SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). The Initial Response: Excellent (vs 42-44)
(2). The Subsequent Response: Jews = Negative (vs 45-47 & 50-52)
(3). The Subsequent Response: Gentiles = Positive (vs 48-52)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
A few nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
• Rishi Sunak:
• Dishy Rishi (not looks but for his ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ scheme when he was Chancellor).
• or the Yorkshire Maharajah/Maharaja of the Yorkshire Dales,
• (Indian heritage his being an MP for Richmond in the Yorkshire Dales.)
• Liz Truss:
• Human hand grenade ("she does tend to blow things up") or Lettuce Liz, the Daily Star joke asking whether her premiership and leadership would outlast a lettuce.
• Boris Johnson:
• Bojo or Bojo the clown or Buffoon Boris.
• Theresa May
• Mummy May (very maternal) or Maybot (very robotic)
• Gordon Brown:
• Flash Gordon or Golden Brown or Squatter in No. 10
• Tony Blair:
• Bambi (Disney character) or America's Poodle or Teflon Tony
• Margaret Thatcher:
• The Iron Lady
• Harold Wilson
• WISLON
• A deliberate misspelling popularised by the fortnightly satirical magazine Private Eye.
• TRANSITION: Now it was Harold Wilson who coined the phrase,
• “A week is a long time in politics!”
• He was of course referring to the fast-changing pace of the political landscape,
• The fortunes of a politician or political group can change drastically,
• Even in a single week.
• What is true in politics can be true in many areas of our lives,
• To paraphrase Harold Wilson’s words,
• “A week is a long time in Christian mission!”
• For the apostle Paul and Barnabas,
• They were about to learn that truth,
Question: How is your memory? Because “A week is a long time in Church life!”
• How is your memory?
• e.g. How much of last week’s sermon can you remember?
• Was there a title to the sermon?
• How many key points did the preacher make?
• Was there a sermon illustration that stood out?
• Was there anything he said that spoke into your life?
• If so, has it made any difference over the past seven days?
• TRANSITION: “A week is a long time in Church life!”
• TRANSITION: “A week is a long time in book of Acts!”
• Just one week earlier to the verses we have read together,
• The apostle Paul gave a sermon in the local synagogue of Pisidian Antioch.
• In that sermon the apostle Paul showed his congregation,
• That Jesus was their Mesiah/Christ.
• He did so by using the Old Testament (Jewish Bible),
• He taught and proved,
• That Jesus was the Savior who had died and been raised from the dead,
• Fulfilling all the prophecies of the Old Testament.
(1). The Initial Response: EXCELLENT (vs 42-44)
“As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
On the next Sabbath almost, the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.”
Ill:
• Paul and Barnabus were effective preachers,
• Unlike the unfortunate Revd W A Spooner, the English scholar who died in 1930,
• He was reputed to have had the problem of muddling his words,
• This of course confused his hearers or caused them to chuckle and giggle.
• e.g. At a wedding he told the groom, 'It is kistomary to cuss the bride.'
• e.g. Calling on the dean of Christ Church he asked the secretary; 'Is the bean dizzy?"
• e.g. Giving the eulogy at a clergyman's funeral, he praised his departed colleague as.
• “A shoving leopard to his flock.”
• e.g. In a sermon he warned his congregation.
• “There is no peace in a home where a dinner swells.
• Meaning, of courses 'where a sinner dwells”'
• e.g. Speaking to a group of farmers:
• Spooner intended to greet them as “sons of toil,”
• But what came out was. "I see before me tons of soil.”
• TRANSITION:
• Unlike the unfortunate Revd W A Spooner,
• Paul and Barnabus were effective preachers,
Notice that there are four features that stand out in verses 42-44.
• (a). They were eager (vs 42).
• “The people invited them to speak further about these things”.
• Paul’s words made a deep impression on his hearers:
• These folks were not clock-watchers, i.e. when is he going to finish?
• These folks were hungry for more!
• Every preacher likes a congregation like that!
• (b). They were persistent (vs 43a).
• They chased after Paul and Barnabas.
“When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas.”
• Now as a preacher I have had people pursue me at the end of a meeting,
• Most of the time because they didn’t like something that I said!
• But I have never had anyone follow me out the building asking for more,
• Maybe today will be the first time – lol!
• (c). They were confessing faith (vs 43b).
• “…who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.”
• Paul preached the good news of Jesus Christ,
• And there were those who had responded.
• He urged these new converts to keep on growing in their faith.
• Real faith is something that develops,
• Persevering and growth and service are the evidence of saving faith.
• (d). They met together (vs 44).
• “On the next Sabbath almost, the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.”
• Thrilled with what they heard these people came back for more:
• Throughout the week they had spread news among their friends,
• You need to come and hear this message of Jesus!
• And when the Sabbath came around again there was not a spare seat in the house.
• Joke/challenge or compliment:
• Sounds a bit like your Church on a Sunday morning!
• Thrilled with what they heard these people came back for more:
• Throughout the week they had spread news among their friends,
(2). the subsequent response: JEWS = NEGATIVE (vs 45-47 & 50-52)
Ill:
• John Wesley, (1703–1791)
• Was an Anglican clergyman, evangelist, and cofounder of Methodism.
• He traveled an astounding 225,000 miles across Britain and Ireland on horseback,
• His dedication led him to deliver over 4,000 sermons,
• One time was he was forbidden to preach inside the church in Epworth,
• So, Wesley boldly stood on his father’s tombstone in the churchyard,
• And preached the first of many open-air messages.
Quote: John Wesley’s Diary reads as follows:
• Sunday morning, May 5, preached in St. Ann’s,
• Was asked not to come back anymore.
• Sunday p.m., May 5, preached at St. John’s, deacons said, "Get out and stay out."
• Sunday a.m., May 12, preached at St. Jude’s, can’t go back there either.
• Sunday p.m., May 12, preached at St. George’s, kicked out again.
• Sunday a.m., May 19, preached at St. somebody else’s,
• Deacons called a special meeting and said I couldn’t return.
• Sunday p.m., May 19, preached on the street,
• Kicked off the street.
• Sunday a.m., May 26, preached in meadow,
• Chased out of meadow as a bull was turned loose during the services.
• Sunday a.m., June 2, preached out at the edge of town,
• Kicked off the highway.
• Sunday p.m., June 2, afternoon service, preached in a pasture,
• 10,000 people came to hear me.
• TRANSITION:
• Wow! Rejection, persecution but ultimately blessing.
• Likewise, the apostle Paul and Barnabus,
• Would have an excellent response to their preaching.
Notice:
• The problem here is not just the message but the messages,
• The Jewish leaders were jealous of Paul and Barnabus,
• And prejudiced against the Gentiles.
• The word, ‘Gentile’ means, ‘of the nations.’
• The term doesn’t really describe who someone is, but rather who they are not,
• i.e. a Jew. It refers to anyone who is not Jewish!
As a result, the response to the gospel is split into two ways.
• The Jewish people are negative and reject the apostles,
• The Gentiles are receptive and want to know more.
• Verse 45-47:
“When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
If there was one thing that was guaranteed to infuriate a religious Jew at the time of Paul,
• It was the thought that the blessings of salvation might be extended to Gentiles.
• Jealousy and prejudice are at the heart of this problem,
• The Jews resented the idea that God would treat both Jew & Gentile the same.
Remember…
• The Jews were God’s chosen people – the Gentiles were not!
• The Jews were disciplined with a kosha diet - the Gentiles did not!
• The Jews if male were circumcised - the Gentiles were not!
• The Jews lived moral, pure lives - the Gentiles did not!
• The Jews worshipped the one true God - the Gentiles did not!
• The Jews kept God’s Law - the Gentiles did not!
• It did not make theological sense to them,
• That God would treat both Jew & Gentile the same.
As Paul preaches and as a result enemies emerge and begin to sabotage his effort to spread the gospel message (vs 45)
• Throughout the New Testament, many authors like Luke and Paul,
• Use this expression, “the Jews” in reference to a certain group of Jewish people.
• When writing that the Jews began disrupting Paul’s sermon,
• Luke obviously does not mean all of the Jews present.
• Remember that Paul and Barnabas themselves are Jews.
• Remember a week earlier to this incident,
• We read that many of the Jews believed his message (vs 42-23).
• So, here in verse 45, the Jews represent certain Jewish leaders,
• Who are often hostile to Jesus or his representatives,
• And they often stored up violence against them.
• These Jewish opponents saw the crowds,
• Hundreds (or possibly thousands) of people were listening to Paul proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.
• Dr Luke clarifies their motivation for wishing to silence Paul:
• These Jews were filled with jealousy.
Notice: the contrast of attitudes in these verses:
• These Jewish leaders are angry and jealous,
• They start arguing with the apostle Paul.
• They heckle and interrupt him, contradicting the things he preached.
• In contrast the apostle Paul is speaking from pure motives,
• He is truthfully teaching from Jewish scripture about the Jewish Messiah/Christ,
• He is preaching Jesus who fulfilled their scriptures.
Paul and Barnabas are just as passionate and enthusiastic with their preaching,
• But notice no evil words or insults.
• Dr Luke says they spoke out boldly in response to these opponents (vs 46).
• You get the impression that Paul and Barnabas were expecting this reaction,
• From among the Jews sooner or later.
• They have experienced it before, and they will experience it again!
• At the end of the passage (vs 51-52), we read that Paul and Barnabas
• “Shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium...”
Sadly, the Jewish people rejected the gospel of their Messiah - Jesus Christ:
• Paul would therefore take the Good News to the Gentiles.
• This sets the pattern for the rest of the book of Acts,
• Jewish communities for the most part refused the gospel,
• While Gentiles eagerly embraced it. (i.e. 17:4, 18:5-6, 19:8-9, 28:28)
• Note: There is a contrast here:
• The Jews were intent on keeping their privileges to themselves.
• From the beginning the Christians saw their privileges as something to be shared.
• 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!
These unbelieving Jews were not going to sit back and let Paul and Barnabas take over their patch.
• Unable to out talk the missionaries in debate,
• They try another tactic (verse 50-52):
50But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region.
51So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
• The unbelieving Jews cleverly used the cities religious and respected,
• To use their power and influence and to get these missionaries expelled.
Quote: William Barcley:
“At this time the Jewish religion had a special attraction for women.
In nothing was the ancient world laxer than in sexual morality.
Family life was rapidly breaking down.
The worst sufferers were women.
The Jewish religion preached a purity of ethic and cleanness of life.
Round the synagogues gathered many women, often of high social position,
Who found in this teaching just what they longed for.
Many of these women became proselytes; still more were God-fearers”.
A clever ploy, the Jews persuaded these women to provoke their husbands,
• Who were often men in influential positions,
• To take steps against the Christian preachers.
• The inevitable result was persecution,
• Antioch became unsafe for Paul and Barnabas, and they had to go!
(3). the subsequent response: GENTILES = POSITIVE (vs 48-52)
• As mentioned earlier. the word, ‘Gentile’ means, ‘of the nations.’
• The term doesn’t really describe who someone is, but rather who they are not,
• i.e. a Jew. It refers to anyone who is not Jewish!
Ill:
• A Jewish joke I came across recently goes like this.
• Two Jewish men walk past a church,
• The Church has a sign promising £1,000 to all new converts.
• After much debate,
• One of the Jewish men decides to go for the money and enters the church.
• An hour passes, then another and another as the friend waits outside.
• Finally, the Jewish man comes out of the church,
• And his friend eagerly asks, “So, did you get the money?”
• The first man glares back at him and says,
• “Is that all you people ever think about?”
• TRANSITION: Jews are a race of people with their own culture, traditions, and religion.
• The Bible (Jewish scriptures – both Old & New Testaments),
• Tell us God will bless the Gentiles through the Jews.
• i.e. God’s promise to Abraham "All nations will be blessed through you."
• (Genesis chapter 22 verse 18)
• i.e. The apostle Paul taught, “The gospel is… to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
• (Romans chapter 1 verse 16)
Note the contrast of the Gentiles in verse 48.
NIV:
“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
TLB:
“When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and rejoiced in Paul’s message; and as many as wanted eternal life, believed.”
• The Gentiles in the audience are thrilled and overjoyed to hear this message,
• Remember this message of salvation comes through a Jewish Messiah,
• And yet he is available for all people – both Jew and Gentile!
These Gentiles had realized that fact and they did two things.
• FIRST: They believed, and they were full of joy and excitement! (vs 48)
• “When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord.”
• As a result, a church in Pisidon Antioch was established.
• SECOND: They evangelized (vs 49).
• “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.”
Ill:
• I heard a story about a guy who applied for a job as an usher at a cinema.
• As a part of the interview process, the manager asked him,
• "What would you do in case a fire breaks out?"
• The guy replied straight away with these words,
• “Don’t worry about me. I can get out fine.”
• TRANSITION:
• Sadly, that’s exactly how too many Christians respond to a dying world!
• “Don’t worry about me. I can get out fine.”
• “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.” (vs 49)
• Because they evangelized!
Notice: LUKE ENDS THIS PASSAGE WITH THIS POSITIVE STATEMENT:
• “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (vs 52).
• Most commentators believe the word, ‘disciples’ refers to the new Christians,
• Rather than Paul and Barnabas.
• But the same principle applies whichever way you choose to read it!
• This final verse is positive and encouraging,
• Despite the Jewish elite driving the traveling preachers out of town,
• Those who had believed in Jesus in Pisidian Antioch, or the apostles,
• We’re not frightened or discouraged by persecution.
• Paul and Barnabus may have been forced to leave the city,
• But the Holy Spirit could not be forced out!
• He remained with these converts as the source of their new life, power, and joy.
• This section concludes with the people of God enjoying the fruits of the Spirit.
• Joy - every true Christian finds their chief joy & satisfaction in their walk with God.
• Whatever our circumstances we can know his joy, his peace and his love!
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=aHpSQzUFMK4lmpDakcbVhx8XXb7suW6D
