Introduction
Hearing the Voice of God (Acts 13:1-12)
1)Prepared to Listen (Acts 13:1-4)
2)Wanting to Hear (Acts 13:4-12)
3)Principle
In order to hear God's voice, one must be actively listening.
4)Applications
What do you need to do in order to be more intentional about listening for God's voice?
What have you heard from God but have yet to act upon?
Heeding the Word of God (Acts 13:13-41)
1)Paphos to Perga (Acts 13:13)
2)Perga to Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14)
3)A Message of Encouragement, Part 1 (Acts 13:15-25)
From the Patriarchs to the Promised Land (Acts 13:17-20a)
From Judges to Jesse's Son (Acts 13:20b-22)
The Savior, Jesus (Acts 13:23-25)
4)A Message of Encouragement, Part 2 (Acts 13:26-37)
Salvation For Us (Acts 13:26)
Missed the Obvious (Acts 13:27)
Man's Verdict (Acts 13:28-29)
God's Verdict (Acts 13:30)
Many Witnesses: Then and Now (Acts 13:31-37)
Forgiveness of Sin Through Him (Acts 13:38-39)
A Warning to Heed (Acts 13:40-41)
5)Principle
God has provided everything for His people's redemption, but only those who heed His word are saved.
6)Applications
Upon what does your righteousness depend? Are you depending on what you do and the way you live?
Or have you believed the Gospel message and are trusting in Jesus' righteousness for your justification?
Having the Joy of God (Acts 13:42-52)
1)A Great Reception and Invitation (Acts 13:42-43)
2)A Great Turnout (Acts 13:44)
3)A Great Envy (Acts 13:45)
4)A Great Reception and Rejoicing By the Gentiles (Acts 13:46-48)
5)A Great Spread (Acts 13:49)
6)Everyone Filled (Acts 14:50-52)
7)Principle
There is joy in doing God's will regardless of the outcome.
8)Applications
When was the last time you experienced joy? If it's been a while, why is that?
Conclusion
Introduction
When a musical group spends a lot of time and effort in the studio recording an album, there comes a time when they need to get out on the road and expose the public to their new recording. And so they'll go on tour to promote their new songs. They plan where they are going to tour, schedule where they will play, and make the arrangements so that they can travel from city to city and perform with the hope that this will generate more fans and album sales.
I've been to concerts where I thought the musicians should have stayed in the studio. But others where the live concert was just as well performed as the studio version.
Up to this point, the “Gospel Tour” of the new church had been caused by the Dispersion and persecution, for the most part, with a few exceptions being the visitors to Jerusalem at Pentecost and the Ethiopian, etc. But at the beginning of Acts 13, we see an intentional sending out on tour of the first foreign missionaries.
Hearing the Voice of God (Acts 13:1-12)
1)Prepared to Listen (Acts 13:1-4)
When you want to sit down and have an important conversation with someone, you want the environment to be free from distractions that will hinder that conversation.
For example, if you want to have an intimate conversation with your wife, you don't go turn on the Chiefs game and ask her to sit down on the couch beside you and talk. At least I hope that's not what you consider and intimate conversation.
Depending on what you want to talk about, you might book a reservation at a quiet restaurant where you can be alone together. Somewhere where there will be minimal distractions and a place that will enhance the ability to communicate what you would like to say. And you need to listen, not just hear, and comprehend what is being said.
When the Antioch church wanted to hear from God, they took intentional steps in order to seek His guidance. Let's look at verse 2 & 3:
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting ...
3 Then after fasting and praying …
God spoke to them when they were in a right frame of mind. They were worshiping, fasting and praying. They took the time to consider God for who He is (as revealed in His word) and they were exalting the Lord and humbling themselves before Him. They were withholding food, denying themselves, in order to more fully devote themselves to seek God's will.
You probably have preset buttons on your car radios. When you travel too far out of town or to another state, those presets do little good (at least without satellite radio). The frequency those buttons are preset for are frequencies that most likely are not broadcasting the same radio content as back home.
It's not that God's not continually speaking, often my problem is that I am not on the same wavelength. I am listening to noise, rather than being in a place that is conducive to hearing His voice.
The problem is never with God, the problem with hearing God's voice is that I am often too busy to listen. Often too busy doing His will to listen.
When was the last time you heard God's voice?
The Antioch church heard the Spirit tell them to send out Barnabas and Saul. They were key individuals in that church. They were the ones who God had used to build them up and to equip them. They were very valuable. But Antioch was willing to give them up for God's purpose.
They were willing to send their very best so that others could receive what they had.
I know this may disappoint you, but I am not going to talk about the mileage Barnabas and Saul put on. But it was a lot.
2)Wanting to Hear (Acts 13:4-12)
Briefly: Sailed to Cyprus, Proclaimed in Salamis Synagogue, Went through the whole island to Paphos.
In Paphos, we see a strange pair of individuals. Strange in the sense that one is a Jewish sorcerer and the other is a Gentile proconsul. One is trying to silence the words of God and the other trying to hear the words of God. One leaves blind and the other has his eyes opened to the truth. One who was a descendant of Abraham in the flesh and the other becomes a descendant of Abraham in the faith.
In verses 6 and 7 these two men are introduced. Here we have a Jewish man who, rather than being a light for the world, was using his influence to dissuade this man from hearing the truth. Elymas himself was blinded by the god of this world and he didn't want anyone else to see the truth.
Acts 13:8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them [Barnabas and Saul], seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
The enemy of our souls, Satan, would like nothing better than to silence the voice of God in the hearts of the lost. And here he is using a human instrument to try and do just that. In Elymas' mind, he may have had other motivations, we are not told, but regardless of his motivation, he was being used as a pawn.
In Paul's second letter to the Corinthian church he writes (by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit):
2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
So Satan's strategy is to try and silence the messenger or to blind the receiver.
But in this case, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, silences Satan and opens the eyes of the receiver. Let's read 9-12:
Acts 13:9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
3)Principle
In order to hear God's voice, one must be actively listening.
4)Applications
What do you need to do in order to be more intentional about listening for God's voice?
What have you heard from God but have yet to act upon?
Heeding the Word of God (Acts 13:13-41)
1)Paphos to Perga (Acts 13:13)
Notice: The change in rank (Barnabas to Paul). The name change (Saul to Paul). The team change (John Mark leaves).
2)Perga to Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14)
Notice the casual wording Luke uses in verse 14, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.
It would seem that this was just up the road, and it was, a 100+ mile road. Noted for rough terrain, pretty good change in altitude, and some formidable bandits along the way. It was not a Sabbath afternoon walk.
3)A Message of Encouragement, Part 1 (Acts 13:15-25)
When you think of an encouraging message, what comes to mind? Some message that will make you feel good about yourself? If it's not true, then it can't be encouraging – at least not in a real sense. Paul's message of encouragement highlights the faithfulness of God in spite of the disposition of the people.
From the Patriarchs to the Promised Land (Acts 13:17-20a)
God chose our fathers (Sovereign choice in election) – verse 17a
Grew the nation even in hostile Egypt (Providential care) – verse 17b
Led the people from Egypt (Redemption) – verse 17b
Endured their conduct 40 years (ESV: put up with them) (Patience and mercy) – verse 18
Gave them an inheritance (Provision) – verse 19
From Judges to Jesse's Son (Acts 13:20b-22)
If you've ever taken the time to study the book of Judges, you'd know that it was a time of great turbulence for the descendants of Abraham. After Joshua's death and the death of the generation that entered the land, there arose a generation who knew nothing about the LORD. And they lived like it. They began adopting the practices of the nations that their forefathers failed to drive out.
And in mercy, God sent trouble, invaders, nations who would oppress them. God is merciful in giving consequences to our actions so that we may cry out to Him and realize the destructive nature of our own sin.
And so God graciously gives Judges to draw the people back to Him and to drive back the enemies of Israel.
There was no earthly monarch or king at this time, the judges did not rule the people, but God alone was their King.
And when Samuel came on the scene, there was corruption even in the priesthood under Eli and his wicked sons. And so Samuel was to bring a message about the judgment against the house of Eli.
During Samuel's tenure as prophet, the people came to him with a proposal. We want a king. We want someone who will take over the responsibility of establishing an army, making and enforcing laws, and basically taking care of all the things that we just don't have time doing. Plus, all the other nations have a reigning king, we want one too.
God points out to the discouraged prophet that it wasn't Samuel they were rejecting, it was YHWH.
And so God gave them someone that they all thought would meet the requirements of a great leader. He was a tall guy. But he had a big self-confidence problem once he was established. God gave them their choice in order to allow them to see the disaster that can take place when men would rather choose their own way than God's way. And although Saul appeared to be custom fit for the job, he ultimately was rejected by God and his career ended tragically.
But God chose David. A man who was far from perfect, but whose heart was committed to seeking and following the Lord. A man after God's own heart, Luke tells us. When you read through some of the Psalms, you get a sense of this man's heart. That He loved the Lord deeply and desired more than just some superficial knowledge of God – he wanted to know and obey God.
So this is where Paul leads his audience. To another pinnacle in God's redemptive history. The place where God's promise to David was that his seed would be no ordinary seed but He would have an eternal reign.
The Savior, Jesus (Acts 13:23-25)
Paul points out the fact that there is no more waiting for God's promise to be fulfilled, it is fulfilled in the promised descendant of David, the Savior Jesus. How can you get more encouraging than that. The very one that Sabbath after Sabbath the Jews would read about in the prophets and the Law. They would speak of his coming. And here Paul says that he has already arrived.
And in fact, John the Baptist, who would have been known to many of the listeners as the last and latest prophet. He had pointed to the one whose sandals he was not worthy of untying. He saw himself as less than the lowest servant of Jesus.
4)A Message of Encouragement, Part 2 (Acts 13:26-37)
After laying out the redemptive history of God's plan culminating in the person of Jesus Christ, Paul goes on to present the Gospel message.
Salvation For Us (Acts 13:26)
Paul starts out by calling his audience to realize that this salvation through Jesus is for us. There is no more waiting for Messiah, he has already come. What the prophets longed for has already come to pass. Don't miss it!
Missed the Obvious (Acts 13:27)
My wife sometimes accuses me of not looking. I know what I'm looking for, in a cabinet or the refrigerator, but I come away empty handed. And then Mary will walk right over to where I have been looking and pick up that very thing.
There is one of two things at work when this happens. Either I have a mental image of what I am looking for and my brain performs some sort of inversion of the image that is transmitted from the optic nerve to the brain. Or the image I have is an incorrect image. (Mary says, “You just don't look”, but I don't see how that could be true).
Something of much greater gravity was at work at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, and Paul points it out here. Those who spent their lives pouring over the word of God through the Law and the Prophets were the very ones who missed the identity of Jesus. And not only did they miss who he was (and is), they were instrumental in fulfilling what the prophets spoke about him.
They failed to heed the Scriptures and by doing so, they fulfilled the Scriptures.
Man's Verdict (Acts 13:28-29)
The interesting thing about humanity is that we try to shun anything that reveals the uncomfortable truth of who we are. We want to avoid anything that exposes our flaws and instead find things the accentuate our good qualities. We want to feel good about ourselves when the fact of the matter is, we are not good.
That's one of the issues with those who put Jesus to death. They were not unfamiliar with Scripture, they just were not willing to allow the Scripture to reveal to them how very distant they were from God. They were overexposed without the affect of heeding the warnings.
And so, they were instrumental in disposing of someone who was perfect in every way. And his perfection exposed all of their hidden faults and self-centered motives and self-righteous thoughts.
They thought burying him was the end. But what they didn't realize was that God is infinitely greater than the box they had put Him into.
Acts 13:28 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.
God's Verdict (Acts 13:30)
All through this sermon, we see a God who doesn't react because man does something. We see a God who acts according to His nature and character. He is fulfilling redemption for His people, not because His people desire it, but because that is what they need even though they don't realize it.
Men executed and buried Jesus because His perfection revealed their sin. God raised Him from the dead to show that His perfection made Him the only worthy sacrifice for sin.
Acts13:30 But God raised him from the dead,
Many Witnesses: Then and Now (Acts 13:31-37)
Paul goes on to tell them that there are both contemporary as well as prophetic witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. The contemporary are those who were his followers and many others.
The prophetic witness Paul uses is David himself showing how several prophecies were fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus (just to mention a few)
Forgiveness of Sin Through Him (Acts 13:38-39)
(Romans 3:20-24) 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
A Warning to Heed (Acts 13:40-41)
There's always a danger in reading Scripture. The danger is either to look at it as if it were not applicable to me, or to realize the truth in what it being said and ignore or fail to take action. A hardening of the heart can begin to occur.
Paul warns his audience to avoid being a fulfillment of prophecy by resisting the truths just told. Don't resist the salvation God has provided because there may not be another opportunity.
5)Principle
God has provided everything for His people's redemption, but only those who heed His word are saved.
6)Applications
Upon what does your righteousness depend? Are you depending on what you do and the way you live?
That's what the Jews who rejected Jesus were depending on.
Or have you believed the Gospel message and are trusting in Jesus' righteousness for your justification?
Having the Joy of God (Acts 13:42-52)
1)A Great Reception and Invitation (Acts 13:42-43)
NIV: Acts 13:42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.
ESV: As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.
There was a great reception to what they had said, at least at first glance. And there seemed to be a lot of people who wanted to hear the message again. And perhaps they wanted him to expound upon what he had taught.
But as we see the turnout next Sabbath, in verse 44, it seems that many who heard were very excited to tell their friends and family.
How excited are you about what you are studying and learning in the Bible?
Who are you going to tell about your excitement? Who will you invite to come study with you? We have an intro class coming up on the 7th. What better time than now to start inviting.
2)A Great Turnout (Acts 13:44)
3)A Great Envy (Acts 13:45)
Not all the Jews were jealous. But here Luke points out that the jealousy was centered on the Jews. What were they jealous about? The popularity of the message of salvation that Paul was preaching.
Their jealously really revealed what was in their hearts. Had they believed that salvation was in Jesus, the promised descendant from David, then they would have been happy to see all this turnout. But similar to their brothers in Jerusalem in Jesus' day, they saw their power and popularity at stake. They had a wrong motive. They were not seeking God but seeking their own way to be right with God.
4)A Great Reception and Rejoicing By the Gentiles (Acts 13:46-48)
Paul's heart for his own people was evident. And I'm sure his sorrow over their rejection was great. But he also realized that it was not Paul that could turn the hearts of a people to God, it was God.
This opportunity to speak a second time to a greater audience was a working of God to make it possible. So when Luke records that all who were appointed for eternal life believed. He is pointing to the Sovereign hand of God at work in calling and drawing all who are His to faith.
And the Gentiles, hearing that the light was sent to them as well and recorded in Scripture, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord (ESV).
5)A Great Spread (Acts 13:49)
The message of Salvation through Jesus spread throughout the region of Galatia. And their was no small impact.
Later, Paul writes an entire letter to the churches in Galatia in order to correct heretical teachings that were being introduced by some Jews.
6)Everyone Filled (Acts 14:50-52)
This last section highlights the fact that everyone is filled with something. The Jews were so jealous that they were filled with hatred and malice.
But those that they hated were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
We are all filled with something. What are you filled with tonight?
7)Principle
When the outcome of what you do depends upon you, then there can be real anxiety and stress when things don't turn out as you planned.
But as a servant of God, Paul and Barnabas knew that the results of their obedience were not something God held them accountable for. They just needed to obey and leave the rest up to God.
There is joy in doing God's will regardless of the outcome.
8)Applications
When was the last time you experienced joy? If it's been a while, why is that?
Conclusion
God has placed you and I in various places in the KC area. We work in differing lines of work. We have different neighbors and neighborhoods. We frequent different restaurants and meet up with different people.
God does not desire His word to remain in studio. His intention is not that we go to BSF and go to church and that is where people hear the Gospel. No, he has sent you and I on tour with the message of the Gospel. So let's get out there and perform as He empowers.
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