Acts 13:26-52, Evangelize Jesus Christ, the gospel 2

Acts 13:26-52,  Evangelize Jesus Christ, the gospel 2

 26-52, 26."Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.  27.The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.  28.Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.  29.When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.  30.But God raised him from the dead,  31.  and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.  32."We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers  33.he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "`You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'  34.The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: "`I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'  35.So it is stated elsewhere: "`You will not let your Holy One see decay.'  36."For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.  37.But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.  38."Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  39.Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.  40.Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:  41."`Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'"  42.As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.  43.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.  44.On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.  45.When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.  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.'"  48.When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.  49.The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.  50.But 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.  51.  So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.  52.And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

<Sermon>  What makes us alive? Money? Knowledge? Hour? Experience? Power? It is partially possible, but the only thing that is eternal is the gospel, Jesus Christ. Let’s meet Jesus Christ, the gospel, anew today. 
1. The core of the gospel is the resurrection of Jesus (26-31)
  Paul declares that Jesus is the Messiah (Kingship) who came as a descendant of David and the Son of God(13, Sonship). Jesus is the Savior who saves sinners (23). Paul then says that Jesus is the one whom God sent to us as the ‘word of salvation’ (26). However, the people of Jerusalem and their leaders did not know Jesus, so they killed Jesus, the Messiah, according to the words of the prophets read every Sabbath. They were confident that they knew the Word of God, but in reality, they did not know that the Messiah, the person pointed out in the Old Testament, was ‘Jesus’. John 5:39, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me(Jesus Christ).” Ignorant Jews believe that the Messiah is not written in the Bible. They did everything they were told and killed Jesus. Isaiah 53:3-9, “He will be despised, abandoned, afflicted, punished, smitten, pierced, bruised, cut off from the ground, dead, and graved.” However, God resurrected Jesus after three days, completely obedient to God's will. The resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact, and there are many witnesses to His resurrection. Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Let us meet and obey Jesus, the Messiah, Savior, and Son of God, and live as children of God. We are blessed that we all correctly know the heart and will of God contained in the Bible and Jesus, the gospel, and live as obedient saints.

2. Jesus fulfilled God’s promise (32-41)
  1) God always fulfills his promises (32-37): Not only does God have no lies or regrets, He always fulfills any promise. Paul introduces Jesus, who came in fulfillment of this promise. The resurrection of Jesus was prophesied in the Old Testament. Paul proves to the Jews the certainty of Jesus' resurrection by quoting three verses from the Old Testament. ① 33, Psalm 2:7, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” This proves that Jesus is the King, the Messiah, and the Son of God. Rom.1:4, “Declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ.” ② 34, Is. 55:3, “I have given to you the holy and sure blessings of David.” “I will give it to you.” Here, David's 'holy and sure blessings', that is, ‘sure’, refers to the promise of Ps. 16:10, the resurrection of Jesus. ③ 35, Ps. 16:10, ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’ Vs. 36,37, David served according to God's will (living a life led by God's purpose) and fell asleep, was buried, and his body decayed. However, this Jesus whom God raised did not see decay. Jesus, the Holy One of the Lord, did not see ‘decay’ because he died and was resurrected three days later. Paul quotes words from the Old Testament and says that David's kingdom will last forever through Jesus and that the resurrected Jesus will never decay. Paul, who met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus, boldly testifies to the resurrection of Jesus several times. V.30, God raised Him from the dead. V.33, God raised Jesus up... V.34, And God will raise Him up from the dead, no longer to see decay... 35. He will not allow His Holy One to see decay... V.37, He, “God who raised did not see corruption…” This resurrection proves that Jesus is the only Savior. Yes. There is no way to salvation other than Jesus. John 14:6, 11:25, Jesus is the only ‘way, truth, life, and resurrection’ of salvation. Jesus is the only way to salvation.
  2) The way to obtain forgiveness of sins (38-41): Paul says that those who believe in the cross and resurrection of Jesus will 1) receive forgiveness of sins. We are all sinners. You must believe in the resurrected Jesus and receive forgiveness of sins and 2) justification. Verses 38,39, 38"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  39.Through him(Jesus Christ) everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. We cannot be justified by the law (works), but we are justified by believing in Jesus. Receiving the forgiveness of sins is salvation, and being justified is also salvation. Now Paul urges a correct response to the words heard. Verses 40-41, Paul warns to take care lest you be judged for unbelief (verse 41). He warns those who may not believe with the prophecy of Habakkuk (41, Hab.1:5). This is a prophecy that Israel will be attacked by Babylon because they did not believe God's warning. V.41, “And he said, Behold, you scorners, be astonished and perish; for I will do things in your days, things which you would never believe, even if a man were to tell you.” Hab.1:5, “And the LORD said, Look ye at the nations, and see, and be amazed, and be astonished; for I will do a work in your lifetime, and if any man tell you, ye will not believe it.” Likewise, anyone who does not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus will be subject to the fearful judgment of God. Therefore, we must respond to the gospel of salvation with pure faith. *Beware of ET Christian (head/knowledge believers) and Dinosaur Christian(Action members, anti-intellectualist that rarely reads the Bible).

3. Do you welcome the gospel or slander? (42-52)
  1) Those who believe and those who rejoice (42-44, 47-52): People react in two ways to evangelism. ① Paul’s sermons evoke positive reactions. Godly people follow Paul and Barnabas. V.43, “After the synagogue meeting was over, many Jews and devout converts followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two apostles spoke with them and encouraged them to always remain in the grace of God.” This means living in the grace of being justified by faith in Jesus. Let’s make a promise to ourselves and the people around us. “You, Be always in grace.” V.47, “I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, a salvation that extends to the ends of the earth.” ‘You’ refers to the people of Israel, in this case Paul and Barnabas, and further, to establishing us as light and evangelists for the Gentiles. Thus, when the gospel of eternal life is preached to the Gentiles, the Gentiles rejoice and accept the word. V.48, “When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced, praising the word of God and believing in all who were appointed to eternal life.” It refers to a person whose name is written in the book of life. All who were chosen for eternal life came to believe. V.49, “The word of the Lord spread throughout the region (me, our family, our church, CV, SD).” Amen. V.52, “The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” We must leave the results to God and strive to spread the gospel with joy and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Despite severe persecution, they were still filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. This is because they possessed the irreplaceable gospel and, above all, the Holy Spirit was with them. Mt.5:10, Jn.16:22, 1Pet.1:8. The disciples rejoice even during persecution. This is the image of a true believer. I hope that we too can live with confidence in the gospel and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, preaching the gospel, Jesus Christ, without being intimidated by any threats in the world. Amen. 

  2) Those who reject and slander (45-46, 50-51): On the next Sabbath, when most of the citizens of Antioch had gathered to hear the message, the jealous Jews began to refute Paul's sermon. “The good comes with the bad.” Paul's first sermon was a great success, but he was kicked out due to the extreme opposition of the Jews. Despite the negative reaction of the Jews, Paul and Barnabas do not lose their courage. Since the Jews who are passionate about Judaism reject the word of God and refuse to receive eternal life, they declare that they will turn to the Gentiles. Then they go to Iconium and preaches the gospel. Faith is not for everyone, and salvation and eternal life belong to those who respond correctly to the Word of God, regardless of ethnicity or race. Vs. 50-51, At the same time, those who reject and slander Paul and Barnabas are kicked out of the area. In response, Paul and Banana shake off the dust from their feet. This contains the message of God's judgment that those who reject the gospel will be judged because they have no relationship with God. In the field, there are always those who accept the gospel and those who reject it. Those who believe in and accept Jesus as the only life and resurrection are given eternal life (eternal heaven). However, those who despise and disbelieve this will be given eternal shame, eternal lake of fire, the hell. 

  Dear believers, even if people reject, oppose, & persecute the gospel we preach, Jesus Christ(cross & resurrection), it is not a failure or the end of our mission. We are not called for worldly success, but for the kingdom of God. The Lord tells us to rejoice &be glad even when the gospel &evangelism are rejected &persecuted(Mt.5:10,12). I bless you all to become blessed kingdom builders who look at the cross of Jesus, hope for eternal heaven, &boldly preach the gospel(Jesus Christ). Amen.