As most of you are aware, we've
been going through the Acts of the Apostles and we've come towards
the end of the 13th chapter this evening, really from verse 44
down to the end. And no doubt most of you will
remember that this was the occasion when the Apostle Paul was invited
to address the congregation in the synagogue and he was most
willing so to do and as we read tonight from the 26th verse when
he commenced and said men and brethren children of the stock
of Abraham and whosoever among you feareth God to you is the
word of this salvation sent. And so he preached and he set
before them very blessedly the truth of the gospel, what had
happened, what had occurred, the death and the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ. and how the people flocked to
hear him and you remember last week we spoke on the 44th and
45th verses and the next sabbath day came almost the whole city
together to hear the word of the lord rather we spoke the
previous to the previous verse now when the congregation was
broken up many of the jews and religious proselytes followed
paul and barnabas who speaking to them persuaded them to continue
in the grace of god And now we come to this 44th verse, and
the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear
the Word of God. It must have been an amazing
scene, wasn't it? To think of all the people in
that city wanting to hear, and not just some amusement, not
just some musical situation, or some play acting, but they'd
come to hear the Word of God. They'd heard it the previous
Sabbath, so they knew what they were going to hear again, and
they wanted to hear it, because it was good news to them. It
was something they needed. It spoke about a Saviour, and
none of them had perhaps before heard, really, about the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and so here was the opportunity given
to them. that they'd asked that they might
come the next Sabbath and so Paul had come and here he was
and he was here with them. and the whole city would gather
together, almost the whole city. It's difficult for us to envisage,
isn't it? All the people coming together
to the synagogue. Remember, this was not a Jewish
part of the Jewish nation. This was in Antioch or Pisidia,
but nonetheless there were Jews there and there was a synagogue
and therefore the people had now gathered together. as often
is the case. There are those who do not rejoice
in the great and glorious gospel. And sadly, we read, but when
the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and
spoke against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting
and blaspheming. They didn't like the things that
Paul was preaching. And why didn't they like them?
Because they'd been brought up in the the Hebrew religion, they've
been brought up under the law, the law of Moses, and the law
of Moses directed them that they should, if they kept to these
rules and kept these commandments, then by keeping them, if they
were pure and right, then they would live, they would be blessed.
But of course, no one is able to keep the holy law of God. And so we're thankful and many
people were thankful on this occasion for the gospel because
the gospel tells us and directs us to the truth that Lord Jesus
Christ came into this world to save sinners. He came to save
his people. He came to call them by his grace. He came to have them directed
to himself. and to recognize that in him
all the sacrifices had been done away with. All the ceremonial
law was now passed because the Lord Jesus Christ, through his
death, had satisfied the law of Moses, had kept all the commands
on the behalf of his church. And so we can understand the
Jewish people now being very upset at the change in their
religion. They weren't looking for this.
Although Moses, as we read, had gone back to the prophets and
he clearly expounded to them in the scriptures those prophecies
regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. But, of course, the problem was
it hadn't come up to their expectation. They'd anticipated a great, glorious
saviour. And he was a great, glorious
saviour, but they thought he would come as a king, a natural,
worldly king, and not as a poor, humble person. And so, what lessons
they had to learn and were unwilling to learn, and how we need to
learn the simple truths of the scripture, to not just to form
our own opinions. They were forming their own opinions,
for the most part. They weren't following the word
of the Lord, which Paul was preaching. They come together to hear the
word of the Lord, and Paul was preaching that, and they weren't
prepared, the Jews, to accept it. Then we read then, Paul and
Barnabas waxed bold and said, it was necessary that the word
of God should first have been spoken to you. But seeing you
put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life,
lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Effectively, they refused to
believe the truth that the Apostle was set in before them. It wasn't
in accordance with what they thought should be preached, and
therefore they would not receive it. And the Apostle speaks these
very sad words. We know that the Lord commanded
that they should go and preach in Jerusalem. The Jewish should
hear the Gospel first. And then, as it went abroad,
to be preached to the Jews, but sadly so many of them turned
their back upon them, and therefore the Apostle told them, and you
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life? No, we turn
to the Gentiles. How wonderful it is, because
you and I, of course, not being Jews, are Gentiles, and how thankful
we are today that the Gospel is free, and the gospel is preached,
and the gospel is to be received. And so the apostle then says,
for so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to
be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation
unto the ends of the earth. Well, of course, we know that
physically they weren't given the light, but they were showing
the light, the light of the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, I am
the light of the world. And they were called to preach
and proclaim the gospel, and to direct sinners to that great
light, the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring them out of that darkness
that they were in, into the glorious light, and to that light which
directed them then to that great salvation, should this be for
salvation unto the ends of the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ
came into this world to seek and to save that which was lost. We're here tonight rejoicing
in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, how complete it
was. There was nothing lacking. He
completed the will of his father. He did his will and he finished
that work that the father gave him to do. Now when these words
were proclaimed, when the apostle proclaimed them, we read, and
when the Gentiles, heard this, they were glad. Well, are we
glad tonight for the glorious gospel? I hope we are. I hope
we bless God for it. They were glad and glorified
the word of the Lord. Remember, the apostle had been
preaching the word of the Lord. He'd been preaching from the
scriptures. He'd been speaking the word of
God and it was being made a blessing to these Gentiles. They glorified
the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed. Now we know the Lord has a chosen
people and he told the disciples in the upper room, you remember
in the 15th chapter of John we read these words, you have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you. you should
go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain
and here these words are being spoken and as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed those whom God had chosen those whom
God had called believed but the great truth is that there were
many who this gospel was preached to who did not believe did not
believe the gospel. They were not ordained to eternal
life. The gospel was preached to them
all. And there was that separation. There were those that believed
and those that did not believe. What a blessing for you and me
if we are amongst those who do believe the truth of the everlasting
gospel. The Lord gives us that power
in our heart to receive the word of God so we come within compass
of these words as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And you see there's no possibility
of falling out of this great gift of eternal life because
the Lord Jesus Christ came and he shed his most precious blood
for his church. He died upon Calvary's cross
that all their sins might be forever washed away, not one
sin left. and that they should be clothed
in the righteousness of Christ to cover all their nakedness,
a complete covering. And so we read, and the word
of the Lord was published throughout all the region. Well, you see,
not only did Paul and Barnabas preach it, but no doubt those
who heard the word and received the word were given that gift
to preach. You know, it's interesting, isn't
it? In the word of God, we think of God's servants who were ordained
to preach the gospel. We think of the work that God
gave his people. We think of Moses. Moses had
to wait 40 years. until he was prepared to lead
the children of Israel. Whereas the Apostle Paul himself,
as he was converted, he immediately preached Christ. You see, the
Lord is a sovereign in all these things. And the word of the Lord
was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred
up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city
and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled
them out of their coasts. Well, things haven't changed,
have they? As we look around the world today,
we see so many people against the preaching of the gospel.
We see millions, billions, against the preaching of the gospel.
And they're saying in their heart, we will not have this man to
reign over us. We will not believe the truth of the gospel. And
they were just the same as this. And we see now, do we not, Christians
being driven out of countries, driven out of towns, driven out
of their homes, just like it was really here. These Jews,
these who were anti-Christ, they stirred up the devout and honorable
women and the chief men of the city and raised persecution. They raised false situations,
false statements. They persecuted Paul and Barnabas
for things that were not true, and they expelled them out of
their coasts. How sad it is when the Gospel
and the Church are expelled from areas, when the preachers are
not allowed any longer to preach the Gospel, and the place is
left a desert land. But what did the apostle Barnabas
do? They shook off the dust of their
feet against them and came unto Iconium. The Lord Jesus had told
them, the disciples, if their words were not received as they
entered into the villages, they were to shake off the dust from
their feet as they left those places when they did not receive
the word of God. So we see here the apostles operating
under that command. And the disciples were filled
with joy and with the Holy Ghost. Filled with joy. Joy that was
the evidence that the Lord was blessing the world. And sometimes
the evidence is when people reject the Word of God. It's the evidence
that God is in that work. Not everybody at all receives
the Word of God. There are many today, are there
not, who reject the Word of God. They will not receive it. They
will not receive it. They have their own ideas. They
have their own plans. But they will not follow. They
will not believe in a despised and crucified man, the Lord Jesus
Christ. What a blessing tonight if the
Holy Ghost has come upon us so that I have received that gift
to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. And my friends, what joy there
is in the knowledge when the Lord gives to us that spiritual
understanding that we are amongst those who are born again by His
Spirit, not of works, Lest any man should boast that we can
give God all the honor and all the glory, and the disciples
are filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost. Amen.