Paul’s First Mission Sermon
Acts 13:15-43
I found this passage of scripture after studying Luke 4 about the Ministry of Salvation announced by Jesus, which also applies to anyone called to preach the GOOD NEWS, the Word of God–the ministry of salvation! Amen!
What an incredible, concise recap of the story of God’s faithfulness to His people, beginning with the history of the Hebrew people all the way the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!
Notice in verse 17, Paul states “He made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt”. How did God make the people (Hebrews) great? After all, they were enslaved?
God established Joseph, who was sold into Egypt as a slave, by his own brothers to be “made great” by promoting him ….After 20 years of struggle and suffering…for the purpose of preserving His people–the Hebrews, during a famine.
Joseph, after being falsely accused and thrown into prison by Pharaoh, was then released and made the man in charge of all of Egypt. WOW. All the suffering, struggle, pain and loss was on purpose and FOR a purpose. Amen!
Joseph received visions and was told of a great famine that would come to the land. He made provisions and stored up food. Then, one day, his very own brothers, the same brothers who betrayed him, stood before him in his court because they were in need of food and provisions! This was Joseph’s defining moment!! Everything Jospeh had experienced in his life was for this single moment in time where he had a choice: FORGIVE OR NOT FORGIVE.?
Scripture says that Jospeh was so overwhelmed with emotion that he asked everyone to leave his presence so that he could be alone with his brothers–the very brothers who had betrayed him. Then Jospeh cried and wailed–so loudly that everyone in the palace could hear. Wow. (Gen 45:1-4) Then Jospeh revealed himself to his brothers and they were reconciled.
Can you even imagine the scene? This is the heritage and history of the Hebrew people:
Royalty, Betrayal, Slavery, Crying Out, Deliverance, Faith, Forgiveness, FREEDOM!!
This is the very pattern we see Jesus follow as well in his life and ministry and it is the pattern we too –as TRUE believers of Jesus must choose to follow to finally BE FREE!!
FAITH and FORGIVENESS leads to FREEDOM. ❤️?✝️
Luke 7:47
For this reason I say to you, her many sins are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Below is the passage from Acts 13:15-43
15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.”
16 Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God listen:
17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and [a]made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it.
18 For a period of about forty years, He put up with them in the wilderness.
19 When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took about four hundred and fifty years.
20 After these things, He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
22 After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My [b]will.’
23 From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,
24 after John had proclaimed before [c]His coming to a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.
27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the [d]utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him.
28 And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be [e]executed.
29 When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the [f]cross and laid Him in a tomb.
30 But God raised Him from the dead;
31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.
32 And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers,
33 that God has fulfilled this promise [g]to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today i have begotten You.’
34 As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and [h]sure blessings of David.’
35 Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘You will not [i]allow Your [j]Holy One to [k]undergo decay.’
36 For David, after he had [l]served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and [m]underwent decay;
37 but He whom God raised did not [n]undergo decay.
38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through [o]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
39 and [p]through Him everyone who believes is [q]freed [r]from all things, from which you could not be [s]freed [t]through the Law of Moses.
40 Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you:
41 ‘Behold, you scoffers, and marvel, and [u]perish; For I am accomplishing a work in your days, A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’”
42 As [v]Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these [w]things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath.
43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing [x]proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.
Footnotes:
Acts 13:17 Or exalted
Acts 13:22 Lit wishes
Acts 13:24 Lit the face of His entering
Acts 13:27 Lit voices
Acts 13:28 Lit destroyed
Acts 13:29 Lit wood
Acts 13:33 Late mss read to us their children
Acts 13:34 Lit trustworthy
Acts 13:35 Lit give
Acts 13:35 Or Devout or Pious
Acts 13:35 Lit see corruption
Acts 13:36 Or served his own generation by the purpose of God
Acts 13:36 Lit saw corruption
Acts 13:37 Lit see corruption
Acts 13:38 Lit this One
Acts 13:39 Lit in or by
Acts 13:39 Lit justified
Acts 13:39 Lit by
Acts 13:39 Lit justified
Acts 13:39 Lit by
Acts 13:41 Lit disappear
Acts 13:42 Lit they
Acts 13:42 Lit words
Acts 13:43 I.e. Gentile converts to Judaism
Acts 13:15-43
NOTICE how the people Paul spoke to FINALLY were SET FREE from their sin and bondage–through a baptism of REPENTANCE and by HEARING and BELIEVING in Jesus BY FAITH through GRACE! See verse 24-26!
This is the heritage of the children of Abraham who believe in Jesus Christ by FAITH! The law of Moses has been fulfilled by the finishing work of Jesus Christ on the cross!! Hallelujah!
How I yearn for believers to know this freedom In Christ that has been made available to them!! God made it so simple that we can easily miss it!!! Do not overthink this–for no one is good enough to earn their salvation!
In verse 39-41 it is made clear. Don’t be as the scoffers who rejected Jesus! Do not be deceived by false prophets! Jesus is the way the truth and the life! His way is found through:
FAITH, FORGIVENESS, and FREEDOM from the OLD MOSIAC LAW and Levitical Covenant.
The NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT of GRACE through the ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK is where our freedom comes from!!!
Hebrews 6:20:
Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
As believers in Jesus Christ we still love and obey the 10 commandments. We still live by a moral code and choose to honor God. But, no temple ritual, denominational belief or “saving ordinance” will ever be enough to cleanse us of sins or place us in a right relationship with God. Only Jesus can do that–and he fully and completely fulfilled the Old Covenant Law so we could walk out of our prison cell and BE FREE!!✝️
Hallelujah!!
Grace and Peace,
Ashley