BIG IDEA:
THE BOLD PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD AND THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST EXCITES NEW CONVERTS AND ANGERS JEALOUS TRADITIONALISTS
INTRODUCTION:
As a seminary student, I always imagined what it would be like to have enthusiastic large groups of people calling out: “Send the Light” ! Bring to us that precious gospel message that offers forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ and freedom from bondage so that we can live a transformed life. Teach us the significance of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Son of God.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” [Rom. 10:15 – Paul quoting Isaiah 52:7.]
But we all know the reality is quite different. It is the exception where there is hunger for the Word of God and a huge positive response to the gospel. “The road is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:14). Our passage this morning is going to highlight some contrasting responses to the preaching of Paul and Barnabas. We will see extremes on both sides – Extreme passion and obedience and joy in the reception of the gospel and extreme jealousy and hatred and persecution in the rejection of the gospel.
Truth Divides! It does not bring all parties together in some type of spirit of tolerance. Revelation demands a response. A person cannot remain neutral. He is impacted with the savor of life unto life or death unto death. He is never the same person as before his exposure to the gospel message. As ambassadors for Jesus Christ and those called to fulfill the Great Commission, we must be bold to bring the same message to people who will have very different types of responses. It takes faith and courage to please the Lord rather than be a man-pleaser and be concerned about our own popularity and positive reception.
Illustration: [Interesting topic for the in-laws]
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.” (Matt. 10:34-36).
Last Week: What was the message Paul preached?
DO NOT REJECT THE MESSAGE OF GOD’S SOVEREIGN PROVISION OF SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, THE SEED OF DAVID, IN HIS CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION
Today: What type of contrasting responses did Paul receive?
THE BOLD PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD AND THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST EXCITES NEW CONVERTS AND ANGERS JEALOUS TRADITIONALISTS
3 STAGES OF THE RESPONSE TO PAUL’S PREACHING IN ANTIOCH:
1) Initial Hunger 2) Digested Responses 3) Long Term Impact
I. (:42-44) INITIAL HUNGER: CURIOUS SINNERS HUNGER TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD – (WHILE INVITING OTHERS TO DO LIKEWISE) —
RESULT: CONTINUING IN GRACE
A. (:42) Hunger Longs for Nourishment
“And as Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.”
Priority of the preaching of God’s Word emphasized in this story
Bock: This Greek verb is in the imperfect, portraying the requesting in a vivid, ongoing manner.
Curiosity factor – something new being presented
B. (:43) Humility Hopes on Grace
“Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.”
Interested people could not wait for the formal meeting a week off; they wanted some private interaction immediately
Guzik: Continuing in grace is as important as beginning in grace; we must never leave it as the basic principle of our relationship with God. Far too many only think of grace as the introduction to the Christian life, but God wants grace to remain as the foundation for our life with Him.
Profession of faith comes easily … but genuine faith is proven out over time by our abiding in God’s grace; remaining in the pathway of faith and discipleship
Not all of those professing immediate faith were genuine believers; Concept of Abiding that John wrote about in John 15 and 1 John
Message of grace stands in stark contrast to the performance-oriented message of the law – book of Galatians – Paul had just explained that adherence to the law could not provide forgiveness of sins and the freedom they longed for
Message of the gospel is all about the grace of God —
C. (:44) Harvesting Results From Preaching
“And the next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God.”
Lenski: What interested all these Gentiles was the fact that without becoming Jews and adopting the Jewish separative laws they could be received into the full communion of faith.
How did the word get out so quickly without all of our fancy multi media campaigns and promotional glitz?
II. (:45-49) DIGESTED RESPONSE: BELIEVING GENTILES GLORIFY THE WORD OF GOD – IN CONTRAST TO JEALOUS JEWS –
RESULT: SPREADING THE GOSPEL
A. (:45) Jealous Jews
“But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.”
Not all the Jews believed and not all the Jews opposed Paul’s teaching … but the general summary of the reaction to the gospel divided across these ethnic lines
[not just speaking of the Jewish leaders here]
The Jews were already attendees at the synagogue weekly; the extra huge crowds represented the Gentle influx – you mean there is a message of hope and salvation here for me that does not require allegiance to the Jewish system of complex laws and regulations?
Contrast between people who make decisions based on Conviction vs Tradition/Prejudice
Bruce: the majority [of the Jews], including no doubt most of the leaders of the community, had no use for a salvation which was apparently open to Gentiles as much as to Jews. It was just this, indeed, which decided them against it.
Barclay: As has been said, “The Jews saw the heathen as chaff to be burned; Jesus saw them as a harvest to be reaped for God.” And his Church must have a like vision of a world for Christ.
MacArthur: Prejudice. That’s the only word you could ever use, prejudice. They did not like Gentiles belonging and receiving the same salvation and blessing of God and Messiah that they had. They couldn’t handle that. It was prejudice. It was selfishness. It was personal privilege, Jewish superiority. That was the issue and so they got furious. The word “jealous” or “envious” expresses exactly the attitude. The same word is used in Acts 5:17 of the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
B. (:46-47) Progressing From Rejection by Jews to Opportunity with the Gentiles
“And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For thus the Lord has commanded us, I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You should bring salvation to the end of the earth.’“
Bold Preaching is theme that runs through Acts: courage to speak openly and frankly; 2:29; 4:13, 29, 31; 28:31 – verb form: 9:27-28; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26
Stott: Certainly those who have believed in Jesus and received eternal life from his all ascribe the credit to God’s grace, not to their own merit. The converse is not so, however. It is significant that in this very passage those who rejected the gospel are regarded as having done so deliberately, because they did not “consider [themselves] worthy of eternal life”.
Bock: [Is. 49] Paul and Barnabas are now seen as an extension of the work of the Servant of the Lord, who was Jesus.
C. (:48-49) Believing Gentiles
“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.”
Boice: How long does it take to start a church? Lot of intensive planning; demographics … answer might surprise you here – one week
Cole: God’s glory is the beauty of His perfect attributes, and that glory shines supremely at the cross, where His perfect love and justice meet. Thus as we glory in His salvation, we will be filled with joy and want others to know and glorify Him. God’s glory should be our supreme motive in sharing the gospel.
Wiersbe: The word translated ordained means “enrolled,” and indicates that God’s people have their names written in God’s book (Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:3). But Acts 13:49 is the human side of evangelism: if we do not preach the Word, then nobody can believe and be saved. It takes both (see 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Rom. 10:13-15).
Stedman: Now do not turn that around. That does not say, “and as many as believed were ordained to eternal life.” You see, Paul began this message by showing them that God was active, trying to reach out to men. It is not men who are trying to find God; it is God who is trying to find men. And when men believe, they are simply responding to the activity of God who is already reaching out to them. Here were many who were ordained of God, and when they were thus ordained, they believed, they responded to God. You can never get away from this wonderful, mysterious combination of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
III. (:50-52) LONG TERM IMPACT: PERSECUTED PREACHERS ADVANCE THE WORD OF GOD – (DESPITE ORGANIZED OPPOSITION) —
RESULT: REJOICING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. (:50) Painful Persecution
“But the Jews aroused the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.”
Stott: the expulsion of the missionaries was probably violent. It is confirmed by Paul’s own later statement that Timothy knew all about his persecutions and sufferings “in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra.” (2 Tim. 3:10-11)
B. (:51) Resilient Resolve
“But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.”
leaving defilement behind
Kent: Shaking off the dust of their feet as a gesture of disapproval (in the manner Jesus had instructed his followers, Luke 9:5; 10:11), the missionaries went to Iconium, a city eighty miles distant.
Calvin: Therefore, it appeareth how intolerable the contempt of the word of God is in his sight; because, when as he commandeth that the dust of the feet be shaken off, it is as much as if he should pronounce that they are the bond-slaves of Satan, men past hope, and worthy to be banished from off the earth. Wherefore, let this so great;, severity teach us to reverence the gospel. Also the ministers of the word are taught with how great ferventness of zeal they must maintain the majesty of the word, that they do not coldly dissemble and wink at the contempt thereof.
C. (:52) Impactful Imprint
“And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
What did the missionary team leave behind?? The disciples had become imitators of them as they were imitators of Christ.
Bruce: but the converts whom they left behind in Pisidian Antioch, far from being discouraged by the expulsion of the men who had brought them the gospel, were (in spite of that expulsion and no doubt of some persecution which they themselves had to endure) filled with the joy that the good news imparted and with the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION:
– Initial Hunger
– Digested Responses
– Long Term Impact