Jesus in His Church - The..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. We're going to be returning to a series of Bible studies in the book of Acts. And this time we're going to be addressing chapter 13.

But even before we read chapter 13, let me please just go quickly to chapter 1. And I think it will be helpful for us to remember the core aspect of this book in chapter number 1 and in verse 8, here where we have Perhaps the structure or the pattern of this book given to us by this commission of this message that the Lord gives to his disciples in chapter number one and in verse eight, this is the words of God. It says, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit come upon you. and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, this verse here establishes, perhaps it gives us the framework or the pattern that the book is going to follow from preaching the gospel from Jerusalem through Judea through Samaria and to the outermost part of the earth. There is a promise that the gospel, that the message of the Lord Jesus Christ is going to go until the end to the outermost part of the earth. And the Lord is going to use the witnessing of the disciples of those who by grace through faith are united to Him, genuinely united to the Lord Jesus Christ. I said, I think in the first time or the second time that we had a Bible study on the book of Acts, that this witnessing was not only speaking the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also was reflecting the Lord Jesus Christ, who He was in the disciples, what He was doing in the disciples through the message that they were communicating, this power of God of salvation for everyone, who believes. This is the promise of eternal life.

Now, brothers and sisters, the message here, or the verse that we have just read, does not only speak to us of how the message is going to go geographically through the earth, but also speaks to us that this message is going to go first to the Jews, and after to the Gentiles. The Apostle Paul speaks in Romans chapter 1 saying that he's not ashamed of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also to the Greek, or also to the Gentile. So geographically speaking, the message of the gospel was to be spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and then to the outermost part of the earth, namely the Gentile or the hidden, the nations, But also spiritually speaking, the gospel was supposed to come first to the Jew and then to the Gentiles. Now, this is very important because when we go to chapter 13, what we are going to be addressing tonight in chapter 13 of the book of Acts, What we have is a very important transition in the book. Everything that we have studied so far from chapter 1 to chapter 12, it's been primarily addressing the ministry of the disciples, the ministry of the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

We have seen how the promise to the Gentiles was given to Peter in chapter 10 and in chapter 11. But from chapter 13, now this book is going to take a completely different dynamic. Now it's going to be the gospel to the Gentiles. The ministry of the circumcision was given to Peter as Paul writes in Galatians, but then the ministry to the Gentiles was given to Paul. Paul the Apostle, who was saved in Acts chapter 9, as you may remember.

So Peter was the person that was more predominant in the first half of the book. And now Paul the Apostle, or Saul, is the one that is going to be more predominant in this second half of the book. In fact, here in chapter 13 is when his name is going to be not changed, but he's going to adopt his Gentile name or his Greek name, which is Paul. And that is the name that we know. But now, brothers and sisters, my desire for us as a church tonight is not so much go through the historical details of the chapter 13 that we have, because there's going to be lots of details as we progress through the Book of Acts, lots of places and trips and destinations and things that happen here and things that happen there, that all of those things are actually very important for us to see and remember.

But perhaps the most important thing that I want us to meditate upon tonight is in the role of the local church in bringing this message that was first of all given to the Jews and then taking this message to the Gentiles. The role of the local church, I'm not talking about the universal church, but rather the role of a local church that in this case is going to be the Church of Antioch, the role of a new testament, a new covenant, local church in this glorious promise of salvation that God has for His people. and brothers and sisters, I think that we will not be able to understand the greatness and the glory of the role of the local church in this eternal plan of salvation if we do not meditate upon the greatness of the promise. You see, because we are Gentiles and we were born in a Gentile world or a time in which the gospel was predominantly going to the Gentiles, We take the gospel for the Gentiles as something that is given for granted by brothers and sisters. The plan of salvation was spiritually first given to the Jews.

The oracles of God were given to the Jews. and that promise of salvation that came through them went to the Gentiles. And in that promise and the development of that, the role of the local church is very important. It is in Genesis 3.15 that God promises that there is going to be enmity between the offspring of the woman and the offspring of the serpent, but the serpent is going to be crushed.

by the Messiah that is promised, then that promise takes a greater body, it is given with greater light when it's given to Abraham, the Hebrew, the first Israelite, the first Hebrew, the father of those who are not only of faith, but also of those who are of the flesh, Israelites. It's in Genesis chapter 12 and then in Genesis chapter 15 that this promise of salvation is given to him. Leave your land and go to this land that I'm showing you and I will make you a great nation. Whoever blesses you, I will bless and whoever curses you, I will curse. The promise was given to Abraham that in him, salvation or the blessing of God was going to be given to all the nations, to the outermost part of the earth.

So when we read Acts 1 and we read that promise of the Lord telling His disciples to go to the outermost part of the earth, this is in alignment to this promise that had already been given to Adam and Eve, that in the offspring of the woman that was going to crash, the offspring of the serpent that is in the woman, Those humans were going to be blessed. This takes them the form of the people of Israel. Now, this is very important, brothers and sisters, because we know in Galatians, the same Apostle Paul speaks that the offspring of Abraham are not those who are according to the flesh, but those who are of faith. So the blessing to the nations, it is not by the works of the law, it is not by becoming in the flesh a Jew or Israelite, but it's actually by the faith that was promised to Abraham. This is the gospel, this is the good news that was preached to Abraham and he believed, it says Genesis chapter 15, right?

He believed, he believed that, Lord, I don't have an offspring, I don't have a son. Someone from my household is going to be my heir. And the Lord says, look at the stars, how many the stars are, this is going to be your offspring and he believed. Abraham believed and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Once he believed, then the law was given in circumcision to him.

Why? Because the promise of salvation to the world was first of all established upon a promise. And the promise is a promise of faith, the promise of faith of believing that what the Lord has said, He is going to accomplish. So it is not those who are Jews according to the law, according to the flesh, but those who are Jews according to the Spirit, who have been circumcised in the heart and not in the flesh. This is a huge thing, brothers and sisters, because when we get to the New Testament, the apostles called this a mystery.

Now you take this for granted because we are Gentiles and we preach the gospel every time that the Lord allows us to come together. But this is the mystery the Apostle Paul calls in Ephesians chapter 3, that was hidden in other times and the people did not understand the fullness of this. What is that mystery? That the Gentiles are also heirs of the promise that was given to Abraham. This was, in a sense, the glorious plan of salvation that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, before the foundation of the world, according to Titus 1, verse 2 and 3, promised before the ages began.

That is the promise of eternal salvation. This is Paul writing to Titus, Titus chapter 1 verse 2 and 3. It says, "...in hope of eternal life, an eternal life that was promised, promised before the ages began. And there was not creatures before ages began."

So then the promise of eternal life that the apostle speaks there in Titus is a promise given in God. It's a promise of eternal life that has now been manifested through the preaching of the Word. Apostle to the Gentiles says, so brothers and sisters, we will not understand the glorious work and role that it has been given to the local church if we don't see the majestic picture of the promise of eternal life. So the local church, individuals, members of the church, each one of you, if you are in Christ as members of the church, baptized by the Spirit into the body of Jesus Christ, we are not only members of the church, but we are instruments in the hands of a God that is working a plan of salvation that He promised before the ages began and that He is going to bring to fulfillment. that should give us a greater view of the local church and also the role of the member in the local church.

Because God Almighty, the one who created the heavens and the earth, He can accomplish salvation for those whom He has chosen just by doing this. But He has appointed That salvation and the gospel reaching those who are going to be saved is through the preaching, through the proclamation of the gospel, and that is through the local church. Now, perhaps I'm not saying anything that is new to you, but sometimes we tend to disconnect the preaching of the gospel And the reaching or the going forth of the message of salvation, we disconnected from the church, the local church. And we attach that to individuals and we attach that to the preacher or we attach that to a person, to the point that when we have a chapter like the chapter 13, and we're going to read it, and a chapter like the one that we have here, chapter 13, we think about the missionary trip of Paul. within this in an individual point of view, from the perception of the individual.

That is the ministry of the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles. to the point that sometimes we even disconnect who Paul is and where Paul was and how Paul was ordained and how Paul was called to do what he was called to do. Yes, he was miraculously saved. His eyes were opened to see the glory of Christ. And you're going to be my witness and instrument unto the Gentiles and kings and the Israelites.

but the Lord appointed means so that this man and other men will go to the outermost part of the earth to bring salvation. And that is the local church. Brothers and sisters, before we read this chapter, I just want us to meditate upon that, this glorious role of local church in this process of taking this message to the outermost part of the earth. So let's read this. chapter together carefully.

Here the church that I want us to think about is the church at Antioch. Antioch. This is the church of Antioch. And that once we just read a little bit about this church that our heart desire may be that our church may be an Antioch. That the Lord may work in us and in our congregation that we may be an Antioch.

This is chapter 13. Now this is the time to read this chapter. So with with reverent hearts and paying much attention to each one of the words. And I hope in the context of the things that I've said, brothers and sisters, let's read together this chapter 13 here. Now, there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manan, a lifelong friend of Herod, the Tetrarch, and Saul.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island, as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

He was with a pre-consul, Sergius Polos, a man of intelligence who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the words of God. But Elymas, the magician, for that is the meaning of his name, opposed them. seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, You, son of the devil, you, enemy of all righteousness, fool of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.

Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga, or Perga, in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem. But they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.

This is a different city, Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day, they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them saying, brothers, if you have any words of encouragement for the people, say it. So Paul stood up and motioning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen. The God of these people, Israel, chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt.

And with an uplifted arm, He led them out of it. And for about 40 years, He put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years, and after that He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years.

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will. Of this man's offspring, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.

No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie. brothers, son of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and the rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this He has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising Jesus. And also it is written in the second Psalm, You are my son, today I have begotten you. And as for the fact that He raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken in this way. I will give you the holy and sure blessing of David.

Therefore, he says also in another psalm, you will not let your holy one see corruption. For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Verse 38, Let it be known to you, therefore, Brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sin is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which he could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the prophets should come about.

Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish, for I am doing a work in your day, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you." As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.

And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrusted aside and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews, inside the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This is the word of the Lord. Now, as we are going to start now this trip from chapter 13, speaking of just going through the book, We're going to see these many places, destinations, you know, these trips to this place, to another place, and perhaps it would have been good to have a map or something like that just to see where they are going and, you know, how they are moving from one place to another. This is going to continue for a few chapters. Now, it might be a little bit difficult to follow the cities and, you know, the different places where they go, but this is going to be the dynamics of the book from this point onwards. How are we going to approach this book?

Remember, what I want us to see here is the work of the apostle Paul as the one that is sent, the missionary, the one that is going and preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. But in light of this apostle being sent off or sent out from the church of Antioch, that is the local church that is sending Paul and Barnabas and these people to actually go and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. So there's actually going to be four key places that will help us not only picture the trip or the journey in our minds, but also that will help us address perhaps mentally some of the important points of this chapter. So there's going to be four different places. OK, now we need to pay attention to what I'm saying.

Otherwise we might be confused because two of those places have the same name. Our brother has already mentioned to us that there's two Antiochs, right? The first one, the first important place is going to be Antioch in Syria, which our brother already explained to us. The first place is going to be Antioch in Syria. And this is going to be the place where the church is from where Paul and Barnabas and the others are going to be not only ministering there, but Paul and Barnabas and John are going to be sent.

So this is the first one, Antioch of Syria or in Syria, of Syria you say, right? Antioch of Syria. That is the first one. That is the first place. Now, they are going to be sent from Syria and they're going to go to another place.

And this other place that we're going to have in our mind is Cyprus. Cyprus. And this is going to be an island. Now, because they were in the continental land and the second place is Cyprus. So then that means that they will need to boat or sail.

They will need to sail to the second place that is called Cyprus. So the first one is called Antioch of Syria, and the second place is Cyprus. That is the second place where there's going to be their ministry. Now, there's going to be a third place that is just mentioned in one of the verses, but something important happens there. And that you find in there in verse 13, and that place is called Pamphylia.

Okay, Pamphylia. So the city where they go is actually Perga, but the place that I want you to have in your mind from verse 13 is Pamphylia. So we have the departing place, which is where the local church is, Antioch of Syria. The second place where there's going to be some ministry is Cyprus. And then the third place that I want you to have in your mind, it is called Pamphylia.

Now from verse 14 onwards and until the end of the chapter, there's going to be the other important place, which is the second Antioch. But the second Antioch is not Antioch of Syria, but it's Antioch of? Pisidia. Okay, this is the Antioch of Pisidia. So we have this, that's how you pronounce it, Pisidia?

Pisidia. So you have these four different places. Antioch in Syria, which is where the church is, right? Then you have Cyprus, which is this little island. So that means that they need to sail on a boat and a ship go there.

That is Cyprus, the second place. Now, the third place is Pamphylia, which is not an island. It is a continental land. So that means that they need, again, that they need to sail or boat to Pamphylia and then from Pamphylia they travel or they go on a trip to Antioch of Pisidia. Those are going to be those four important places.

Now, they may go to another city here and there, especially in Antioch and we will see they will go to a different place but those are the four stages of this first trip. Now, first one, so we need to locate first of all in Antioch of Zyria. Antioch of Syria, which is the place where these missionaries, namely Paul and Barnabas, because these are the two that are going to be sent in this journey, that they will go to Cyprus, Pamphylia, and then to Antioch of Pisidia. But what is important or what is happening here in the beginning of chapter 13 in Antioch of Syria is not so much what it will take place, which is actually very important, but it is the church. Well, at least this is the burden that I have here for you.

It is the church. It says now that we're in the church at Antioch. So that means that there was a church, there was a congregation there at Antioch. Our brother explained to us, if you go to chapter 11, some of the aspects of the formation of this church. Now, why do I want to make this emphasis, brothers and sisters?

Because it's very important that we have the picture of Antioch in our minds. that we see how this Gentile church was formed and from there the gospel was preached to the nations. So go to chapter 11 and let's just quickly read here from verse 19. Well, actually, let's just read from verse 18 so that you may remember this. Verse 18, it says, "...

when they heard these things, they fell silent, and they glorified God, saying, To the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life." Remember what was the context of that? That was the context of actually Peter coming back to the church at Jerusalem and giving the report. that he had preached to Cornelius and to the Gentiles and that the Holy Spirit had fell upon them just in the same way that had fell upon the Jews. So that promise of salvation was also for the Gentiles.

This was the report that he was given. And then we have this story of what happened. Now Luke is going to be very particular in telling us what actually happened at Antioch that is now kind of like Gentile land. Verse 19, now those who were scattered, now we're speaking here, brothers and sisters, about this church, this church that is forming in this church of Antioch in Syria. It says, now those who were scattered because of the persecution that rose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, which is the place that we're discussing here, speaking the word to no one except the Jews.

But there were some of them men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch, which is the place where we're discussing about this church, spoke to the Hellenists, also preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, with these people that were preaching, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch, who was in Jerusalem. To Antioch, when he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them, those at Antioch, all to remain faithful to the Lord with a steadfast purpose. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and a great many people were added to the Lord.

So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, the apostle Paul. When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people." This is happening in this local church. This is happening in this congregation.

And in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians. I don't know brothers and sisters, but for me, this is just very glorious. Imagine that this eternal promise of salvation that was promised in God before the foundation of the world started, thousands of years of history of a nation, the nation of Israel. Now, the way that the Lord is going to bring the effectiveness of this promise from eternity past through the people of Israel unto us Gentiles, it is through His providential hand." So first of all, persecution.

Persecution happens and then people are scattered, scattered abroad. Those who are scattered and who had believed are the ones who come fearlessly to preach the words of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and many are saved there in Antioch. Many are saved. The hands of the Lord were with those who were preaching and those were added to the church, spiritually speaking. They come together and now when people come together, they need to be discipled.

So then the people from Jerusalem hear what happened, they hear what happened there in Antioch and they send Barnabas. Barnabas is going to go there and he's going to teach and exhort to continue in the grace. He goes and brings Paul and then this biblical church that is started by the providential hand of the Lord through the persecution of believers, the sufferings of believers, this church that is formed now has biblical leadership. Barnabas and Paul are now preaching the Word for an extended period of time. He says that for one year, and then the important thing here in the end of this section that we read is that in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians.

They are not called hearers. They are not called attendees to the service on Sunday. They are not called members of the church in an abstract way, but they are called disciples. Because the instruction given to the disciples is go baptize them and make disciples. So a local church, this local church in Antioch was a church that was initiated by the will of God through His providence.

forming and sending men to minister there, to save souls, to evangelize and save souls. This is the Lord that is adding and these men are being disciples over a period of time. This is the nature, the structure of a local church. That is the local church that we have in chapter 13. That is the church that is going to be the escenario, that is going to be the place where the mission to the Gentiles is going to start.

Now, the question that I ask myself is, now, if you have a biblical church, what is that thing that we want a biblical church to have? What is the most important aspect of a biblical church? What do you think? What do you think is the most important thing that a biblical church should have? The Word of God, right?

You can hear, as we read there in the first verses, that is exactly the answer that I gave, that we should have the Word of God. But let me submit to you, brothers and sisters, there's something more important than having the Word of God, than having actually the Bible for a local church. And that is substantially, and more importantly, is having the Holy Spirit. We can have the Bible on our pulpits. You can have the Bible there on your lap and in your hands.

If you do not have the Holy Spirit, the Bible is just simply closed to you. Not only to us, but when people outside of the church, because they do not have the Holy Spirit, The Bible is just simply an offensive book. Same thing happens for the local church. The most important thing that we need, desire to have in us and among us is the presence of the one who builds the church, the presence of God. Because if God departs and leaves the church, Then men are very good at building up empires and building up buildings and structures.

And you can see big churches filled with people. Generations can go through churches and being completely dead on their way to hell. Because that which builds the church is God himself through his word. And this church that had been formed, initiated by the providence and the power of God, is a church that had the presence of the Holy Spirit. And because the Holy Spirit was in this church, then the Holy Spirit was the one that provided that which the church needed.

And that which the church needs is not a building, that which the church needs is not eloquent speakers, that which the church needs is not to have good programs and money and a good website. That which the church needs is the Holy Spirit raising men that are going to teach the Word so that everyone will be what they are supposed to be in the Lord for the sake of the Great Commission. So this is what was happening in Antioch. They were preaching the word, and we are told here in the text that in this church at Antioch, there were teachers and prophets. And we are told that these teachers and prophets were Saul and Barnabas.

And then we have these men here, Simeon, who was called Niger, or Lucius of Cyrene, Menahem, a lifelong friend of Herod the Tetrarch. When the Spirit of God is in the context of the church, then the Spirit is the one that is going to raise diversity of men. Now, I don't know anything about the life of these men, but one thing that I do know is that they were coming from different places. This diversity of men, because when we are going to build a church, we don't need a certain type of men. We need men who have the Holy Spirit.

And it's the Holy Spirit, the one that appoints men and in this formative stage of the church, there were teachers and prophets. The teachers were teaching the instructions of the Lord from a specific, a special revelation given to them in the Word of God. And then the prophets were teaching the same word to them, but through the revelation that we're receiving from. The Spirit of God. Both of them were necessary for the establishment of this church, that the Lord was speaking to the church through His Word in the Old Testament, but He was also speaking to them through revelation.

It was the Spirit of God raising these men. Even it seems from different, you know, like a physical appearance and background, cultural background and social background, one of them was a friend of a powerful man, Herod the Tetrarch. And then we have Saul, when the life or the spirit is in the church, it's not only raising these men, but these men are consecrated unto God. Because brothers and sisters, these men of God who were teaching the Word of God were there diligently, what the Bible says there in your Bible, worshipping and fasting. They were worshipping and fasting.

They were ministering unto the Lord. They were consecrated unto the Lord. They were given unto the Lord. Not worshipping in the sense that we just simply come on a Sunday and we have a worship service or something like that, but rather that the life of these men and those in the church were consecrated, given to the Lord, almost in a priestly way. that they were consecrated, set apart from the Lord.

And I think that the fact that they were fasting speaks a lot about what they were actually doing. They were so consecrated and given to the things of the Lord in prayer and in the Word of God and in communion with the Lord and laboring in the Word of God for the sake of the church that the needs of the flesh passed to a second level of importance. so that they could remove themselves from the things that the flesh needs to be nourished and to be empowered. So then fasting was a necessity, was not a commandment given or a religious practice that need to be followed so that they will see that I'm a religious person and that I will do it a couple of times for a week so that I will take and appease my conscience of my religious practice. But now, for the man who is in the Spirit consecrated and given to the things of God, the things of this world become meaningless and of second importance.

So my body and my flesh and my soul are given to the Lord, removing myself even from that which the flesh needs, because I have everything that I need in the Lord. Consecration, not a thing that is exclusive and characteristic of the early church. This is meant to be characteristic of the church as a whole and of every Christian devoted and given to the Lord. And when the Spirit is in the midst of the church, not only men are raised and they are consecrated and devoted to the Lord, but also the Lord is going to give guidance to that church. of what needs to be done.

You see, this is one of the very interesting things that we can see, that we can see here in this chapter, brothers and sisters. And this is that this church was an active church. It was not a passive church. It was not a dormant church. It was not a church that would just simply there doing their own thing, but it was an active church.

And the church that is being fed with the Word of God through men who have been raised by the Spirit, consecrated unto the Lord, is a church that is going to receive the guidance of the Lord. And therefore, what they will do will be that which is according to the will of God. So while they are worshiping and while they are fasting, the Spirit of God speaks to them as prophets that they were. And it says, set apart for me Paul and Barnabas, because I have called them. I have called them, so please set them apart.

What did they do? They set apart, indeed, Barnabas and Paul. And it says, it's very interesting in chapter... in verse 3, brothers and sisters, that even though they heard the voice of the Spirit, that even though they heard the voice or they received better the instruction of the Spirit, set apart Barnabas and Paul, which was a divine commandment given to them, their response is not, let's set them apart and go, but rather they respond with fasting and praying. fasting and praying, more consecration to the words that had been divinely uttered, because that was the soul, that was the heart of these men in the congregation.

So we are going to send these men, Paul and Barnabas, let's respond them with fasting and prayer. And this is the glorious thing here that happens, brothers and sisters. that we are told in verse 3, that after they lay hands, after they're confirmed that they are one with us, after they confirm the authority of God that is in the church is also in them and they are one of us, so they belong to us, that they come not only in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also they are sent by this church, the local church, when they lay hands on them, they send them off. Immediately in the next verse, the apostle tells us that the sending is not a sending of the church, but the sending of who? Of the Spirit.

It says verse 4, so being sent out by the Holy Spirit. The last part of the verse 3, please see that. The last part of the verse 3 says, so they were sent out, they sent them off. Then after fasting and praying, they laid hands their hands on them and send them off." Verse 4, "...

so being sent out by the Holy Spirit. Brothers and sisters, what a glorious thought that that which the church does is actually what God does through them." That should be the desire of our congregation, that everything that we do, that everything we decide is not only godly, nice and good, and that we consider it to be biblical, but it's actually the will of God. So that when the church does something, that is equivalent to saying that this has been done by God. That when Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church does something, that is that something that the Spirit of God is doing.

Because the church that is living in the presence of the Almighty Spirit of God, not only living among us, but within us, dwelling in us, each one of us, then the church is going to operate not according to these preferences and the will of men, but it's going to operate according to the will of God. The church in Antioch, there in Syria, the presence of the Spirit, the Almighty God who could save and convert the entire world just by doing this. He desires that from a feeble, small place, He's going to send this glorious message of salvation to the uttermost part of the earth and He does it through the local church. That is, everything takes place there in Antioch, in Syria. Then we move on to the second place, right?

What was the second place? Cyprus. So this Cyprus now is going to be an island. And if you're going to reach an island, you need to get there. Right.

So they go to a city that is called Seleucia because there was a port near the ocean. And then they're just going sail to Cyprus. This is where the ministry of these men who had been sent by the spirit and the church brothers, these men who have been sent by the spirit and the church now is starting Cyprus. So they reach the city that is called Salamis. I think it's pronounced that way, Salamis, they reached that city on one of the sides of the island.

And the first thing that they do is that they start preaching the word in the synagogues. Now, we were told in the previous section there of the chapter that it was Paul and Barnabas, right? Those two that were set apart by the spirit. But now in this section of the book of the chapter, we are told that also there is another person that is assisting them or with them. What is his name?

So John is also with them, and he's also going there to Cyprus. Now, these men are commissioned by the church and commissioned by the Spirit. They have full certainty that what they are doing is the will of God, right? They have heard the voice of the Spirit and the confirmation of their brothers that this is the will of God. And we can see that they can just simply go in full assurance that is the Spirit, the one that is going to lead them.

But I cannot pass the fact that there is something quite practical that they do, and is that they go and preach the gospel or they reach, first of all, the synagogues. So they go to Cyprus and they preach the gospel in the synagogues. They were going to the Gentiles and they are going to reach the Gentiles, as we're going to see, but the gospel came first not only to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the other most part of the earth, only geographically speaking, but also it was appointed that the Jews will receive the gospel first and then it will come to the Gentiles. And this is going to be perhaps the major point that I'm not even making in this chapter as we progress then until the end. It is that given it to the Jews and then given to the Gentiles.

So they reach and go into the synagogues. But brothers and sisters, here there's going to be a pattern of ministry that is going to repeat throughout the book of Acts. There's going to be a pattern that is going to repeat through the Book of Acts. I'm not progressing through this chapter and it's like 30 or 40 minutes. Bear with me, please.

Bear with me. Brothers and sisters, there's going to be a pattern of the ministry of the Apostle Paul. We need to see these three things, not only here in this chapter, but as we continue through the Book of Acts. Every time that they come, they're going to preach the gospel with two or eight items. Diligence, much diligence and power of the Holy Spirit.

They preach the word with much diligence and power. When they preach the gospel with much diligence and power in the Spirit, they receive opposition. There's going to be satanic opposition. And once they receive this opposition, because they have been sent by God, then even though there's tribulation and difficulty and opposition, there's going to be fruit. So they go, they preach with diligence and power, there's going to be opposition and the result of it is going to be fruit.

I'll try to go a little bit quicker now through this section. Now, they actually do that. They reach to the city Salamis, which is one side of the island. And brothers and sisters, we are told that they go to the other side of the island. They are not lazy.

They are not slothful. They are not thinking about what to do. They are preaching the word with diligence. They go to the other side of the island, to Paphos. It is an island.

It's a big place. And they go there preaching the gospel with much diligence. And it's when they reach Paphos that they are going to find this person that we are told that is a Jewish magician. His name is Bart, Jesus. Now, this is very contradictory, brothers and sisters, because we've heard about mediums and as we go through Leviticus and magicians, there's no such a thing as a magician who is a Jewish.

This was contradictory. That's why Luke clarifies that he's a false prophet. A false prophet, not in the sense of a new covenant church, false prophet, but rather an apostate of Moses, an apostate of the Mosaic covenant, an apostate of the Jewish religion. So to the point that he was a magician and he was also Jewish, a false prophet. This man, of course, teaching wrong things, even from Judaism, was with another man.

His name is Sergio Pallas. Then Luke tells us that he's an official, a proconsul there in Cyprus. Now, this man is a man of intelligence. He's a man that is very intelligent, but he's a man also, it seems, or I think, that because he's with this false prophet, he's somehow interested in the Word of God as it is given to the Jews, right? Now, that can be confirmed with the fact that Sergio Polos is going to call Paul and Barnabas to come and speak to him this Word that they were preaching.

These men that are coming from Antioch that are preaching this message have reached Cyprus, and now they are here. I want to hear what they have to say. So we are told that now Paul is going to come, the same message that he had been preaching in the synagogues there in Cyprus, now he's going to preach that message to this man who is interested in knowing the ways of the Lord. But we have the opposition of Satan here through this false prophet, Elymas. It is the interpretation or the translation of the meaning, something like that, of the name, oppose them.

And it says something very interesting, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. That is the work of Satan. That is the work of Satan, to diminish the value and the appreciation of the word of God in the ears and in the mind of those who receive it. So those who receive it, Satan comes very quickly and takes the word that's been implanted in their hearts that they may not believe. Then Satan comes with tribulations and difficulties, and because they are not grounded and established in good soil, then just simply they fall.

But when tribulations or the deceitfulness of riches or the affairs of this world come, then these men just simply fall. The intention of Satan is to take the implanted word, which is able to save your soul, to remove it there and to make the path of the Lord, which is straight, to make it crooked. which is the accusation that Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, is going to call and tell this guy, you are a son of the devil. You're the son of Satan. You're an enemy of all righteousness.

You're a wicked person, a villain, unrighteous son of Satan, son of the devil. and he is going to simply call the hand of the Lord of judgment. The hand of the Lord comes upon these men in judgment and he says, you're going to be blind. The judgment of God fall upon these men, Elimas or Bar-Jesus. Brothers and sisters, that would have been tremendous to see.

Imagine that I just simply speak here and I take Salmo's vision, that I just simply command something and I take the eyes. the ability to see from someone, that would have been something tremendous to see that a person just simply bringing the divine judgment upon another person. And then the person is just simply blind, trying just to find someone to take him from one place to another. But then after that opposition, it comes fruit. And the fruit is that this proconsul, Sergius Paulus, what happened to him?

He believes. But pay attention to something very interesting in verse 12, that this proconsul, This proconsul who witnessed this man being blinded by the command by the prayers of another man is not astonished that he has witnessed this, but rather he's astonished at the teaching of the Lord. when the eyes of a sinner are opened to the holiness of God and the righteous judgment that is upon them because of their wickedness. then that teaching is astonishing and it is a fearful reality that not even seeing these mighty works and these mighty things in front of them is compared to the reality of judgment and hell upon a particular person. So he was astonished in the teaching of this Lord and he believes.

diligence and power in the preaching of the Word. Not that it comes from them, but it's rooted in the Spirit of God that was moving already in Antioch through these people. But from that diligence and power, there was also an opposition, but thus opposition gave fruit in the salvation of this man. That is the second place, Cyprus. That happens there in Cyprus.

Then we move on to the third place. What is the third place? Perga or Pamphylia. Pamphylia is kind of like say Queensland and then Perga would be like Golkos like the city and the region there So we are told that in that place something is going to happen John who was the guy that was with Paul and Barnabas who was a relative of Barnabas and by the way Barnabas was a native from Cyprus, right? So he knew he was a Levite from from Cyprus.

So he knew everything there but then John is going to leave them. He'll leave them. Now Luke is just going to take a simple verse here just to tell us that John is going to leave them and that he's going to return to Jerusalem. That happens in Perga. That is the only thing that we're told that happens there.

Now the reason why we're stopping there just to understand something there is just because the fact that he left them is actually a big thing that later on is going to be considered by Luke. So if you go quickly just to Acts chapter 15, I'm just going to be very short there. chapter 15, we're going to be told about the reason why, or at least a little bit of the the context of when John left them. So John Acts, chapter 15, verse 36. And after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are now, Barnabas.

We know Barnabas now. We wanted to take with them John called Mark. It is the same John, right? He wanted to take him. They're going to go on a second trip.

So let's just take Mark. He came with us the first time. But Paul thought best not to take with them. one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. Actually, the word there, withdrawn, is actually an intense word.

It's kind of like, you know, leaving behind, like not wanting to come with us. So that means that Paul was not happy with the fact that the one that was assisting them actually departed and went back to Jerusalem. And actually, the situation is so complex that there's going to be a sharp disagreement there between Barnabas and Paul, it says verse 39, and there arose a sharp disagreement so that they separated. Imagine the fact that they did not take John Mark, the one that left them, again with them. produce a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas who had been together in the trip before or in this proclamation of the gospel journey before and there was a sharp disagreement and then they are separated.

Now the situation is going to get better later on and then he's going to be accepted and he's going to be useful for the ministry of the apostle. But one thing that I want you to think about and meditate here is brothers and sisters. that the Lord will complete the work of the proclamation of the gospel through His instruments, despised the sin of those who are called to proclaim the gospel." If it depended on our righteousness, if it depended on our perfection, even to proclaim the gospel, then the kingdom of the Lord will not be established. if He depended on us, but even in the midst of our sin, disagreements and all of those things, the Lord will complete the work, which is actually bringing this promise of eternal salvation to those who will hear.

So those who are in Christ, united in Him before the foundation of the world, chosen in the Savior, Whatever they are, we can have the absolute certainty that the Lord working through the church is going to reach them with the gospel that is going to be the means of their salvation. It does not matter the situation of their sins. That is what happens there in Pamphylia. Now I'm supposed to move into the longer part of this chapter. which is happening now in Antioch of Pisidia so the first one was Antioch in Syria we move on to Cyprus which is the island they leave the island and they go to Pamphylia and now brothers and sisters were moving there into Antioch in Pisidia okay this is going to be an important city big city important city there in that region in that district very important city And the ministry here, now this is perhaps what you need to pay attention to, is going to happen in two different times.

It's going to happen in one Sabbath and the next Sabbath. So you have here that they go actually, it says in verse 14, but they went on Persia and came to Antioch in Pisidia. Is this Antioch of Pisidia the same of Antioch of Syria? No, it's a different city. And on the Sabbath day, this is going to be their ministry the first time.

And on the Sabbath day, they went into the synagogue and sat down. This is the first time that they're going to minister there. Now go to then to verse 44. verse 44 of the same chapter, it says, the next Sabbath, the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to hear the words of the Lord. So we have that the ministry of Paul and Barnabas, John is not with them anymore, right?

So Paul and Barnabas, now this ministry of them, now in Antioch of Pisidia is going to happen in how many Sabbaths? Two Sabbaths, the first one and then the second one. Now, in these two times in which the Apostle and Barnabas are going to preach the gospel, we are going to see the elements that I gave you before that were the elements that we saw in Cyprus. That is that with much diligence and power, they will preach the gospel. The result of it will be?

opposition, and then there's going to be fruit. They are going to have these elements in the first Sabbath and also in the second Sabbath. Opposition will be predominantly in the second Sabbath. But of course, again, they are led by the Spirit, brothers and sisters. But again, we see the practical aspect of Paul and Barnabas, that the first place that they go and they preach is where?

in the synagogue where the Jews would have been gathered because of the traditions developed after their Babylonian time of gathering on the synagogue on the Saturday that will come and hear. So they are going to be invited there by the rulers. They did not know so much of them by then. You know, it was just the beginning that these people were just simply other Jews that were just speaking of the words of God. Perhaps later on, the rulers of a synagogue would have not invited Paul to come and then just cause division.

But now they did not know much about this, so they are invited as Jews to come and speak. And they are actually opening the word, given the opportunity to speak. And then Paul is actually going to preach a very important message here. I will try to make this very short. He is going to preach a message now on the first Sabbath, which is the one that is going to cause lots of disruption, but it's going to actually bring the very important point of this chapter.

And this is that through the judgment to the Jews, because they did not accept Jesus Christ, salvation comes to the Gentiles. Now, Paul is going to repeat this through us many times, and even in the very end of the book, which we are not going to see, but in the chapter 28, we'll say, you have not heard the message of the gospel. I'm just paraphrasing, but the Gentiles will listen. He carries this idea of judgment to the Jews until the end of the book, and then these bring into the Gentiles. Now, he's going to preach a message here, which we have already read.

But brothers and sisters, this message that Paul brings to these people in this synagogue is actually a very interesting way of preaching the message of the gospel. From verse 16, which is when Paul actually starts the message, until verse 12, sorry, to verse 22, The apostle is actually going to present from Scripture facts that they knew from the Old Testament. Why? Because the people in the synagogue, these were not unbelievers or atheists, right? These were Jews and also they were God-fearers.

So these were people that knew the Scriptures. So what Paul is going to do is that he's going to present facts of the Scripture from this first section, and then from verse 23, he's going to interpret that to them. And the way that he is going to present the facts, the scriptural facts from verse 16 to verse 22 is in this way, beloved of Christ and those who are hearing online. First of all, he is going to present Israel. And this is the important thing here.

So if you can pay attention. He is going to present Israel under Egypt. in a servant of Egypt, and he's going to bring that to present Israel under King David. So he's going to present all facts that move Israel from being under the bandage of Egypt, you remember that in Exodus, until the point that Israel were under the kingship of David. And then he's going to say that they believed that David was the means by which they were going to obtain freedom and salvation.

But then he says that this David has an offspring. the Messiah, and this is Jesus Christ who is greater than this David. I have just summarized there the whole sermon that Paul is going to preach there, but he's going to say the God of Israel, the one that chose our fathers, that multiplied the people of Israel under the bandage of Israel, He multiplied them and He was so faithful that He gave them freedom from Israel and He took them patiently through the wilderness and He put up with them. And He formed them as a nation, giving them judges, even Samuel the prophet. And after that, the people of Israel asked for a king, Saul.

And even God was so gracious that He gave a king when they were not supposed to have a king for 40 years. And then the Lord says here, and He removed this Saul, which was the king that they had asked. And I placed the king that was after my own heart. King David. So Paul is taking Israel under Egypt to Israel under the kingship of David.

And then when he says then in verse 22, And when he had removed him, that is all, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, I have found in David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will. Then he comes the interpretation. of this man's offspring, that is, of David's offspring, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, and then it comes a very important word in the New Testament, as He promised. Titus says in Titus 1 verse 2 that God promised eternal life. before the foundation of the world.

Then in Genesis 3.15, a promise is given to Adam and Eve about the crushing of the serpent by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. They did not know there was the Messiah. Then a promise is given to Abraham that in him all the nations of the world will be safe. It was a promise given to him.

And then when we're speaking in Hebrews and Ephesians, we speak of the covenants of the promise. There was a promise of eternal life that was going to come through the Messiah who was meant to be king in the order of David. And this is Jesus Christ. And here, when the apostle is going to present now this Messiah, this king, very quickly he's going to say, this Messiah, this Jesus Christ, this king came and was announced and proclaimed by John the Baptist. Because John the Baptist had the spirit of Elijah that was speaking of the day and the coming of the Lord.

This Jesus Christ that was announced by John the Baptist was also rejected, it says in verse 27, by the rulers of Jerusalem. You remember the cornerstone that the builders have rejected. It said something very interesting there to these Jews that are in Gentile lands. that the rulers in Jerusalem, who were supposed to know the Scriptures and the prophecies, they did not understand the Scriptures and the prophecies, according to Jesus Christ, who was the king that was coming as the offspring of David, and they rejected Him. Now, because they rejected Him, they killed Him and they brought Him to the cross.

Now, he's presenting something that is completely contrary to their perception of a Messiah. This offspring of David, it is not only prophesied and proclaimed by John the Baptist, but also rejected by the rulers, but it's also killed on a tree and powerfully resurrected. The final point that the apostle will make is that this Jesus Christ who died, was raised, is greater than David who was from Egypt, Israel under Egypt. to Israel under King, the King David, that this Jesus Christ is greater than David because David died and he saw corruption. But this Jesus Christ died.

to bring salvation, but he is resurrected and he did not see corruption. So then in verse 32, he's going to say, and we bring you the good news that God, again, the very important word, promised to the fathers. And then he speaks about the supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ as a greater king than David, because he has not seen corruption. To then conclude in verse 38, with the message of the gospel, not a salvation, not a freedom from physical bondage, but a freedom and a liberation from sin. So he said, let it be known to you, therefore, brothers, that through these men forgiveness of sin is proclaimed to you.

This man who is greater than King David, this man who died and was resurrected, this man who was announced and proclaimed by John the Baptist, there is forgiveness of sin. And everyone who believes is free from everything from which the law of Moses could not free them. This would have been shocking to these people. But he's going to say some very important accusation there in verse 40. He says, Jews and God feeders do not be like the men in Jerusalem who rejected the Lord, like the ones that rejected the cornerstone.

He says, beware, therefore, that's what he said in the prophet should come about. Look, use coffers, be astonished and perish. For I am doing a work in your days. I work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you. Be aware that you may not follow the same path of those who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Messiah, the King, the offspring of David.

After that, there's going to come fruit. It says that many of the people begged them, please come. These things that we're hearing, we have never heard before. Please come the next Sabbath and continue to speak to us. And even some people, after they left the meeting of that particular Sabbath, they continued to go after Paul and Barnabas, asking them about these things.

And they knew that they had believed, so they encouraged them to continue in the grace. of the Lord, then the next Sabbath, brothers and sisters, they are going to return to the synagogue and almost the whole city, almost the whole city gathered to hear the Word of the Lord. Opposition, the religious men, envy entering into their hearts, envy entering into their hearts. that there was power in the proclamation of the word, a power that they did not know, a power that they had not experienced, a power that was completely far away from them because they were dead in their trespasses. Now these simple men that are sent from this place in Syria, now they are speaking their mouth and the masses and the crowd are listening and hearing to those things.

This is jealousy in their hearts. Now the judgment will be given again to them. The apostle Paul would say in verse 46, And Paul and Barnabas spoke at Boli, saying, It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you, Jews, since you thrusted aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles." This is the power of God into salvation for everyone who believes.

and also to the Greek or also for the Gentile. The plan of salvation from eternity past was that it was going to be through the Jews and it was going to reach the outermost part of the earth. And that power of that proclamation of that promise is not in the individual who has been called only, but in the place where that man has been raised in the power of the Spirit, namely the local church. Brothers and sisters, what we're seeing here in this chapter 13 is not only the work of Paul, This is the work, the prayers, the edification, the fellowship of the saints who were left in Antioch, who had sent these men and continued to pray for them, that they will continue to preach the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth with the promise of the Holy Spirit in them, that when they open their mouth, judgment will come for those who reject and salvation will come for those who are appointed to believe. So then we have in the next page, or at least in my Bible, the Gentiles now being happy when they heard they were rejoicing.

And they were not rejoicing because they were Gentiles, brothers and sisters, because everyone has fallen short of the glory of God and everyone is dead in their trespasses. The fact that these people were rejoicing in the words that they were hearing from Paul and Apollos, it was because they had been appointed to believe. So the eyes of their spirit had been opened that now these Gentiles will receive the good news of salvation and they will accept it, not as the Jews will do. In the jealousy of these Jews, they will continue to stir up controversy and difficulties against Paul and Barnabas with the high people of high reputation, men and women, so that they will be even driven out of that place. But when they were driven out, judgment came upon them because they shake off the dust of their feet.

saying, we preach the council of the Lord and they move on to the next city that is going to be iconic. Now, they are going to return to the city and they're going to encourage those believers that were saved in the first time. And even during this time, there is going to be the heart of a controversy that is going to arise in the church. But brothers and sisters, God will accomplish His work, not only in us individually, but God will accomplish the work that He has for His church. And now the service that a human being, the service that a soul does to the local church is not so much in pushing a chair or moving a plate or anything to another or preaching a sermon or doing this or that.

The major service that a soul does and gives to the church, it is looking after their own soul and making sure that the Spirit of God is in communion and the ongoing presence of the Spirit is in that person. So when that person comes to the church, he's actually ministering to the church with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Because when we do things in alignment to the will of God, it is not that we are wise, but rather is that the Spirit of God is in us, aligning us to His will. And that happens exactly also for the church. I made it too long.

I'm sorry about that. But my heart and my desire, brothers and sisters, was that we would have the desire of being as the church at Antioch. A church that sends men to preach the gospel, to speak of Christ. A church that is being built by the Holy Spirit. A church that operates and does things in alignment to the will of the Holy Spirit.

Because when is the Spirit the one that decides and the one that moves and the one that conforms? then that work is not going to be destroyed by fire. And this is the work that is going to be built upon precious stones, that we will see the other side, but the work is going to be built with precious stones, with silver and with gold, and the fire that may come will not destroy that work, because it's established upon the Spirit. Amen?