Sermon 23

Paul Preaches Jesus

Acts 13:14-41

Tonight's sermon is about a sermon. In fact, it is the first recorded (and longest) sermon of the great Apostle Paul. It is recorded for us in Acts 13.

Paul believed in the importance of preaching:

· Romans 10:14 - How shall they hear without a preacher?

· II Timothy 4:2 - Preach the word.

Sadly, many in the church today do not share Paul's commitment to preaching. From today's pulpits come pop psychology, entertaining stories, social commentary and political rhetoric but not a lot of preaching of the God's Word. Turning the church into group therapy or an entertainment center undermines the authority of God's Word.

The New Testament repeatedly stresses the importance of preaching. Jesus told a prospective disciple (Luke 9:60) - "Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." Our Great Commission is to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

Preaching has been he catalyst of every great revival in history. The church fathers, taking the baton from the Apostles, conquered the Roman Empire with preaching. It was preaching that led to the Protestant Reformation. In the 1600's the preaching of the Puritans brought what is called the Puritan Revival. In the 1700's, the Great Awakening, which involved America was the result of the preaching of George Whitefield, John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards. In the 1800's it was the preaching of Charles Spurgeon and D.L. Moody that resulted in great evangelism. Perhaps Christianity knows little of Revival here and now at the end of the 20th century because it knows so little of strong, biblical, doctrinal preaching.

It is what we find Paul doing in Acts 13:14-41. Luke says nothing about their ministry in Perga, only that Paul and Barnabas came there and departed from there. Some have speculated that Paul was ill (see Galatians 4:13) perhaps with malaria and needed to leave the coastal lowlands for the cooler mountain regions. The journey from Perga to Pisidia Antioch is difficult and dangerous, a hundred mile trek up a rugged mountain path. Many bands of thieves (see II Corinthians 11:26).

Upon arriving here, Paul went first to the synagogue on the sabbath day, v. 14. Here is a ready audience of people interested in religious truth. Here is a pool of people with whom Paul shares a common culture and knowledge of the Old Testament. Here is a place where a visiting Rabbi from Jerusalem who had studied under the famous scholar Gamaliel would surely be asked to speak. Here, is a group of people for whom Paul has a great love and a burning desire to see saved (Romans 10:1). And so it makes sense that Paul would start his ministry here. The synagogue service opened with a reciting of Deuteronomy 6:4-6, followed by prayers and the reading of Scripture. Then came the teaching. This week, a prominent visitor was asked to preach!

Always be ready to preach, pray or die. Paul is ready and willing. What does he preach? He preaches unto them Jesus. Paul presents Jesus to this Jewish audience based on where they are. Paul presents Jesus as the culmination of history, the fulfillment of prophecy and the justifier of sinners.

Jesus: The Culmination Of History, vs. 17-22.

Paul intended to present Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah to these Jews. But being a skillful communicator, he knew that must first gain his audience's trust and attention. So he began by addressing a topic dear to the hearts of his countrymen, God's providential care of Israel.

He wants them to know that he is not some wacko or a renegade but that he shares the same basic theological background and belief system as them. He believes the Old Testament record of events. He believes that God has providentially protected and cared for Israel. So he simply reminds them of their history.

Underlying this is the understanding that history is going somewhere. There is a purpose, a goal and a culmination of history. It is not a meaningless cycle going nowhere. Every Jew and Gentile proselyte in Paul's audience knew that human history will culminate with the coming kingdom of Messiah. This was important to the Jews but it is also an essential aspect of the Christian message.

Jesus: The Fulfillment Of Prophecy, vs. 23-37

Old Testament history point to Jesus Christ, but so also does Old Testament prophecy. Revelation 19:10 - "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Jesus is the seed of the Woman who bruised Satan's head, Genesis 3:15. He is the virgin-born Son whose name was God with us, Isaiah 7:14. He was born in Bethlehem as Micah 5:2 had foretold. He is a descendant of Abraham as Genesis 12;2-3 had promised, of Jacob (Num. 24:7), Jesse (Isaiah 11:1) and David (Jer. 23:5; II Samuel 7). The Old Testament predicted that he would arrive in Jerusalem on a donkey (Zech. 9:9), his betrayal (Psalm 41:9) and the exact amount of money Judas would receive for doing it (Zech. 11:12). The ministry of the forerunner had been predicted (Isaiah 40:3-5; Mal. 3:1ff), as had his death (Psalm 22; Zech 12:10) and even his resurrection (Psalm 16:10). Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy regarding promised Messiah.

Paul anticipates and answers to questions (objections) which would have arisen from his hears. First, if Jesus is the Messiah, why did the Jewish leaders at Jerusalem fail to recognize him as such? (v. 27). The so-called experts of the Old Testament failed to understand its teaching.

Question #2 - If Messiah is rejected by Israel where does that leave us? This was always part of God's plan (emphasis on resurrection in fact and in the Old Testament).

Jesus: The Justifier Of Sinners, vs. 38-41.

I Kings 8:46 - "There is no man that sinneth not"

Job had asked the questions every man wonders about. Job 9:2 - How should man be just with God? Job 25:4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

The most common answer given by the Pharisees was rigid external conformity to the law? Paul tells that forgiveness of sin comes not from keeping the law of Moses, but from faith in Christ. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

His sermon concludes with a warning against rejecting the salvation offered in Jesus Christ and judgment come.