Nevermore! And then there are the moral failings - things that could never stand God's scrutiny. How can I be cleansed? How can I take back that which cannot be taken back? The older you get the more irreversible things are. You can't get life back. There are no do-overs! Except! The resurrection changes everything. In resurrection you get it back. You get your body back - the one you always wished you had. You get your life back - eternal life. You get this world back. You get your innocence back. It reverses everything. It's like a country song played backwards. You get your horse back, your dog back, your house back, your wife back. You get it all back. The resurrection is everything. That's why it was at the heart of every apostolic message. It is God saying, "Here. You get it all back - only 1,000 times better." Every evil -- God reverses it all. III. Jesus: The Forgiver of Sinners (38-41) Paul closes with invitation and warning: 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." Every honest person realizes we are helpless before the demands of the law. We can never get there that way. But what we couldn't do, He did - this Jesus. By His death we can have forgiveness and freedom. It's an amazing salvation. But if you refuse this priceless gift, then you will be subject to the judgment of Hab 1:5. You will perish. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." Jesus' invitations always included warning for failure to heed. Paul is saying that to be a scoffer - to reject Jesus' person and work is to incur the rightful wrath of His Father. So Paul's message is, "Repent, while there is opportunity." Conc - Had Paul given a lecture on Alex the Great, it'd have been interesting, but it would have required no action. To hear of Jesus is different. The One who is the focus of history and the fulfillment of prophecy is also the forgiver of sinners. That puts Him in a class by Himself and that demands a decision. A college student, recently converted, challenged his dad regarding his lack of concern for the next life. Dad said, "I'll worry about that when I get there!" Well, that's true, but it will be too late to do anything about it when you get there. The die is cast by that time. Heb 9:27: "It is appointed to man to die once, and after that comes judgment." The whole issue will be what have you done with Christ? But there will be no turning back then. The time is now. Jesus said in Mt 7:13: "Enter [eternity] by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14) For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." We beg you this morning - be one of the few. Let's pray. DONE 7