1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,440 So it's Acts chapter 13, carrying on where we left off 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,080 last week, and we're beginning at verse 13. 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,640 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in 4 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,240 Pamphilia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 5 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,600 From Perga, they went on to Poseidian, Antioch. 6 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,040 On the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue and sat down. 7 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,800 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of 8 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,640 the synagogue sent word to them saying, Brothers, if you have a 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,160 word of exhortation for the people, please speak. 10 00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:36,200 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said, Fellow 11 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,800 Israelites, the new Gentiles who worship God, listen to me. 12 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,400 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors. 13 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,600 He made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt. 14 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,560 With mighty power, he led them out of that country for about 40 15 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,280 years. He endured their conduct in the 16 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,360 wilderness, and he overthrew 7 nations in Canaan, giving their 17 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:58,880 land to his people as their inheritance. 18 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:05,000 All this took about 450 years. After this God gave them judges 19 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:06,920 until the time of Samuel the prophet. 20 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,240 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son 21 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,280 of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled for 40 22 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:16,920 years. After removing Saul, he made 23 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,160 David their king. God testified concerning him. 24 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:24,560 I have found David's son of Jesse a man after my own heart. 25 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:26,960 He will do everything I want him to do. 26 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,840 From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the 27 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,320 Saviour Jesus as he promised. Before the coming of Jesus, John 28 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:38,360 preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 29 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,800 As John was completing his work, he said, Who do you suppose I 30 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:44,720 am? I'm not the one you are looking 31 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,600 for, but there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not 32 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,600 worthy to untie. Fellow children of Abraham and 33 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,320 you, God fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of 34 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,800 salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and 35 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,520 their rulers did not recognise Jesus, yet in condemning him 36 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,200 they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every 37 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,080 Sabbath. Though they found no proper 38 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,280 ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him 39 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,080 executed. When they'd carried out all that 40 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,800 was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid 41 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,520 him in a tomb. But God raised him from the 42 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,840 dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had travelled 43 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:25,680 with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. 44 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:28,520 They are now his witnesses to our people. 45 00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:33,560 We tell you the good news. What God promised our ancestors, 46 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:37,120 He has fulfilled for us their children by raising up Jesus. 47 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,600 As it is written in the second Psalm. 48 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,280 You are my Son today. I have become your Father. 49 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,000 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to 50 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,000 decay. As God has said, I will give you 51 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,840 the holy and sure blessings promised to David. 52 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,480 So it is also stated elsewhere. You will not let your holy ones 53 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,200 see decay. Now when David had served God's 54 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:03,960 purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. 55 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,320 He was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 56 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,240 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. 57 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,440 Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus, 58 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,960 the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 59 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:21,880 Through him, everyone who believes is set free from every 60 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,880 sin, a justification you are not able to obtain under the Law of 61 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,560 Moses. Take care that what the prophets 62 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:30,400 have said does not happen to you. 63 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,840 Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I'm going to do 64 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,800 something in your days that you would never believe even if 65 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:41,680 someone told you. As Paul and Barnabas were 66 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,320 leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak 67 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,720 further about these things. On the next Sabbath. 68 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,320 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and 69 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,880 devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who 70 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,080 talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 71 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,200 On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the 72 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,280 word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, 73 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,320 they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what 74 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:09,440 Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. 75 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,040 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly. 76 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,519 We had to speak the Word of God to you first, since you reject 77 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:20,440 it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal 78 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,480 life. We now turn to the Gentiles, for 79 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:25,400 this is what the Lord has commanded us. 80 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,320 I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring 81 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:31,200 salvation to the ends of the earth. 82 00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:34,760 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honoured the 83 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,240 word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life 84 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,360 believed the word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 85 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:45,880 But the Jewish leaders incited the God fearing women of high 86 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,320 standing and the leading men of the city. 87 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,800 They stood up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and 88 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,400 expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust off their 89 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,600 feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 90 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,800 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy 91 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:06,040 Spirit. So kind of just to begin our 92 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:11,320 time in Acts 13, I wonder, have you ever wanted to see one of 93 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:15,600 the greats of history in action? So what I'm going to ask you to 94 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,480 do is to turn to the person next to you and say who you would say 95 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:21,800 was the greatest athlete who ever lived. 96 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,520 It could be living or dead. You're about 30 seconds. 97 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,120 Turn to the person next to you who is the greatest athlete 98 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,440 who's ever lived that you would love to see in action 30 99 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:32,160 seconds. Go tell the person next to you. 100 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,880 That's roughly 30 seconds. So can I have some suggestions? 101 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:39,760 Put your hand up. I will bring a microphone. 102 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,320 Who's the greatest athlete you would love to have seen in 103 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,240 action in human history? Yes. 104 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:50,680 Oh, Jamie Vardy. Oh, Jamie Vardy. 105 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:51,320 Lovely. Yep. 106 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,120 Yep. Chloe someone. 107 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:59,120 Who won the skiing Olympics while being blind? 108 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,560 That's very specific, but yes, that is a great one. 109 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:04,680 It's only one that's king. Limits for being blind, Amy. 110 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,920 Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic, yes, OK. 111 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:09,720 And he played tennis, is that right? 112 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,000 So my aunts for my children because they don't want to go on 113 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,840 the microphone, so Anna, said Simone Biles. 114 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,360 Yes. And Rowan said the first guy to 115 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,480 run a marathon, which I don't think it was that great because 116 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:22,720 he fell over. And died. 117 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,760 Died, but still, that was still quite impressive. 118 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,600 Simone Biles, gymnasts and first guy to run a marathon. 119 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:30,320 Johnny Wilkinson kicking the world. 120 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:34,880 Cup. In 2003, it was healthy in days. 121 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:36,240 Oh, yeah. Sorry. 122 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,360 Bear. Michael Jordan. 123 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:41,320 Michael Jordan. Basketball. 124 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:42,120 Yes. Very good. 125 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,400 So for me, I know you're already desperate to know what I think. 126 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,000 I would say George Best playing football for Man United in the 127 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:51,760 60s. He wasn't necessarily an 128 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:53,000 athlete. He didn't look after his body 129 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,360 very well, but he was very good naturally. 130 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,680 So I think George Best. OK, same question. 131 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,920 The person next to you who's the greatest musician you would love 132 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:03,920 to see in action to be living or dead, could be a a solo artist, 133 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:05,560 a band. Turn to the person next to you, 134 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,320 the greatest musician ever. Go enough. 135 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,400 Can any suggestions? Hands up the musician you would 136 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:16,640 love to have seen in action. Is it Huxley? 137 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,080 Michael Jackson? We SK, We've got Chloe. 138 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:29,760 Someone from Blink 182? Someone from Blink 182. 139 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:33,160 That's great. OK, Is is that hand there? 140 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:36,680 OK, I'll maybe come back to you if you want. 141 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,240 Here we go. Freddie Mercury. 142 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,160 Freddie Mercury. Johann Sebastian Bach. 143 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,240 Johann Sebastian Bach, as we call him. 144 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:45,880 Yes. Led Zeppelin. 145 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:48,880 Led Zeppelin. Louis Armstrong. 146 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:50,560 Louis Armstrong, Yeah. Of Satchmo. 147 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:52,080 Yeah, yeah. Rick Astley. 148 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:57,760 Rick Astley of most of those names, Henry, you still have a 149 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:02,440 chance to see. OK, so I played it very safe. 150 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,160 I went for like, The Beatles live in concerts. 151 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:07,000 That'd be great. But actually, my mother-in-law 152 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,680 actually did see The Beatles live in concert when they were 153 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:11,960 very early in their days. And I said, what was it like? 154 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:16,640 And she went, they're all right, very hard woman to impress my 155 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:18,240 mother-in-law. I've discovered this. 156 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,040 OK, last one, maybe a bit more niche one. 157 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,640 The greatest artist, visual artist could be a film director, 158 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:29,760 could be a painter, a sculptor. Who would be the greatest artist 159 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,280 you'd love to see in action? I'm not going to give you very 160 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:34,799 long in this because it's a bit high, bro. 161 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:44,400 OK, so the greatest artist, Mummy. 162 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:46,920 The greatest artist. Brilliant. 163 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,680 OK, so there's Lisa Wallace is a very good artist. 164 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,960 Grim Hideo Miyazaki. Yes. 165 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:56,120 I Yeah. Who? 166 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:56,880 Who is that? Sorry. 167 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:58,960 Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli. 168 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,120 Thank you very much. So an artist there from the 169 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,920 great animated films. Any other artist to add? 170 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:08,040 Got you. Go for it. 171 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,720 Leonardo da Vinci. Leonard da Vinci, not DiCaprio, 172 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:19,040 but da Vinci yes and ASA final one Banksy Banksy he could be 173 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:24,600 here we don't know he's mystery, but yes so and again I played a 174 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,040 fairly safe. I went for a Rembrandt. 175 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:29,520 This is an amazing painting. You can't receive how clearly 176 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,320 look look behind you. It's about a picture on that 177 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,320 screen but but yes so it's this is like this the calming of the 178 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,960 storm. Amazing, amazing painter. 179 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,880 Rembrandt, OK, I'm out of breath, but I introduced that 180 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,840 way to say, actually, it's really exciting if we ever got 181 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,800 the privilege of seeing one of the greats in action, a great 182 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,440 athlete, a great musician, a great artist. 183 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,120 And I want to suggest our bit of Acts this morning, Acts chapter 184 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:59,040 13, the second-half, Luke is letting us see one of the greats 185 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:01,640 in action. This is the first time in Acts 186 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:06,120 where Luke records one of the apostle Paul's sermons, Paul 187 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:10,560 preaching the good news of Jesus that would extend across the 188 00:10:10,560 --> 00:10:12,400 whole world. And Paul, he's one of the most 189 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,840 influential leaders in the history of the Christian Church. 190 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:18,960 Read over the book of Acts. He actually wrote more letters 191 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:22,120 than anyone else in the New Testament, 13 letters in the New 192 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:25,960 Testament and you begin to see how the living God equipped Paul 193 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:30,960 and worked through Paul to build Jesus church in the ancient 194 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:32,480 world. The Apostle Paul is one of the 195 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,840 greats of church history. He was a great Bible teacher, 196 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:41,440 theologian, missionary, pastor, church planter, mentor, friend. 197 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:45,080 And here we get to see the possible doing what he loved 198 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:50,600 best, telling the people around him about Jesus and the good 199 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,960 news about Jesus coming to save us. 200 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,800 So as Chris already said, we're near the beginning still of Paul 201 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,640 and Barnard's first missionary journey there on a place called 202 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,000 Pisidian Antioch. And we know from other records 203 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,080 of the time there was a large Jewish population in Pisidian 204 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:09,160 Antioch. So this sermon of Paul's is 205 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:11,600 addressed to largely Jewish people. 206 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,280 He and Barnabas go and visit the local synagogue and they're 207 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,520 invited to speak by the synagogue leaders. 208 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:19,520 That's verse 15. And later in Acts we're going to 209 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:21,760 see him speak mainly to non Jewish people. 210 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,880 So next week he's going to be a place in Lystra and then you've 211 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,480 got to go to Athens. A few bits after that in Acts 212 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:30,120 17. And so bearing all that in mind, 213 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,240 if Paul is one of the grits in proclaiming the good news of 214 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,880 Jesus, what is Paul's message all about? 215 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:42,680 Well, very simply, we need to see that Paul's message is 216 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,880 Jesus. He wants us to know that Jesus 217 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,440 offers us forgiveness and freedom. 218 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:52,760 And then he says to everyone who hears that message, how are you 219 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,600 going to respond to that? Actually, this past, we've 220 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:59,120 learned a lot about the preaching of the early church. 221 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:03,800 They proclaimed a person Jesus. They proclaimed a gift, 222 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:07,400 forgiveness and freedom. And they looked for a response. 223 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:10,840 They wanted people to respond to that message. 224 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:14,040 We want to think this morning, what can we learn about how we 225 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,200 might, if we're Christians, communicate the good news of 226 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,000 Jesus, but also how are we responding to the good news of 227 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,120 Jesus today? So the first thing we we want to 228 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:26,080 see is that Paul's message is Jesus. 229 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:30,560 His message is a person because, because because Paul knows that 230 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:34,960 the message, Christianity is all about Jesus, who he is and what 231 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,600 he's done for us. It's not just good advice of how 232 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:39,520 to live a good life. It's not just an amazing 233 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:44,560 philosophy or a way of living. It's about this person, Jesus, 234 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:47,440 knowing him and being known by him. 235 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:51,000 Remember years ago hearing a story of a guy in London who was 236 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,520 looking into whether Christianity was true, and he 237 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,000 asked the pastor of the church he was attending, look, can you 238 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,000 give me a watertight argument that shows that Christianity is 239 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,720 the truth? And the pastor thought over. 240 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,560 But he said, well, what if God hasn't given us a watertight 241 00:13:05,560 --> 00:13:08,680 argument? He's given us a watertight 242 00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:12,600 person. He's given us a person we can 243 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,840 rely on. And for a lot of people, you 244 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:17,720 might not get every one of our questions answered about 245 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,240 Christianity, but what God has done, he has sent his son Jesus. 246 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:27,000 And the message of Christianity is Jesus, Jesus who lived, Jesus 247 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:32,200 who died, Jesus who rose again. So that's Paul's message in the 248 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,480 synagogue is Jesus, but actually doesn't start with Jesus 249 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:37,120 straight away. If you look at that and verses 250 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:39,280 17 onwards. So speaking to this Jewish 251 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,880 audience, he kind of gives them a quick overview of the Bible, a 252 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:44,640 quick overview of the Old Testament. 253 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,640 So look at verses 17 to 22, and he kind of speeds through the 254 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,560 history of ancient Israel. He says they the ancient Israel 255 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:54,800 was chosen by God as his people. That's when God called a man 256 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:59,640 called Abram to follow him. They spent 400 years in Egypt. 257 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:04,480 They spent 40 years in the wilderness after God rescued him 258 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:06,680 from Egypt. They spent 10 years conquering 259 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:09,520 Canaan, the land God gave them. And he said that all took about 260 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,920 450 years. Nice round figure from Paul. 261 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,120 And once they're in the land of Canaan, God eventually gives 262 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:18,720 them a king. His first king is King Saul 263 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,760 verse 21. But eventually God makes David 264 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:25,120 their king and and Paul reminds them from the Old Testament that 265 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,400 David was a man after God's own heart. 266 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:30,880 King. David was God's special king 267 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,000 come to lead and save God's people. 268 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,240 And why does Paul emphasize David so much? 269 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,800 Because he wants his hearers to see verse 23. 270 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,640 It was from this man, David's descendants. 271 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:49,200 God has brought to Israel the Saviour Jesus, as he promised. 272 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,760 So God's always promised to save his people through a special 273 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,880 king he was going to send. And David was a great king in 274 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,080 the Old Testament. He wrote the Psalms, he killed 275 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,680 Goliath, he led God's people. But David wasn't perfect. 276 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,640 Bible's really clear about that. David made some really bad 277 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:09,760 choices. David committed things like 278 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,840 adultery and murder. Even he killed a guy because you 279 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:14,720 want to get rid of him so he can sleep with his wife. 280 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,480 And the big problem, Paul says, is that David didn't live 281 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,640 forever. Actually, towards the end, 282 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:23,840 verses 32 to 37, he just says, well, David, he, he died. 283 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,240 He was a great king, but he died just like the rest of us. 284 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:31,360 See, David was only ever a picture, a trailer of God's 285 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,920 special king to come. So why does Paul begin by giving 286 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:37,720 this kind of overview? The Bible didn't just cut 287 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,920 straight to Jesus. What Paul wants us to see here, 288 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:43,120 that Jesus didn't come out of nowhere. 289 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,840 He didn't just appear completely by surprise. 290 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:51,880 Paul wants to see that the whole Bible points us to Jesus. 291 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,880 Every story in the Bible whispers Jesus name. 292 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,000 And actually you guys in Sunday club will know that better than 293 00:15:58,000 --> 00:15:59,560 the rest of us. You're doing like a big Bible 294 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,080 overview at the moment in Sunday club, learning how all the 295 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:05,720 stories of the Old Testament points to Jesus. 296 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,600 That's what Paul reminds us of here. 297 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,640 And actually, the coming of Jesus was planned by God from 298 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,440 before the creation of the world. 299 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:18,680 Jesus is the fulfillment of everyone of God's promises to 300 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:21,400 his people. It's because of Jesus we can say 301 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,200 God is a God who keeps his promises because he promised to 302 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,320 send Jesus, and then he sent him. 303 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,320 And then once Paul's compainted that background and laid that 304 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:37,840 foundation, he goes on to teach us about Jesus, who he is, and 305 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,480 what he's done for us. So Paul wants to see that that 306 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:48,680 Jesus lived, Jesus died and Jesus rose again to save us and 307 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,840 he did all those things to rescue people who need rescuing 308 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:58,320 and that is every single human being on this planet. 309 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,120 So verse 23, Paul describes Jesus as the saviour. 310 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:06,000 Jesus basically says saving people is just what Jesus does. 311 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,079 It's even in his name. The name Jesus literally means 312 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,200 the Lord saves. And in verse 26 he says the 313 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,480 message about Jesus is the message of salvation. 314 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:19,520 Again, the gospel of Jesus isn't just good advice or moral 315 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:21,839 instruction. No, the gospel of Jesus is that 316 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,760 we need rescuing. God has sent us a rescuer, and 317 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:30,280 his name is Jesus. And Paul begins the story of 318 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:32,800 Jesus by talking about the ministry of John the Baptist, 319 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:36,360 and that's in verses 24 and falling. 320 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,400 And he says that John the Baptist prepared the way for 321 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,960 Jesus by teaching repentance and baptism. 322 00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:44,640 And John the Baptist makes it clear, actually, we all need 323 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:48,800 Jesus to rescue us. So John the Baptist didn't go to 324 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,440 Gentile nations, he went to the Jewish people. 325 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:53,920 Remember, the Jewish people, they're God's special people. 326 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:56,320 But John the Baptist came to say, actually, if we want to be 327 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,760 ready to meet the Messiah, we need to say sorry for the sins 328 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,240 we've we've committed and we need to be washed clean by God. 329 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,360 So John the Baptist says we all need Jesus. 330 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:10,440 We all need to be reconciled to God through Jesus, whether we 331 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,640 are Jewish or Gentile. We needed Jesus to come to save 332 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,560 us and then we learned that Jesus did amazing things for us. 333 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:23,680 Jesus was rejected, verse 27 by the people of Jerusalem and the 334 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:25,880 rulers, just as the Old Testament said he would be. 335 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:28,720 Jesus died. Verse 28. 336 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:30,920 They asked Pilate to have him executed. 337 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:34,560 They nailed him to a cross, literally, verse 29, a tree. 338 00:18:35,360 --> 00:18:36,840 Jesus was buried. Verse 29. 339 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,760 They laid him in a tomb and Jesus was raised from the dead, 340 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,880 verse 30 and then he was seen by witnesses, verse 31 for many 341 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,080 days He was seen by those who travelled with him from Galilee 342 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,040 to Jerusalem. This is the message of 343 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,920 salvation. Jesus lived, Jesus died, Jesus 344 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:56,840 rose again and Jesus was seen by his followers. 345 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:03,160 And they then went on to tell other people who Jesus is and, 346 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,000 and Paul's always very careful to talk about what was going on 347 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,320 when Jesus died. Look at verse 29 again. 348 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:13,560 They say they took him down from the cross, literally from the 349 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:17,760 tree, and laid him in a tomb. The fact that Jesus died on a 350 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:22,440 cross on a tree is really significant because to die on a 351 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,520 cross, that was a slave's death, that was a criminal's death, 352 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:30,720 that was a shameful death. And Paul wants us to know that 353 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:36,680 Jesus took all our sin and all our shame on himself on the 354 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,440 cross. It was a cursed death. 355 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:42,800 Later on a letter that Paul writes to people in Galatia, 356 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:44,680 it's exactly where sitting in Antioch is. 357 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:48,400 He says this Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by 358 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,200 becoming a curse for us. For it's written cursed is 359 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,640 everyone who is hung on a tree that's quoting the Old 360 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:59,280 Testament, Deuteronomy 21. Jesus died this horrible, 361 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:04,240 shameful death so that our sin and our shame could be washed 362 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,960 clean, taken away from us. Far as far as the east is from 363 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,400 the West. Jesus took the punishment our 364 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:15,160 sins deserve on himself so we can be forgiven and set free. 365 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:20,320 Paul's message is all about Jesus and you Fast forward to 366 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:22,920 the present. That's why Christians talk about 367 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:25,840 Jesus a lot. That's why Christians sing songs 368 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,560 about Jesus. That's why Christians pray in 369 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:31,400 Jesus name. That's why Christians .1 another 370 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,600 towards Jesus. Because the Christian message is 371 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,480 all about Jesus and what he has done for us and what he offers 372 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:39,880 to us. And that's what Paul tells us 373 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:40,520 next. He says, what? 374 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,520 What does Jesus offer us? Well, Jesus offers us 375 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,640 forgiveness and freedom. That's verses 38 to 39. 376 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,440 He's wrapping up his sermon now. And he says, therefore, my 377 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:53,840 friends, I want you to know that through Jesus, the forgiveness 378 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,520 of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him, everyone who 379 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,680 believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were 380 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:05,240 not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 381 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,520 What is this gift that Jesus offers us? 382 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,680 He offers us forgiveness of sins and even more, He offers us 383 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:16,680 freedom from the power of sin, forgiveness and freedom. 384 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,760 Through Jesus, every one of our sins can be forgiven. 385 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,160 Because remember, Jesus went to that cross in our place. 386 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,640 He was cursed in our place. No matter what we have done, 387 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,400 Jesus will forgive everyone and anyone who comes to him in 388 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:35,000 repentance and faith. He's paid the price for all our 389 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,040 sin. Paul's really clear about that, 390 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,480 but it's as if that wasn't enough for Jesus, He also wants 391 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,440 to set us free from the power of sin. 392 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:48,040 Because in the Bible, sin isn't just bad things we do or say or 393 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,760 think. Sin's often described as like a 394 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:57,000 slave master, or like a disease or an addiction that we cannot 395 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,040 free ourselves from. No matter how hard we try, we 396 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:04,320 can't cure ourselves. We can't set ourselves free. 397 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:08,280 But now Paul tells us through Jesus, everyone who believes is 398 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:13,400 set free from every sin. Sin's no longer our master. 399 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:18,800 If we belong to Jesus, we can now say no to sin and say yes to 400 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:23,400 God because Jesus is with us. He's given us his Spirit and 401 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,400 he's changing us. And that's amazing news for 402 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,240 everyone who follows him. What does that look like? 403 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,560 It's really it's clear and and important to say that Christians 404 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,600 still struggle with sin. Christians still mess up. 405 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,080 We still need God's forgiveness every day of our lives. 406 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,000 But actually, sin isn't our master anymore. 407 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,480 We can't say no to him in the name of Jesus. 408 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,880 And Jesus can change us through His Word and by His Spirit. 409 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,040 Often it's small quiet ways, and maybe we struggle to see it in 410 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,960 the short term, but over a longer period we see the Holy 411 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,640 Spirit changing people who trust in Jesus and making them more 412 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:06,000 like Jesus. Three good times, 3 hard times 413 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:10,080 through every day. Life with God is now possible 414 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:15,000 because Jesus has set us free. He's forgiven us our sins and he 415 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,200 set us free from the power of sin. 416 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:22,080 So the Christian life is 1 where we're completely forgiven by God 417 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:25,840 for what we've done in the past, but also we are able to live for 418 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,440 God now because God hasn't left us alone. 419 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:32,200 He sent us his Spirit, and the living Lord Jesus through his 420 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:37,520 Spirit is with us now, helping us to say no to sin and say yes 421 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:42,240 to him. So that is the gift that Jesus 422 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,680 offers us. And I guess the last bit, so 423 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,240 we're saying, how do we respond to that gift? 424 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:52,440 So as we kind of wrap up this little bit of Acts 13, what do 425 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,720 we learn from Paul, one of the greats in history as he 426 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,240 proclaims the good news of Jesus? 427 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:01,240 We learn actually that Paul's message is Jesus. 428 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:04,640 It's a person, Jesus, who he is and what he's done for us. 429 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:09,080 That Jesus offers us all forgiveness and freedom if we 430 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:13,200 come and put our faith in him. But the final part of Paul's 431 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:14,480 message is a really important one. 432 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,240 He basically wants to say to this crowd of Jewish people in 433 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,400 Basilian, Antioch, and through them, everyone who hears this 434 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:25,160 message today, how will you respond to Jesus? 435 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,040 Because preaching the book of Acts, it always looks for a 436 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:31,240 response. It's never just information or 437 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,920 facts about Jesus. No, actually the only question 438 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,760 is you that people need to respond to this good news. 439 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,920 And the response we need to make is to is repentance and faith. 440 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,520 That's what the Bible calls it, to turn away from a life of 441 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:49,480 ignoring God and turn and said towards God in response to all 442 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:54,280 that Jesus has done for us. So I guess we need to think, 443 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,280 well, how did Paul's first hearers respond to this message? 444 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,600 In Acts 13, Luke describes a wide variety of responses. 445 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:03,840 He says that some were interested and he wanted to hear 446 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:05,360 more. That's verse 42. 447 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:07,360 People invited them to speak further about these things. 448 00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:09,760 They're kind of intrigued. We want to know more Paul. 449 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,480 Some actually believed. Verse 43, we're told they start 450 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:16,840 following Paul and Barnabas. They believed what he was 451 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,720 telling them and then some rejected his message. 452 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,720 In particular, Luke tells us the Jewish religious leaders 453 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:26,160 rejected Paul's message about Jesus. 454 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,440 They actually spoke against it. They felt threatened by what 455 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,120 Paul was saying about Jesus. Verse 45. 456 00:25:32,120 --> 00:25:35,360 They were filled with jealousy and as a result, Paul and 457 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:39,040 Barnabas actually take their message to the Gentiles out of 458 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,840 the synagogue to non Jewish people as well. 459 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,440 They no longer limited themselves just to speaking in 460 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:46,880 the synagogue. Then I proclaimed the good news 461 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,960 of Jesus throughout the whole region, verse 49. 462 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:54,120 And many Gentiles came to believe in Jesus as a result. 463 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,200 But looking back at verses 40 to 41, actually, Paul warns his 464 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:03,640 Jewish readers, don't miss out on the salvation offered you 465 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,280 through Jesus. Don't become what he calls 466 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,560 scoffers. That's why people like eating 467 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:10,520 cakes. That's one definitely scoffers, 468 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:13,120 but scoffers are more people going this isn't for me. 469 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,040 I'm not interested. I don't need this. 470 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:18,560 I've got other things going on and he's he quotes a bit of the 471 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:20,200 Old Testament, the prophet Habakkuk. 472 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:23,560 And he says don't become scoffers. 473 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:29,080 Actually don't miss out on the new life that Jesus can give 474 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:31,760 you. Watch 13 shows is the word of 475 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:33,480 the Lord. The good news about Jesus. 476 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:38,320 It's powerful and it provokes different responses from 477 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:41,240 different people. So as we kind of prepare to 478 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,200 leave this bit of acts, the question really is, what about 479 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:47,960 us today? How will we respond to this 480 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:51,600 message about Jesus? Because Paul wants to actually 481 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,240 don't miss out on this. He tells us all that Jesus has 482 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,040 done through his life, death and resurrection. 483 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,280 He shows us all that Jesus offers us, forgiveness and 484 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,520 freedom, and he says don't miss out. 485 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:07,280 Don't miss out on this good news that Jesus offers you. 486 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:09,960 Don't miss out on this gift that he offers you. 487 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:11,800 You don't have to earn it. You don't have to pay for it. 488 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,800 You just have to receive it. But you need to respond to be 489 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,800 able to receive it. I remember there was a guy I 490 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:25,120 knew years ago which sort of sum up how we should respond to the 491 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:26,920 good news of Jesus. I guess it's a very simple 492 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:31,960 acronym of ABC. So admit, believe, and come 493 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,200 first. Admit that you need Jesus. 494 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,240 That's what Paul wants these people to know. 495 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:39,600 Some of them reject it, some of them accept it. 496 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:41,440 But he says admit that you need Jesus. 497 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:43,680 Admit you need what only he can give you. 498 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:48,360 Admit you need forgiveness and freedom from the power of sin, 499 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,560 and then believe. That's the second part. 500 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:55,400 Believe that Jesus is who he says he is, that he is the Son 501 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:59,520 of God who fulfills all God's promises, that he lived, died, 502 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:04,280 and rose again to save you, that he loves you and he offers you 503 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,840 forgiveness and freedom in his name. 504 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:13,480 And then very simply, come, come to Jesus and ask him to save 505 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,440 you. And actually, that's what you do 506 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,280 at the beginning of the Christian life, but also what 507 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:20,680 you do to live the Christian life. 508 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:24,440 You come to Jesus and you keep coming to Jesus. 509 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,720 You never graduate beyond coming to Jesus. 510 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,160 The Christian life begins that way, but also that's the way you 511 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:32,200 live the Christian life. Lord Jesus, I need your help. 512 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:34,680 I admit that I need you. I believe that you are who you 513 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:36,560 say you are. I want to come to you. 514 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:41,480 Please help me live for you. And we're moving into your time. 515 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:42,920 In a few minutes. We're going to take the Lord's 516 00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:47,080 Supper together, bread and wine. And, and actually, that response 517 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:49,400 to the good news of Jesus is also at the heart of how 518 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:52,640 followers of Jesus take the bread and the wine that we're 519 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:56,280 going to do in a few minutes. We admit that we need Jesus. 520 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,360 We needed Jesus to give himself for us. 521 00:28:59,960 --> 00:29:03,640 We believe that he is who he says he is, that he did die and 522 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,000 rise again and is seated at the right hand of the Father right 523 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:10,200 now. And because we admit our need 524 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:14,120 and we believe Jesus who he says He is, then we come to him and 525 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:17,760 we ask Him to help us and to keep us living for Him.