Eternal Light of Life

Now, let’s spend some time in the book of Acts. Does anyone remember what chapter we left off in a couple weeks ago?

‌Today we get to finish up chapter 13 of Acts. But since it has taken us since the beginning of February to get through this one chapter, I think it’s important to do some review.

‌We have covered through verse 43, so the focus for today will be verses 44-52, the end of the chapter.

‌Verse 44 says this:

‌Acts 13:44 (LSB)
And the next Sabbath, nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.

‌So, we’re about to read what happens on this Sabbath, but right away we can tell we’re jumping into the middle of a story because it’s the next Sabbath…the next Sabbath after…what?

‌And we’re told the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. What city? What happened that so captured the attention of such a large crowd? Who are they gathering to hear speak the word of the Lord?

‌Context & Review

Remember - this is the book of action, of the story of the early church in the immediate wake of Christ’s ascension. So, Jesus has ascended, left his disciples on earth with a great commission to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.

‌He left them, physically, his body is no longer present among them, but equipped them with the gift of the Holy Spirit which we see providing unity, comfort, guidance, and empowerment to the church, which has been growing exponentially ever since. Not without stiff opposition, mind you, even to the extent of martyrdom. And yet the church is described as ever expanding, and ever filled with joy, hope, and praise to God.

‌Acts 13

‌To begin, I want to read through the whole chapter together, as a refresher, and to get an overview of the events so far.

‌Acts 13 (NLT)
Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. 2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. 4 So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. 5 There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant. 6 Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing. 9 Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10 Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? 11 Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. 12 When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. 13 Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services. 15 After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” 16 So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me. 17 “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery. 18 He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. 19 Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ 23 “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel! 24 Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. 25 As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’ 26 “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us! 27 The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. 28 They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. 29 “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead! 31 And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel. 32 “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, 33 and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’ 34 For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’ 35 Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ 36 This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. 37 No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. 38 “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do. 40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, 41 ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’” 42 As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. 43 Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God. 44 The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. 45 But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. 47 For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region. 50 Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium. 52 And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Overview of Chapter

‌This chapter really sets a precedent for missionary work, demonstrating how God leads his church to call out and commission missionaries for the work he is developing in this world.

‌It also is a great demonstration and reminder or warning that for anyone who is sharing the gospel, we can expect mixed results. When the gospel is preached, some accept it, and some reject it.

‌We’ve seen this from the beginning of Acts, and really throughout the whole Bible, looking at how prophets were received in the Old Testament.

‌In this case, the key stumbling block is a sinful sentiment I would venture to guess all of us have experienced to some extent.

‌Jealousy

‌Aside from a rare “righteous jealousy” in the way that God is a jealous God (Ex 20, Deut 4), the way humans generally experience and express jealousy tends to be not righteous or God-centered, but rotten, self-centered, and prideful. In an example like this, it’s a rejection of God’s grace, a resentment of God’s grace to cover all who believe, and perhaps even of the attention given to God’s message of good news.

‌Acts 13:44–45 (LSB)
And the next Sabbath, nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, blaspheming.

‌This is the same rotten and tragic condition of the heart which lead Cain to kill his own brother, Abel in Genesis chapter 4, the first murder in human history.

‌Proverbs 27:4 (LSB)
Wrath is cruelty and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy?

‌Jealousy is a gravely dangerous condition with potentially catastrophic consequences. It leads to destructive and selfish behavior that one inevitably comes to later regret.

‌James 3:13–4:6 (LSB)
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good conduct his works in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not coming down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, without doubting, without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have, so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

‌In this passage, we see both corrupt and righteous jealousy…James warns very strictly against jealousy among the believers, and yet recognizes that God’s jealousy for us is something to be thankful for…it means he fights for us. In this sense, it is a pure and passionate desire for his people to be holy and set apart, faithful and committed to Him, even as a husband and wife are to be faithful and committed to each other.

‌Who can stand before jealousy?

‌Let us be thankful for the jealousy of God, and embrace for ourselves humility and gratitude as spiritual fruits providing the antidote to poisonous envy, jealousy and resentment.

‌Boldness

‌As we read on in Acts, coming to verses 46-47, we are reminded that embracing humility rather than pride does not preclude boldness in the Spirit of God:

‌Acts 13:46–47 (LSB)
46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’”

‌Light

‌They quote from Isaiah, boldly proclaiming Christ, and by extension themselves as Christ’s emissaries, as the direct fulfilment of God’s promise through Isaiah, as God’s light for the gentiles.

‌Isaiah 42:6 (LSB)
“I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness; I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You, And I will give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,

‌Isaiah 49:6 (LSB)
He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to cause the preserved ones of Israel to return; I will also give You as a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

‌John also speaks in terms that resound as direct fulfilment of this promise of salvation in terms of light, and of being lights in community with each other. John is really big on light throughout his writings.

‌1 John 1:7 (LSB)
But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

‌Paul and Barnabas are saying: “Hey, we’re just shining the light on the truth, you’re the ones who are choosing instead the path of darkness.”

‌The Results

‌These reactions and responses lead to two types of results and consequences.

‌First, the really positive consequences of spreading the gospel:

‌Acts 13:48–49 (LSB)
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.

‌Second, the consequence of bitterness and resentment from certain Jews, who force Paul & Barnabas to leave the city through manipulation and slander.

‌Acts 13:50–52 (LSB)
But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But having shaken off the dust of their feet against them, they went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

‌Shaking the Dust

‌Let’s talk about shaking the dust for a minute.

‌If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s exactly what Jesus told the twelve to do, when he commissioned them back in Matthew chapter 10. This was before his crucifixion and resurrection, before what we call the “great commission” at the end of Matthew, he gave them a sort of “mini commission” which, at the time was specifically and ONLY for the Jews, not the gentiles! And here’s how he told them to handle the Jews who rejected him:

‌Matthew 10:5–15 (LSB)
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. 11 “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave. 12 “Now as you enter the house, give it your greeting. 13 “And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 “And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you leave that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

‌This phrase and gesture is one that is culturally rather foreign to us, but in this context amounts roughly to saying “Alright, my job is done here, ball’s in your court now!”

‌It’s important to recognize that this instruction is provided specifically to people who were sent as spreaders of the news, not to the regular residents of those places where the news was being preached. In some ways, it’s a luxury afforded to those in that role. The permanent residents and leadership within those local bodies of believers had to actually stay and deal with all the conflict the gospel caused! So, this is by no means a sweeping model of being totally dismissive and always giving up on anyone who rejects the gospel the first time they hear it.

‌But it does show that there is a time and a place for different types of evangelism, and people appointed for different purposes, and that sometimes not all our energy can or should be spent in one place or on one person. Paul and Barnabas were appointed to carry, physically with their bodies, the good news of salvation to the gentiles in Pisidia. Others who actually lived there were appointed to carry on the cultivation and growth of that ministry in ways we can only imagine.

‌The church is many people, many members of one body, each called and gifted accordingly to different purposes. We can’t all do it all, we must be faithful to our own calling, steadfast and generous with our strengths, humble and willing to lean on each other in our weaknesses.

‌One more crucial bit of wisdom we can glean from this “shaking the dust” concept is that we can rest assured that every person’s final judgment lies in the hands of the judge…not the messenger, but the one who sits on the great white throne at the end of days. Thankfully, our advocate is Jesus, who cried “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do, and not Jonah, who cried “Burn them, Lord, I’d rather die than see them live!”

‌Shaking the dust, or sand, off their sandals, literally, represented the fact that they were able to let go of the overwhelming negativity and hostility against them, moving on uninhibited by the mud of conspiracy and slander. It is in this sense that people who are doing the will of God can do so knowing they are free from carrying the baggage of past experiences into the next. In other words, don’t let the naysayers get you down! It comes with the territory.

‌Or, have you ever heard the phrase (I heard this a lot growing up when I was overly sensitive about something):

‌“Like water off a duck’s back.”

‌“Let it roll off you like water off a duck’s back.” It’s actually a pretty helpful image, if you’ve seen how the birds can dive underwater to get food, and pop back up basically dry, the water beading off their feathers because they’re coated in oil. This is a particularly important attitude to adopt when we are not simply “moving on” to a new town, but have to deal with opposition regularly or repeatedly from the same people.

‌Not that we are indifferent to sin, but that we are unashamed of the Gospel, which we gain through diligence in handling the word of Truth.

‌2 Timothy 2:15 (LSB)
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

‌Soteriology

‌Now, hopefully you have somewhat of a big-picture grasp of what takes place in this chapter, the events and impact of Paul’s journey thus far. But we can’t just move on from this passage without discussing verses 46 and 48 a bit further, which I think together really present the heart of logical conflict we wrestle with when pondering the doctrine of soteriology, that is the free gift of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

‌A few weeks ago when we focused on Paul’s exhortation in Pisidian, I talked about the importance of accepting the gospel. Which is something that can happen in a moment, when we choose to accept Christ for the first time, but that also we must practice continually.

‌You may have heard of us talk about this concept before by describing it as how:

‌We have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved.

‌In verse 46, Paul and Barnabas criticize their opponents, fellow Jews, for “rejecting” the word of God and for “judging themselves unworthy.”

‌Acts 13:46 (LSB)
Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

‌This very much puts a burden of responsibility on them for bringing judgment upon themselves; for choosing to reject the truth out of the bitterness and hardness of their hearts.

But, when we come to verse 48, we read that those Gentiles who did not reject the word of God were believing because of their appointment to eternal life!

‌Acts 13:48 (LSB)
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

‌In this passage, Luke is describing the belief these gentiles as the effect of their election, not the other way around. They aren’t chosen because they believe; they believe because they are appointed/elected/chosen.

‌John 10:26–27 (LSB)
“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

‌It’s not “because you don’t believe, you’re not a part of my flock!” It’s the other way around!

‌To think too long and hard about this is like thinking too long and hard about quantum entanglement. It boggles the mind and challenges our senses of logic and how the world works. And yet, it’s an important distinction in understanding that our salvation is not based on merit. That salvation is not earned. It’s a gift. And that even for the missionary, for Paul, for Barnabas, that ultimately the burden of desiring for their audience, and for their fellow Jews to repent, ultimately that burden is not theirs to bear.

‌Even repentance is a gift:

‌2 Timothy 2:24–26 (LSB)
And the Lord’s slave must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may give them repentance leading to the full knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

‌We may always and should, I believe, fervently pray that even those who seem most stubbornly opposed to God, that “God may perhaps grant them repentance!”

‌Like Len taught us last week, this type of prayer always ought to proceed and exceed any imprecatory types of prayer.

‌This is what I mean: Let us pray first and foremost that God will bring unrepentant workers of evil to repentance, and pray further that God would restore justice by any means necessary to the cruel and evil realities of this world.

‌Humility

‌A proper understanding of salvation ought always to lead us to humility.

‌Ephesians 2:8–9 (LSB)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, so that no one may boast.

‌Humility, not in the sense of humiliation or groveling in guilt, but as an antithesis to prideful boasting.

‌Again, we must not judge ourselves or deem ourselves as unworthy, but rather view our exceptional worthiness as something bestowed upon us by Christ. Not something we have earned, but that nonetheless should be carried with pride in Christ.

‌Thankfulness

‌And with gratitude. A proper understanding of salvation ought always to lead us to gratitude.

‌2 Thessalonians 2:13 (LSB)
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

‌Hope

‌And with hope. A proper understanding of salvation ought always to lead us to hope.

‌Hope not only for ourselves and for life and the world in general, but specifically hope for others. Hope for even the people who seem to be the most unrepentant, heart-hardened sinners.

‌If there is hope for someone like Paul…someone like John Newton…someone like CS Lewis…someone like me! Let me just tell you I know a little something about stubbornness. Friends, there is hope for you, and for the people in your life, even those who seem to be the most unreachable or stubborn.

‌Conclusion

‌It is my prayer that we be counted among the joyous, not the jealous, when it comes to receiving the gift of God’s word and the salvation of faith in Christ, and when we see God at work in and through his people, let us be willing and eager to join him in his mission of growing and nurturing the church, so that everyone everywhere, including Fort Drum, Watertown, Carthage, and Lowville, may have plentiful opportunities to hear and respond to the gospel.