All right, we'll put all the
rest of it together along the way. It's a text and a chapter
that deals with this subject, but we'll cut down on our reading.
Verse 14 through verse 39. of Acts 13. Here's our text,
watch it closely. Now let me tell you that Paul
is on his first missionary journey and that's where this occurs
with that in mind. But when they departed from Perga
they came to Antioch in Pisidia and went into the synagogue on
the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the
law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them,
saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation
for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up and beckoned
with his hand, said, Men of Israel, ye that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel
chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as
strangers in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm brought he
them out of it. And about the time of forty years,
suffered he their manners in the wilderness. And when he had
destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their
land to them by lot. And after that he gave unto them
judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until
Samuel the prophet. And afterward they desired a
king. And God gave unto them Saul,
the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space
of forty years. When he had removed him, he raised
up unto them David to be their king, to whom also he gave testimony,
and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after
mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will. And of this man's
seed hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a
Savior, Jesus. when John had first preached
before, his coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people
of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course,
he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But behold, there
cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to
loose. Men and brethren, children of
the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, To you
is this word of salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem
and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices
of the prophets, which are read every sabbath day, they have
fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no
cause of death, Yet they desired Pilate that he should be slain. Verse 29, When they had fulfilled
all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree
and laid him in a sepulcher. But God raised him from the dead. And he was seen many days of
them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are
his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you glad
tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
God hath fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he
hath raised up Jesus again. As it is also written in the
second psalm, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised
him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption,
he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of
David. Wherefore, he saith also in another
psalm, thou shalt not suffer thine only one to see corruption. For David, after he had served
his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was
laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption. But he whom God raised
again saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore,
men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sin, and by him all that believe are justified
from all things from which they could not be justified by the
law of Moses. Now, there's our text, there's
our context. And the first thing to do, I
believe, is to get our contextual bearing as to where we are and
where we're going in this passage of the scripture. And I think
that from two aspects. at our text today. Number one,
the whole book of Acts, let it be in our mind. Because the book
of Acts occupies a very unique place in the canon of the scripture. It is a very vital book. Standing as it does, between
the gospel and the church epistle that later were written. Acts
for all intents and purposes picks up where the gospels leave
off in the record of Christ and his great salvation. And Acts
gives us a history or a record of the taking and the spreading
of the gospel to the regions that are beyond. Here we also
have a record of the founding of the churches that we read
about in the New Testament, after the coming of the Spirit of God
on the day of Pentecost, and the apostles preaching Christ
as having been dead, buried, and risen again, and even at
the right hand of God. Now, there's a second aspect
of the context that we want to zoom in on, or focus on a little
bit closer, and that is the 13th chapter. from which we have read. Actually, there is a transition
that occurs here in chapter 13 of the book of Acts that occurs
here and it begins in the end of chapter 11. When the gospel,
the gospel of Christ was brought down or carried to Antioch in
Pisidian, and it was carried there by some who were scattered
out of Jerusalem by the persecution that was there. And as they were
scattered, and some brought the gospel to Antioch, we read that
not a few of the Grecians believed and turned unto the Lord. You find that in Acts 11 verse
20 and 22. Now expositors are not all agreed
as to whether the author refers to Grecians who were Greek-speaking
Hellenistic Jews or whether they were full Gentiles. is a point of contention, be
that as it may. We read in the scripture that
many of these that believe. And when news of that reached
Jerusalem, Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem up to Antioch
to minister there unto them. that they stayed sound in the
gospel of Christ. You'll find that Acts chapter
11 and verse 22 through verse 24. Then Barnabas, for what reason
I don't know, went down to Tarshish in search of Saul who had been
converted. And when he found him, he brought
Saul up to Antioch to be one of the ministers there. Acts
11, verse 25, and verse 26. And then we read, chapter 13,
that after some time the Holy Spirit gave them a revelation
that Barnabas and Saul were to be sent on a mission, a missionary
journey, with a special work preaching the gospel abroad. Now the transition that I mentioned,
I think is clear. Thus far, in the record of the
book of Acts, the focus has been upon Peter and his ministry among
them in the city of Jerusalem. But now, the focus changes to
Paul and his labor and work in the Gospel. A couple of more
points. It was at Antioch that the disciples
were first referred to as Christians. You read that in chapter 11,
verse 26, and the last part. First called Christian in Antioch
as followers of Christ. And we do not know if they gave
themselves that name or if it were given to others by them. And if it were given unto them
by others, whether it was a compliment or a word of derision. But again, it was at this time
and this place that Paul began to be called Paul. Heretofore,
he had been known as Saul. You'll find that in Acts 13 and
verse 9. Saul being his Jewish name and
Paul no doubt his Roman name as he was a citizen of Rome. Now, As for our text and the
events there, it was the first of three missionary journeys
that were made by the Apostle Paul. If you have maps in the
back of your Bible, one of them might be a map of the three journeys
of the Apostle Paul. That's very interesting and a
good way to keep up with it. And as he did so, he fulfilled
his calling as an apostle of the Gentile. Now, the first stop
on that missionary journey, which begins in Acts chapter 13, was
the Isle of Cyprus. We did not read that. It is in
the first 12 verses of the chapter. And they landed in a city called
Salamis, where, quote, they proclaim the word of God chapter 13 and
verse 5. And here, as is to be expected,
they met a strong resistance from a Jewish sorcerer and Paul,
by God Paul, by Paul God smoked that man with blindness that
he might learn not to blaspheme. Then after some time they came
to Antioch, the city and the church and the place in our text
today. Now this is not the lower Antioch,
but this is Antioch in Pisidia. which lay in the region of Asia
Minor, as we know it today, where they might have private conversation
with some people during the course of the week, but they waited
for the arrival of the Sabbath day in Antioch, Opossidia. There are two points that ought
to be made about the Sabbath and the synagogue and how they
are related. Number one, we learn in the scripture
that it was Paul's manner or his custom to attend the synagogue
on the Sabbath day in any town in which he was in with the work
of the gospel. In any city that he visited on
the Sabbath day you would find him in the synagogue where was
a ready-made audience most often a mixture of Jew and a proselyte
and of Gentile. Now he did so here in Salamis
chapter 13 and verse 5. He did so in Antioch in verse
14, in Iconium in Acts 14 and 1, at Thessalonica in Acts 17,
1 and 2, at Corinth in Acts 18 and verse 4 and at Ephesus in
Acts 18 and verse 19. And by the way, it was also the
stated custom of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ to also attend
the synagogue on the Sabbath day. That was his custom. Luke
chapter 4 and verse 16. For they used this opportunity
to reason from the scripture with the Jew and with the others
that were present and to open to them the prophecy of the scripture
that regarded Messiah. And that Jesus of Nazareth, whom
they crucified, and whom God raised again from the dead, was
indeed the Christ, the promised seed of David. We'll say more
about that later. Now, another thing about synagogue
and the Sabbath day is also very interesting. There are two passages
of scripture in the New Testament that give us an extended glimpse
into the service of the synagogue on the Sabbath day. One is here
in Acts chapter 13 and the other is in Luke chapter 4 verse 16
and following. From these texts we learn that
there were rulers over the synagogue, that is they were directors or
They were officials, they were the ones that were in charge
of the service, not only in charge of the service, but also the
upkeep of the building and such like. And in the synagogue service
on the Sabbath day, we learned that there were readings from
the Old Testament scripture. There were readings from the
law and from the prophets, we learned in verse 15. The Lord,
you remember, read from the prophet Isaiah chapter 61 and verse 1
and 2, and he applied it to himself in Luke chapter 4. And then there
were, after the readings, the announcements or whatever, maybe
some singing? I don't know. There were, quote,
exhortations. We see that in chapter 13 and
verse 15 of our text this morning, consisting in some kind of an
exegesis or application of the Scripture, a lesson from God's
historical dealing with Israel, and someone bringing a message
chapter 15 and verse 21. Now Paul and his companions entered
into that synagogue and they sat down among the congregation
in Antioch in Pisidia. And after all the preliminaries
of the service and the reading of the scripture, we read it,
the ruler sent word to Paul and to Barnabas and said unto them
in verse 15, Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation
for the people then come and say it. Welcome to the pulpit. Come and say it. Speak up. Tell it. Tell us. Literally,
if there is in you, if you have in your possession any exhortation
that is to be given. Roberson called it a polite invitation,
a courtesy extended unto them. Now as the rulers of the synagogue,
along with the other duties, it was their place to assign
one to give a lesson or to bring an exhortation. And you know
the Apostle Paul, He quickly responded, never missing an opportunity
to speak on the subject of Christ, ever ready and ever eager, and
something that he did from place to place on a regular basis. And so he takes the pulpit and
he addresses those present, and notice that he does so under
two headings. You men of Israel, first of all,
and number two, you God-fearers. You men of Israel, and you God-fearers. I believe, like the commentators,
that the first were Jews, and the seconds were Gentile, and
you see it again in verse 26 of the same chapter. Men of Israel,
children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you that
feareth God. In verse 43 we read, "...of Jews
and religious proselytes." Now we know from verse 42 through
verse 48 that there were Gentiles present in that assembly that
day who heard Paul and they looked forward to the message from him
again on the next Sabbath day. And Paul freely preached unto
them the gospel and they readily embraced the gospel that Paul
was preaching unto them. But let us try to get our arms
around this rather lengthy passage of the scripture. It is the first
full text from Paul's sermon that Luke has recorded in this
historical book. When you think about it, this
is Paul's first public sermon that is on record in the scripture,
and it shows Paul's deep and exceeding knowledge of the Old
Testament scripture and how they speak of Christ. In his, quote,
exhortation, chapter 16 and verse 41 he gives his hearers rather
in verse 16 through 41 he gives his hearers a brief refresher
course in the history of God's dealing with Israel and he begins
not at the beginning but he begins at the end Exodus or their deliverance
out of the land of Egypt in verse 17. He said, with a high arm
God brought them out of it. And in verse 18, God endured,
God preserved them 40 years in their wandering in the wilderness. In verse 19, He drove out the
nations, as Deuteronomy 7 and 1 had predicted, and He planted
them in the land of Canaan and divided the land among the people. In verse 20 and 21, Paul mentions
three periods of God's dealing with them. Number one, the period
of the judges. In Judges chapter 2 and verse
16. The Lord raised up judges which
delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. One of the judges, you remember,
was a man by the name of Gideon. But the second period of history
came at the time of the prophets. verse 20 and the last part until
Samuel the prophet they had judges until the period of Samuel the
prophet who was in effect the last of the judges and the first
of the prophet of that age or of that era These were inspired
men, prophets were, who spoke in the name of God the words
and the will of God unto the people. But from Acts chapter
3 and verse 24 we learn All the prophets from Samuel, even as
Moses before, spoke of the time of Messiah, of His appearing,
of His suffering, of His burial, and of His resurrection, and
great salvation, and so forth. All of the prophets spoke of
that and foretold of its coming. And the third period is in Acts
13, And verse 21, the period of the king. So you have the
judges, you have the prophet, and now the king. And afterward,
it said, they desired a king. And God gave unto them Saul,
in 1 Samuel chapter 5, verse 8 and following. And Saul proved
to be a wicked man and an apostate from the things of God. And God
removed him after a time and brought David to be the king
of Israel and to rule upon the throne. And Paul notes a very
important fact. in Acts 13 and verse 22 and verse
23 as we turn there and read. When he had removed him, that
is Saul, he raised up unto them David to be their king. To him
also he gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of
Jesse, a man after mine own heart, who shall fulfill all of my will. Of this man's seed shall God,
according unto His promise, raise up unto Israel a Savior, Jesus."
Now Paul makes much of this prophecy concerning that promise made
unto David. And it is his intent to declare
unto them that the seed of David is none other than Messiah, which
is one and the same with the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. The same one who was crucified
in Jerusalem, was buried in a borrowed tomb, but then was raised from
the dead by the power of God. By the way, the Apostle Peter
in Acts chapter 2, in explaining the significance of the day and
the happenings of Pentecost, makes to the Jewish audience
the same point concerning David and the Messiah in verse 25 and
verse 34. He cites the same prophecy that
Paul does from Psalm 16, 8-11 and Psalm 132 and verse 11, that
David predicted the resurrection of the Christ. And therefore,
God loosed the pains of death because it was not possible for
Him to be holding of it. Because David wrote, you will
not leave or abandon My soul in hell, that is Hades, neither
suffer, allow, or permit thy Holy One to see, to experience,
or undergo corruption. Now the point is, was David speaking
of himself or of some other man, as the eunuch asks in Acts 8.34? Of whom is David speaking then? My flesh will rest in hope. The
Holy One will not see corruption. Some might say David spoke of
himself because he spoke in the first person in that passage
of Scripture. I, me, and my. My flesh shall rest in hope. Thou wilt not leave my soul in
hell, nor suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. So both Peter
in Acts 2 And Paul, in Acts 13, answered the matter and settled
the issue that David was not speaking of himself, but he was
speaking of Messiah and of the resurrection. Acts 2 and 31. Peter said, and so does Paul,
that Christ died and was buried. And Peter reminds his Jewish
hearers His sepulcher, that is, David's sepulcher, his tomb or
his grave, is with us unto this day. We know where David's grave
is. And the greatest saints must
suffer this indignity of death, even the great David. Nehemiah 3 and 16. His grave
was known, that is David's, in Nehemiah's day. It was still
marked out in Peterstein, and some say that it was on the south
side of the city near the Pool of Siloam. And if one opened
that grave, they would find in it the bones and the remains
of King David. His flesh did see corruption. That's beyond dispute. Paul states
the same truth, but in a more forceful way in Acts 13 and verse
36. In applying the same passage
from Psalm 16, Paul writes, after he served his own generation
by the will of God, fell on sleep, of course that's a euphemism
for death, and was laid under his father, that is, he was buried,
and saw corruption. Now, some render the first half
of verse 36, he served the purpose of God to his generation, but
then he died and he saw corruption. Now the question is not about
whether David died and whether David was buried, for this none
can deny, it is written up in the scripture. The point of focus
more decidedly is, who is this one that died and was buried
but saw no corruption? Paul boldly declares, Acts 13
36, David died David was buried, David saw corruption,
that is, his body decayed, it returned again under the dust
as is the case with all. Now granted, two things true
of David and all of Adam's seed were also true of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He died, not a natural death,
but by crucifixion, and he was buried. Now Pilate sent and certified
him to be dead. His disciples were given leave
to take his body and to bury it, and they did. But it is Christ
that saw no corruption. Death could not keep its prey. He tore the bars away. is in
a hymn that we sometimes sing. The same third day he lived again. Not only lived again, but took
up his life again, but was exalted to the right hand of God in the
heaven. God made him Lord and Christ. Acts chapter 2 and verse 36. He gave him a name that is above
every name. Philippians 2, 9-11. And this Christ ascended and
He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High, Hebrews
chapter 1 and verse 3. Now there are two things about
this Christ that we want to emphasize. Number one, He was from the line
of David. He came of the lineage of the
house of the tribe of David. Verse 23. Of this man's seed,
and in accordance with the promise of God, to raise up a Savior
unto Israel, and His name would be Jesus. Psalm 132.11, Acts
2 and verse 30. From David's loins He would come. out of the loins of David. They would come from him out
of the flesh and he would be a great king and God would give
unto him a throne. He is called in Matthew chapter
1 and verse 1 the son of David. He is the Messiah out of David
through David. And yet the Christ appeared not
in the glory days of David and of his kingdom. He did not come
when David's kingdom was glorious and was mighty. But he came out
of the loins of David when its glory seemed to be faded Forever
that's why we read in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 2 it called
Christ listen a root a root literally a shoot a tender suckling a from
a root or a trunk that appeared to be dead. A root out of dry
ground was the condition of the kingdom in the house of David
at the time of Messiah. appearing. But there's a second
thing that is emphasized mightily, even by David in the Old Testament,
and that is his victory over death. The apostles Peter and
Paul understood the words, not see corruption, to be a declaration
of the short term of Christ in the grave and his resurrection
from the dead. It is his victory over death. He saw no corruption. And the connection is made in
Acts chapter 2 and verse 31. He spoke of the resurrection
of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, the word is
Hades, neither his flesh did see corruption. In Acts 13.37,
he whom God raised again saw no corruption. That's Christ.
Consider what a strong emphasis the apostles put on the Lord's
resurrection in their preaching recorded in the book of Acts. Here are some very quickly. Acts
2.24, whom God raised up. 2.32 This Jesus hath God raised
up. 3.15 Whom God raised from the
dead. 3.26 God having raised up His
Son Jesus. 4 and 10, Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. Chapter
5, verse 30, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew
and hanged on a tree. And the contrast is kept before
the eyes of the Jew in the preaching of Peter early after Pentecost. You crucified Him. You killed
the Prince of Life. You slew the Holy One of God.
You hanged Him on a tree. But God raised Him from the dead. Not only raised Him from the
dead, but exalted Him to rule on a mediatorial throne. at the right hand of God. Here's a quote that I lifted
from the commentary on Acts by F.F. Bruce, that what Paul is
declaring is that the promised Messianic Deliverer out of David's
house had come in accordance with the prophecy and promises
of God and His name is Jesus. This one is the Christ. This is the anointed one of God. So, let's note a couple of points
made by Paul to the congregation on that Sabbath day in the city
of Antioch. A. Paul recalls John the Baptist
witness and commendation of the Lord Jesus of Nazareth. That's in verse 24, 25. The witness of John carried great
weight with the people for they granted John to be a prophet."
Mark 11 and verse 32. John to them was a prophet of
God. Luke chapter 20 and verse 6. He was highly esteemed by the
people. After all, he had been the one
that had baptized the Lord in glory. It was John that leaped
in the womb when he came into the presence of Jesus in the
womb of Mary. And perhaps, Perhaps the most
famous testimony of John concerning Christ was that one in John 1,
29, and again in verse 35, as he pointed out Jesus to them
that were there and said to them, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world. And John said in his humility,
Great is He, I am not He, One that cometh after me is my dear. His shoestrings I'm not worthy
to unlatch the shoestrings of his sandals. But then the second
thing is in verse 27 through 31. and he, that is Paul, shows how
the wicked acts of the Jewish rulers in condemning Christ,
rather than frustrate God's design, rather than put an end to Christ,
they actually, by their action, did unwittingly and unintentionally,
in verse 29, fulfilled all that was written of Him. As in verse 27, they fulfill
the words of the prophet in condemning Him. You remember Acts 2 and
23 that serve the determinant counsel and for knowledge of
God. Of course you remember Acts 4
and 26 through 28 where everything they did was what God had foreordained
to be done. A marvelous saying in Psalm 76
and verse 10, God makes the wrath of man to praise Him, and the
remainder of wrath He restrains. God reversed the decision of
men in Acts 4.11, Psalm 118.22, Matthew 21 and verse 42, The
stone which the builders rejected and set aside as unworthy, God
has made it to be the head of the corner. Now why did the Jewish
leaders condemn the very Prince of Life? Why did they crucify
Him? Well in verse 27 of our text,
Because they knew Him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets
which are read every Sabbath day." Every Sabbath day in the
synagogue they were read the prophets. and all of them spoke
of the coming Messiah. But these blind leaders of the
blind were ignorant of the meaning of the Old Testament Scripture
and did not recognize in their voices the Messiah and His victory
over death. They did not recognize how they
were fulfilled Christ though they testified of him the scriptures
did John 5 39 Moses wrote of him John 5 and 46 so did David
and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Malachi and others but in ignorance they
crucified the Lord actually and verse 17 1st Corinthians chapter
2 and verse 8 they knew not what they did Luke 23 and verse 24. Now our last point of the day
will be how the Apostle presses upon them the salvation that
is to be had only in and by the seed and the Son of David. How could they be saved? How
could they have salvation? It must be by the Lord Jesus
Christ. Let's read some verses again. Verse 26, Men and brethren, children
of the stock of Abraham, whosoever among you feareth God, to you
is this word of salvation sin. Chapter 13 verse 32 and a part
of verse 33. We declare unto you glad tidings. how that the promise which was
made unto the fathers, God has fulfilled the same unto us, their
children, in that he hath raised Jesus up again. Down in verse
38, Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through
this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sin. Now the
word of this salvation, the message of Christ, the gospel of your
salvation, Ephesians 1.13, which is not an offer. but a declaration
of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. And says Paul, it is sent. It is sent out. It is sent forth. It is gone forth. It was in the
past tense sent forth to you, though some translate it to us. It was sent unto us. The same two peoples in Paul's
audience, the stock of Abraham and the God-fearers that were
present among them. Then we close with verse 38-41. The apostle concludes his word
of exhortation with two points for them. A. He says in verse
38-39, Let it be known that through this one is preached literally
the kerygma the proclamation is made, the forgiveness of sin,
and by him all that believe are justified from all things which
you could not be justified by the works of the law. Never was,
never will there be one justified by keeping the law. Paul said,
it is faith, it is not works of law that say. And then in
verse 40 and 41, a closing warning. based upon Habakkuk chapter 1
and verse 5, of impending judgment and doom upon the despisers of
the things of God, the greater evil of the Jews being the rejection
and the crucifixion of the Christ of God, and therefore deserving
of the greatest judgment and doom. And so Paul warns them
from a prophecy of old. How blessed are the ears that
hear Christ. How awful the judgment of God
upon the despisers of the Word of God, of the Gospel, and of
Christ. Only Christ is Savior. Only He can save, for He has
won the victory over death and hell and the grave and in the
process has borne our sin and made a perpetuation and a satisfaction
unto God. Look nowhere but to Christ for
salvation, for it cannot be found. It is an empty delusion to seek
to reach heaven in any other way than by the Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.