← Back to sermon library

Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Acts chapter 13. Acts 13, we're considering the 
first missionary journey, which is Acts 13 and 14. It took place 
in AD 47 and 48. Paul and Barnabas were at the 
church in Antioch in Syria, and they were called or identified 
by the Holy Spirit to go out to take the gospel to other places. So they begin on the island of 
Cyprus, and then they move back to the mainland. They find themselves 
in the region called Pisidia, and there's an Antioch there 
with the synagogue. And they are invited to speak 
the truth, so Paul stands up and preaches. So I want to read 
beginning in Acts 13 at verse 13. It says, Now when Paul and 
his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga and Pamphylia. 
And John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. But when 
they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia and 
went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And 
after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers 
of the synagogue sent to them, saying, Men and brethren, if 
you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then 
Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, said, Men of Israel, 
and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people, Israel, 
chose our fathers and exalted the people when they dwelt as 
strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted army brought 
them out of it. Now, for a time of about 40 years, 
he put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when he had 
destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he distributed 
their land to them by allotment. And after that, he gave them 
judges for about 450 years, until Samuel, the prophet. And afterwards, 
they asked for a king. So 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 for them David as king, to 
whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David, the 
son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my 
will. From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up 
for Israel a savior, Jesus, after John had first preached before 
his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 
And as John was finishing his course, he said, Who do you think 
I am? I am not he. But behold, there 
comes one after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy 
to lose. Men and brethren, sons of the 
family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you 
the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell 
in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not know Him, 
nor even the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, 
have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no 
cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be 
put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all 
that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree 
and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. 
He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from 
Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. 
And we declare to you glad tidings, that promise which was made to 
the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us, 
their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also 
written in the second Psalm, you are my son, today I have 
begotten you. And that He raised Him from the 
dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus, I will give 
you the sure mercies of David. Therefore, he also says in another 
psalm, you will not allow your holy one to see corruption. For 
David, after he had served his own generation by the will of 
God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption. But he whom God raised up saw 
no corruption. Therefore, let it be known to 
you, brethren, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness 
of sins, and by him everyone who believes is justified from 
all things from which you could not be justified by the law of 
Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what 
has been spoken in the prophets come upon you. Behold, you despisers, 
marvel and perish, for I work a work in your days, a work which 
you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it 
to you. So when the Jews went out of 
the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached 
to them the next Sabbath. Now, when the congregation had 
broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul 
and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue 
in the grace of God. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank You for this beautiful day. We thank You for 
Your handiwork in the creation. Thank You for Your government 
over the creation. And thank You for the redemption 
of Your elect within this world. How we praise You for the gospel 
of our salvation. How we praise You for the Lord 
Jesus Christ. all that is spoken of here, of 
him by the Apostle Paul in this synagogue. We give praise to 
you for this. And we'd ask even now that you 
would cause us to see that one who's altogether lovely, that 
one who's chief among 10,000. And may you draw out from us 
worship and love, gratitude and adoration. And for any and all 
who have come here this morning that are still dead in their 
trespasses and sins, we pray that you would awaken them, that 
your glory would be manifest in the salvation of sinners by 
Jesus Christ the Lord. And to that end, Father, send 
forth your Holy Spirit now, forgive us for our sins and our transgression, 
and we pray through Jesus Christ the Lord, amen. When we come 
to the end of the apostle's sermon, essentially what we have seen 
in this sermon by Paul is, first of all, a sketch of Israel's 
history. In verses 16 to 22, he shows 
how their history pointed forward to the Lord Jesus, not away from 
him. And then he highlighted the arrival 
of Israel's Messiah in verses 23 to 25. From then he goes on 
to explain Israel's Messiah, specifically with reference to 
his death and his resurrection. And now he comes to exhort his 
hearers on the response. In other words, as he has set 
forth the glory of Christ in his life, in his death, and in 
his resurrection, what does Paul want to happen with reference 
to these people? Does he want them to say, wow, 
Paul knows the Old Testament better than we do? Wow, Paul 
has a superior hermeneutic on how to interpret the Bible better 
than we do. Paul wants them to believe the 
gospel. He wants them to understand forgiveness 
of sins and justification by faith alone. He wants them to 
know the joy of being found in Christ, not having their own 
righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is from 
God through faith in Christ. And that's his emphasis in verses 
38 and 39. He wants them to hear. He wants 
them to believe. And then he gives them a warning 
that they are not to despise the gospel. They're not to reject 
the truth of God's word. They're not supposed to turn 
a deaf ear to these things and just sort of continue on in their 
life. So we'll look at that this morning, the exhortation to believe 
on Israel's Messiah, verses 38 to 41. And then we'll take up 
quickly in the response to Paul's preaching in the synagogue in 
verses 42 to 43. But with reference to this exhortation 
to believe on Israel's Messiah, Paul does three things, or I 
want to do three things in surveying this. First, we ought to observe 
the practical nature of his preaching. Secondly, the redemptive focus 
of his preaching. And then thirdly, the serious 
warning attached to his preaching. But in terms of the practical 
nature, as I've said, he doesn't want them to just understand 
better. He doesn't just want them to 
see that the Law and Prophets terminate upon the Lord Jesus. 
He wants them to see that to be sure, but he wants them to 
believe on Christ, to know the joy of being found in Him. As J.A. Alexander says, and as 
we see from this verse 38, when he says, therefore, based on 
everything I've said to you, therefore, this is the response 
that I want. Alexander says, it was not mere 
historical, nor even doctrinal or exegetical instruction that 
the apostle here intended to communicate, but practical and 
experimental knowledge of the utmost moment, as relating to 
the only method of salvation. So the practicality of the apostles 
preaching here in Pisidian Antioch is on full display. This is where 
sermons ought to lead. This is where a discussion concerning 
the truth of God's gospel ought to come. It ought to be a decisive 
moment. We ought to call upon sinners 
to believe that gospel, to repent from their sin, and to know the 
joy of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Paul doesn't just want to demonstrate the superiority of a Christian 
interpretative principle. but he wants these hearers to 
pass from death unto life. There must be that practicality 
involved in preaching. There must be that application 
involved in the ministry of the word. We're not simply trying 
to provide a body of knowledge, but a body of knowledge that 
gets into the heart, that gets into the soul, that comes to 
a sinner who has transgressed the law of God, that comes to 
a sinner who lacks conformity to that law of God, to hear that 
there is a remedy, There is a blessing, there is forgiveness, there is 
justification. It's not sought out by us, it's 
not conducted by us, it's not affected by us, but it is the 
provision of a gracious God. And that's where Paul now turns 
with reference to his preaching. Notice, secondly, the redemptive 
focus in his preaching in verses 38b and 39. First of all, he 
preaches the forgiveness of sins. Again, there's nothing more practical 
than this, and I would suggest there is nothing more desirable 
for a sinner than to hear this. Do you see what happens when 
Paul and Barnabas leave the synagogue? In verse 42, it says that the 
Gentiles begged that they could hear that word again. I suggest 
that if you truly understand the Christian gospel, your attitude 
toward it isn't going to be a take it or leave it. Your attitude 
toward it isn't going to be, well, you know, I'm sort of indifferent. No, there is this begging on 
the part of the Gentiles that they may hear more about this 
Christ and about the reality that he brings, not only the 
forgiveness of sins, but a righteousness that avails with the Father. 
This Christ brings with him every spiritual blessing in the heavenly 
places in Christ. I think you can understand why 
it is that persons in this context would beg for this truth. Because 
they knew themselves to be sinners, they knew themselves to be opposed 
by God and to God, and Paul is preaching the remedy. Paul is 
preaching the anecdote. antidote. Paul is preaching that 
which is most necessary for persons who are dead in their trespasses 
and sins. So he highlights this preaching 
of the forgiveness of sins in verse 38 when he says, Therefore, 
let it be known to you, brethren, that through this man is preached 
to you the forgiveness of sins. The man whom the law and the 
prophets pointed forward to, according to Paul in verses 16 
to 22. The man who was in fact the seed 
of David, consistent with that promise to David in 2 Samuel 
7. That man who is from the seed 
of David, according to verse 23, who is the savior for Israel, 
that man who is the Lord Jesus Christ. This man is the one in 
whom there is the forgiveness of sins. This one who was preached 
by John the Baptist. This one who came down from heaven 
for us men and for our salvation. Do you get Paul's point? Forgiveness 
of sins from God doesn't come as a result of your works. It 
doesn't come as a result of your even begging, or your beseeching, 
or your imploring. That forgiveness of sins comes 
through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's 
the emphasis of the Apostle in this particular place. So if 
you are in sin, if you are dead in your sin, understand that 
the way of life is not through your own merit, through your 
own abilities, or through your own work. But that comes through 
faith in Jesus Christ. That's the emphasis of the apostle. That man who lived, that man 
who died, that man who was raised the third day, it is through 
that man the forgiveness of sins comes. And that itself demands 
a bit of consideration, this blessing of the forgiveness of 
sins. What's man's problem ultimately? 
It's sin, right? If you look around the world 
today, what's the consistent unifying theme that man's problem 
is? It's not sin. It's not social, 
it's not economic, it's not all the things that the social engineers 
of our day tell us it is. It is rather sin and rebellion 
against the true and living God. It is transgression against His 
law. It is the reality that God calls 
us not to engage in idolatry, and we do. God tells us not to 
blaspheme, and we do. God tells us to keep his Sabbath 
day holy, and we don't. God tells us to be subordinate 
to our parents and governing authorities, but we're not. God 
tells us not to murder, and we do. God tells us not to commit 
adultery, and we do. God tells us not to steal, and 
we do. God tells us not to lie, and we do. God tells us not to 
covet, and we do. That's the problem with society 
today. It's a God problem. It's a problem 
of transgression. It's a problem of a lack of conformity 
under that law. And yet the scripture consistently, 
the scripture constantly sets forth the forgiveness of sins 
for God's people. And that is connected inextricably 
to our Lord Jesus Christ. The ultimate problem of mankind 
is sin and rebellion against God. Turn over to Romans chapter 
8 to see how that affects mankind in terms of total depravity and 
total inability. In Romans 8, 7, it tells us, 
or Paul tells us there, because the carnal mind is enmity against 
God, for it is not subject to the law, I'm sorry, because the 
carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to 
the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then those who are in 
the flesh cannot please God. So those out there that want 
to please God have this nagging problem, this pesky problem of 
continuing to sin against Him. But God in the gospel has made 
provision. God in the gospel has brought 
hope. God in the gospel has brought an answer. And it's in this man, 
this Lord Jesus, who shed His blood so that all of our sins 
could be washed away. Who shed His blood so that all 
of our sins could be forgiven. The fact of total depravity and 
total inability renders sinners helpless in and of themselves. But we are not helpless in the 
realm of a sovereign God. God is gracious, God is merciful, 
God is kind, and God does grant, as we were reminded in the Scripture 
reading, repentance unto life and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 
So the very things that Paul says concerning an interest in 
Christ, which is faith, and we'll develop that in a moment, that 
itself is given by God. God is about the saving of sinners 
and salvation includes, it involves the forgiveness of sins. Let's 
look at a few passages in both old and new to see how glorious 
this idea of forgiveness is. Look at Psalm 25. Psalm 25. Psalm 25 verse 8, good and upright 
is the Lord, therefore he teaches sinners in the way. The humble 
he guides in justice and the humble he teaches his way. All 
the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep his 
covenant in his testimonies. For your name's sake, O Lord, 
pardon my iniquity, for it is great. The psalmist ties forgiveness 
of sins to the great name of God Almighty. And the psalmist 
indicates that that is his only refuge and his only hope. The 
very argument upon which he mounts this request is on his own sinfulness. The name of God and the sinfulness 
of David are the reasons why he invokes God to bless him with 
forgiveness, to bless him with mercy, to bless him with that 
covering. Turn over to Psalm 32. We sang 
this as the second song in our worship today. Psalm 32, verse 
1, blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. You see what David is saying? 
This is what makes a blessed man. David was a rich man. David 
had a multitude of wives. David had a palace. David had 
a kingdom. David had everything earthly 
possible to bring satisfaction to a creature. But that's not 
what causes him to rejoice. That's not what causes him to 
reflect upon the blessedness of man. What is blessed about 
man is that he is the recipient of God's grace. You see, brethren, 
we are rich men and women in Christ Jesus, our Lord, because 
he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly 
places in Christ. You may be dirt poor physically 
and temporally. You may have absolutely nothing 
in your bank account, but if you are in Christ Jesus, you 
are rich beyond compare. You have received every spiritual 
blessing. Justification, sanctification, 
glorification is in the future for the people of God. You see, 
this is what causes David to reflect. It's not his temporal 
blessings and benefits, though in another place he praises God 
for decking him or loading him with benefits. But he says, blessed 
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, 
and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Psalm 51, that psalm 
of repentance on the part of David. We know the particular 
occasion. The subscript tells us, verse 
1, to the chief musician, a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet 
went to him after he had gone into Bathsheba. David needed 
something here. He didn't need more mansions. 
He certainly didn't need more wives. He didn't need more money. 
He needed grace from on high, and he found it. See, if you're 
here this morning and you're not a believer, you're not a 
Christian, perhaps you've heard in the past, well, you know, 
God's not really about saving. God saves, but, you know, it's 
just like a miser. He just kind of doles it out 
in a little bit. I just want to have you abandon that thought. That is not the conception of 
the God of the Bible. Who's the God of the Bible? Luke 15. When 
that father saw the prodigal a great way off, he ran to him, 
he fell on him, he kissed him, and he ordered the slaying of 
the fatted calf. I'm sorry, but that image of 
God does not comport with the idea that there's just going 
to be this small little handful of people. And before you start 
to invoke the passage in Matthew, well, many are called and few 
are chosen. That's in a particular context. There's a particular 
emphasis in that passage. And it's simply not to teach 
us that there's only gonna be a handful in heaven. When you 
get to the book of Revelation, what do you see? Before the throne 
of God in the land who sits upon the throne, where the people 
of God cry out, salvation belongs to our God and to the land who 
sits upon the throne. It is a great multitude that 
no man can number. The God of the Bible is the father 
of the prodigal that runs to sinners. The God of the Bible 
is the God of David who forgave him of his adultery and murder. 
The God of the Bible is the one who took this Saul of Tarsus, 
who just a few chapters ago was breathing out threats and murder 
against the church, and now puts him in this synagogue in Pisidian 
Antioch preaching the forgiveness of sins. Does Paul understand 
that concept? Does Paul understand this doctrine? 
Is this why it finds its way into his preaching? Absolutely, 
positively! He was going to help kill the 
people of God Most High, and now he's a preacher of the grace 
of God Most High. He understands forgiveness, and 
he preaches it to the people in Pisidian Antioch. And that's 
what Psalm 51 does. Acknowledge my transgressions. 
Verse three, my sin is always before me. Against you, you only 
have I sinned and done this evil in your sight, that you may be 
found just when you speak and blameless when you judge. He 
says, behold, I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother 
conceived me. Doesn't mean the conjugal act 
was sin. It means that as soon as David was, David was in Adam. David was a sinner, constituted 
such, and then actual transgressions proceed from that. Verse 6, behold, 
you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part 
you will make me to know wisdom. And then verse 7, purge me with 
hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter 
than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness that the bones you have 
broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and 
blot out all my iniquities. See what he does not do? Okay, 
Lord, I've messed up, but I'm going to do better. I've messed 
up, Lord, but I'm going to get better. I've messed up, Lord, 
but I'm not going to commit adultery and murder anymore. Now, certainly 
that's necessary. He's not supposed to commit adultery 
and murder them anymore. But where does he go for forgiveness? 
He doesn't bring himself to God as an argument for why God ought 
to forgive him. He goes to God. Wash me, purify 
me, cleanse me. Verse 10, create in me a clean 
heart, O God, renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast 
me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit 
from me. Verse 12, restore to me the joy of your salvation 
and uphold me by your generous spirit. It's not that he wasn't 
converted and then fell into this sin. He was converted. That's 
why he says, restore to me the joy of your salvation, because 
it's lost as I have sacrificed that peace and comfort through 
my own wickedness and lawlessness. And then notice what David says 
in verse 13. It's similar to what Paul's doing 
in Acts 13. He says, then I will teach transgressors 
your ways and sinners shall be converted to you. In other words, 
as David experiences the grace of God and the forgiveness of 
sins that comes as a result of this man, this Christ, because 
that's who David believed on, he then teaches others concerning 
that grace, concerning that forgiveness, concerning that rightness with 
God that comes from God. Same with Paul. He was a gross 
sinner. He was a vile man. He tried to 
persecute the church of God and destroy it. And now as a conquered 
saint, he is preaching forgiveness through this man, Jesus. That 
is the greatest need of mankind, is forgiveness of sins. Notice 
as well, Psalm 130. You might say, well, these are 
the passages he always recites. Good. I hope they are nagging 
in your hearts on a regular basis. Not nagging in a bad sense. Not 
all nagging's bad. Kids, when your mothers nag you 
to eat your broccoli, that's good nagging. You should eat 
your broccoli. Even more so your beef. Psalm 
130, verse three. If you, Lord, well, let's look 
at verse one. Out of the depths I have cried 
to you, O Lord. You just don't get that in human 
composition. Now, I know that some hymns give 
us a bit of the dark side of sin and the sorrows of the soul 
and that sort of thing. But you've got to go to the psalter 
when you want the honest expression of the people of God. You got 
to go to the Psalms of Zion to enter into what is called experiential 
or experimental religion. Out of the depths I have cried 
to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let your 
ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. And what 
is intriguing here is that David was besought by trials and afflictions. David had a lot of issues in 
his life, as we might count issues. David had the constant sort of 
pursuit of Saul, trying to get rid of him. Now, where this is 
at in David's life, I'm not absolutely sure, but it wasn't just Saul 
that was on his heels. It was the Philistines. David 
had a lot of problems and a lot of challenges. He had a lot of 
struggles, and this is indicative of that. Out of the depths, I 
have cried to you, O Lord. But verses 3 and 4 indicate what 
the nature of his distress is. It wasn't the temporal. It wasn't the Philistines. It 
wasn't Saul. It was the Philistines and the 
Saul of the heart. It was the sin of the heart. It was the 
reality that he offended God. It was the reality that he had 
defected from God. It was the reality that all of 
us find ourselves in, that we have sinned against a holy God. 
And that's why he says that certain truth of verse 3, if you, Lord, 
should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? That is unreproachable. That logic is airtight. If God 
should mark iniquities, there is not a one of us who can stand. 
I don't care how good you think you are, how many virtues you 
believe flow from your very being. There is not a one of us that 
engage in the kind of demand or the demand of God's law upon 
us that we ought. So if God should mark iniquities, 
oh Lord, who could stand? But then notice what David says, 
but there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared. See, 
David walked in this constant reality that there is forgiveness 
with God. That's the constant reality that 
his people walk in today. They don't just hear this sermon 
in Acts 13, Pisidian Antioch, and reflect upon it with reference 
to their initial coming to Jesus Christ. We need every day to 
walk under the shadow of the cross. We need every day to be 
cleansed in that precious fount that is open for sin and uncleanness. We need every day to confess 
our sins, understanding that He's faithful and just to forgive 
us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Brethren, what 
really makes our Christianity wonderful is this theme, that 
God is redeeming people by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for 
His glory. In other words, man might try 
to deal with sin. Man might try to deal with aberrant 
behavior in society. Typically through education, 
we just teach them they'll get better. Typically through money, 
we just throw money at it and it will get better. But it never 
gets better. The only way to deal with sin 
is at the very base, and the only way to deal with that very 
base is through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's Zechariah 13. In those 
days there will be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness. Praise God for for that fountain. Praise God for that forgiveness. In the last hour, we talked about 
of the law of God in chapter 19 in the confession of faith. 
And I made the observation that at times, we Christians can come 
across as self-righteous. We Christians can come across 
as a bit insufferable. We Christians can come across 
like the Democratic Party in the United States. And we need 
to guard against that. And one of the helpful ways is 
to understand God's holy law. Brethren, if God should mark 
iniquities, who of us could stand right now as believers? Do you 
want to take that shot? Do you want to stand before God 
clothed in your own righteousness? Do you want to stand before God 
and say, okay, all these things I've kept from my youth, let 
me in. No, none of us want to do that. 
We are full of praise for our God and the provision of His 
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But you, or with you, there is 
forgiveness that you may be feared. Turn to the prophet Isaiah. Prophet 
Isaiah. Again. You might say, well, we 
spent a lot of time on the forgiveness of sins in this church. I'm not 
sure that we need to now. Well, okay. I think we need to, 
and I happen to be up here. So let's go ahead and rehearse 
this idea of the forgiveness of sins. Notice in the prophet 
Isaiah, specifically at Isaiah 43, 25. Isaiah 43, 25. Even I am He who blots out your 
transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your 
sins." Isn't that a beautiful statement? You say, well, does 
God forget? No, God doesn't forget. This 
is spoken in the manner of men. This is to assuage our consciences. This is to affirm and confirm 
for us that He doesn't forgive on Monday and then bring it back 
to bear on Thursday. You ever had that in your marriage 
relationship, husbands? You thought you took care of 
something, you thought you dealt with something, you thought that 
you were forgiven, only to hear five years later, you remember 
back then, you did such and such. It doesn't only happen to husbands, 
but husbands do that to wives as well, right? You know, back 
in March of 2000, you did this and I still haven't gotten over 
it. Well, this passage indicates that God is not like us. When He forgives, He does forget. Again, spoken in the manner of 
man, because there's nothing that God doesn't always know. 
But it's for us that the text indicates it in this manner. 
And I will remember your sins, or I will not remember your sins. 
And then notice in the prophet Isaiah chapter 45. Forgiveness 
isn't offered here, but it's contained. Isaiah 45, 22, look 
to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth, for I am God and 
there is no other. Isn't that beautiful? Why do 
we have this conception that God is a miser, God is Ebenezer 
Scrooge, God doesn't want to save anybody, God isn't the father 
of the prodigal, God doesn't run the returning sinners, and 
in that context, the returning sinner wasn't returning for the 
right motives. I don't believe that prodigal 
was saved until he had dealings with the father. I think that 
prodigal wanted a hot meal, is what he wanted. That was the 
return. So that return was less than noble itself, and nevertheless, 
the father falls on him, the father kisses him, the father 
puts a ring on his finger, and the father orders the fatted 
calf to be slain. It's about grace. It's not about 
the ingenuity or the wisdom of that sinner who thought to himself, 
well, I know that my father is benevolent and gracious. He just 
wanted a hot meal. The emphasis falls on, or the 
access falls on, God in His grace receiving that young man. This 
is most blessed. Look to me and be ye saved, all 
the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. Some 
of you have heard of Spurgeon's conversion. He was a young man, 
15 or 16. It was a snowy day. He wasn't able to get to church, 
so he popped into a Methodist chapel that he could arrive at. 
I think it was a Methodist chapel. And there, the minister was off. 
The minister wasn't there. And so he had a preacher, a man 
from the congregation. And I don't mean to offend. I 
know that we tell our kids not to use this particular word, 
but this is what Spurgeon said, how the New King James translates 
certain things in the Proverbs. So perhaps there's a way to use 
it in a positive and a way to not ever use it. But he referred 
to that man as a stupid preacher. That man didn't know anything. 
That man wasn't trained. That man hadn't gone to seminary. 
That man didn't have the ability to put together a homiletically 
correct sermon. So Spurgeon ends up there. And 
guess what the text is? The text is Isaiah 45, 22. And all the man, all the stupid 
preacher could do was repeat that verse. Look to me and be 
saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no 
other. And that man alighted on C.H. Spurgeon and he said, 
young man, have you looked? Young man, have you looked? God 
saved Spurgeon through the efforts of the stupid preacher that none 
of us know whose name it is. And then Spurgeon goes on to 
preach the forgiveness of sins to thousands and thousands and 
thousands of people. It's beautiful, brethren. Salvation 
isn't got by our works, by our merit, by our law-keeping, by 
our civility. Salvation is wrought by the grace 
of God. There is forgiveness with thee 
that thou mayest be feared. And God, through the prophet, 
notice, it's not just Israel. Look to me and be ye saved. All 
the ends of the earth, Jews, Gentiles, men, women, boys, girls, 
every kindred, every tribe, every tongue, every people group. This 
is proleptic, this is anticipatory. God through the prophet knows 
obviously that this gospel is gonna go forth all over the earth. And back here, back then, he 
says, look to me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth for 
I am God and there is no other. Look at the prophet Micah, Micah 
chapter seven. Micah chapter seven. Verse 14, shepherd your people 
with your staff, the flock of your heritage who dwell solitarily 
in a woodland in the midst of Carmel. Let them feed in Bashan 
and Gilead as in days of old, as in the days when you came 
out of the land of Egypt. I will show them wonders. The 
nations shall see and be ashamed of their might. They shall put 
their hand over their mouth. Their ears shall be deaf. They 
shall lick the dust like a serpent. They shall crawl from their holes 
like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord 
our God and shall fear because of you." Who is a God like you? It's beautiful. That's a play 
on the prophet's name. Micah means literally, who is 
a God like you? And so Micah cries out to God 
and notice, the cry is not because you judge the nations around 
us. The cry is not, who is a God like you who punishes these vile 
reprobates? That's not what elicits this 
from the prophet. It's not the reality of God's 
justice and judgment. We know fundamentally at a basic 
point in our experience that God is just, God is righteous. There is a moral government. 
He has put his law in our heart. That's not what provokes from 
the prophet wondering who is a God like you, but rather it's 
the redemptive privilege, it's the redemptive benefit, it's 
the grace of God. It's not the justice that cries 
out, who is a God like you? But it's an appreciation of grace. 
Who is a God like you? Verse 18, pardoning iniquity 
and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. 
He does not retain his anger forever. Notice this next clause, 
because he delights in mercy. See, if you've been taught, I 
can't go to God because God's vicious, hard, or cruel, you 
sound more like that guy with the talents. Sir, I knew you 
to be an austere man, I knew you to be a hard man, so I buried 
the dough so I wouldn't lose any. That's not the God portrayed 
in the Bible. He does what? He delights in 
mercy. You see, if you're a sinner here 
this morning, you should hear this and be encouraged. If you're 
a sinner here this morning, you should go, wow, you mean there's 
hope for a sinner like me? Yes, there's hope for sinners 
like you. There's hope for sinners like 
me. Certainly there's hope for sinners like you. Every sinner 
in here that has found that hope in and through this man, the 
Lord Jesus Christ, can affirm and attest and verify this is 
a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus 
came into the world, sinners to save. of whom I am foremost, 
or of whom I am chief, Paul says. Back to the text. He does not 
retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy. He will 
again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities. You 
will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. I like that 
God goes deep-sea fishing. I really appreciate that God 
goes deep-sea fishing. I like that He casts our sins 
into the depths of the sea. Because if God wasn't a deep-sea 
fisherman, if, speaking in the manner of man, if God only cast 
them into the shallowest parts of the sea, what would happen, 
inevitably? They'd bubble back up to the 
surface. They would be used against us. They would be constantly 
trotted out and put before our face. But that's not what God 
does. He takes those sins and He casts them into the depths 
of the sea. That's the testimony of the prophet 
Micah. Turning back to the book of Acts, 
this is a recurring refrain in the book of Acts, this emphasis 
on the forgiveness of sins. Peter, preaching to Jerusalem 
sinners in Acts chapter 2, makes this emphasis. Acts 2.38. Now, I say Jerusalem sinners 
because it's important for us to remember they were Jerusalem 
sinners. What was unique about Jerusalem 
sinners that hasn't been unique since? In this context, these 
Jerusalem sinners were the means by which the Son of God went 
to the cross. So you would think that that would disqualify them 
forevermore from ever being received favorably by God. The fact that 
they crucified the Lord of Glory, the fact that they put that man 
on the cross, the fact that they did this even in itself did not 
disqualify them from the forgiveness of sins offered by God through 
His preacher. Notice in verse 36 in Acts 2, 
Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that 
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and 
Christ. Now, when they heard this, they 
were caught to the heart. That's good. That's great. That's 
what we pray happens. God sent forth the Spirit. Bless 
the preaching of the Word and bless the reception of the Word. 
If a cutting to the heart happens this morning, don't lose that. In other words, after the sermon, 
if there has been an impression made by the Spirit with the truth 
of God, don't just discount that. If there is conviction wrought, 
that's a good sign. The remedy then must be sought, 
and it's what Paul says in verse 38, that through this man is 
preached to you the forgiveness of sins. So look back at our 
text. Verse 37, now when they had heard 
this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest 
of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Again, a great 
question. If you're convicted of your sin, that's a great question. 
Now, our default typically goes this way. What shall we do? I 
should go out and do better. I should go out and seek moral 
reform. I should go out and stop doing the bad. I should go out... 
No, no, no, that's not the answer to the question. Peter answers 
it, but the act of asking is a good sign. Men and brethren, 
what shall we do? Verse 38, Then Peter said to 
them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name 
of Jesus Christ. For what? for the remission of 
sins, for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises to you and to your children 
and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will 
call. Whether you're a Jerusalem sinner, whether you're the child 
of a Jerusalem sinner, or whether you're a heathen afar off, It's 
predicated on the fact of as many as the Lord our God will 
call. But the response to this gospel, 
the response to this instruction, the response to understanding 
that the Law and the Prophets led to our Lord Jesus, that He 
is the one who came down for us men and for our salvation, 
that He is the one who lived and died and was raised again, 
the response to that is faith. Believe on Him for the forgiveness 
of sins. And that's what Peter says. Now 
he uses repent. Often repent and believe are 
used synonymously in evangelistic passages here in the book of 
Acts. Turn over to Acts 3.19. Acts 
319, repent therefore and be converted that your sins may 
be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the 
presence of the Lord. If we ever ask the question, 
what moved these men? What moved these 12 men to go 
out and do what it is they did? Well, first of all, it was the 
glory of God. Secondly, it was obedience to 
the law of God because he had told them to do so. But thirdly, 
it was love for men. This is the best expression of 
the second great commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself. 
What's the best thing we can do for our neighbor? We can tell 
them the way of forgiveness. Especially in a society like 
ours, man, people are hurting. People are broken. People are 
destitute. People have all kinds of issues. But this is one area where God 
in Christ brings hope, brings encouragement, brings life, and 
brings blessedness. This is what our generation, 
every generation, desperately needs to hear. 531, 531, him God has exalted 
to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give repentance 
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And then 1043. The Apostle 
Peter preaching to the household of Cornelius, to him all the 
prophets witnessed that through his name, whoever believes in 
him will receive remission of sins. And I think this is really 
intriguing. because Cornelius is set forth 
as a good man. Cornelius is a just man. Cornelius 
is a devout man, but Cornelius is still a sinful man. Same in 
Pisidian Antioch. Those proselytes, the Greeks 
that we see in verse 43, those weren't just God-fearers. Those 
weren't just persons that were interested in the God of Israel, 
so they would go to synagogue. When it uses the language of 
proselyte, that means Gentiles, that had been converted to the 
religion of the Jews. They were baptized, they were 
circumcised, and they offered up sacrifice. So, having said 
that, as far as life and people go, they were decent people. 
These proselytes to the Jewish religion, These Jews that were 
in the synagogue wanting to hear about Yahweh of Israel. So, in 
that light, we can agree at least on a horizontal level, on a surfacing 
level, they're moral, somewhat decent people. And yet, notice 
the emphasis of the apostles. There is that tendency in us 
to hide behind our morality. There is that tendency in us 
to hide behind our perceived goodness. There is that tendency 
in us to think that all is well because there's some vestiges 
of external compliance to God's law. And yet the apostles come 
to these allegedly good people and preach to them the forgiveness 
of sins. What does that indicate? It doesn't 
matter your station. It doesn't matter your place. 
It doesn't matter how irreligious you are or how religious you 
are. The one fundamental common identifier characteristic of 
all men and women and boys and girls everywhere is that we have 
sinned against a just and holy God and we need forgiveness. And it's in this man that forgiveness 
is preached. It's in Christ Jesus that forgiveness 
comes. And then you turn to the epistles 
in the New Testament. Again, you see this emphasis 
on forgiveness. Why? Because we desperately, 
positively need it. Romans 4, 7, when the apostle 
is presenting his argument for justification by faith, he appeals 
to David in Psalm 32. Romans 4, 7, and 8, blessed are 
those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the 
Lord shall not impute sin. Turn over to Ephesians chapter 
1. Ephesians chapter 1. Verse seven, in him we have redemption 
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches 
of his grace. Beautiful. Ephesians one, verses 
three to 14 is one long sentence. There's no punctuation in the 
sentence in the original to sort of break it up. The translators 
do that because we don't think in terms of one long sentence 
from verses three to 14, but Paul did. And what is he rehearsing 
in verses 3 to 14? He's rehearsing the salvation 
of our triune God. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. He then focuses upon 
specifically the work of the Father in verses 4 and 5. Father 
chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. He predestinated 
us unto adoption as sons by Jesus Christ. He doesn't stop there. 
He praises the Father for the work of the Father. He praises 
the Father for the work of the Spirit. You see that in verses 
13 and 14. But He praises the Father for 
the work of the Son. He praises the Father for what 
Jesus has done on behalf of his people. You see the connection. 
Verse 6, he says, to the praise of the glory of his grace by 
which he made us accepted in the Beloved. Well, how did he 
make us accepted in the Beloved? Because of the prior work of 
the Beloved on their behalf. That's what verse 7 indicates. 
In him, that's the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through 
His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches 
of His grace. You see, forgiveness is a constant 
theme throughout Scripture. We could have gone before the 
book of Psalms. What's the sacrificial system 
in Leviticus all about? It's about sinful men approaching 
a holy God. I've shared before the whole 
reason why the book of Leviticus is in the Bible, or one of the 
reasons why, is to deal with the tension at the end of the 
book of Exodus. The book of Exodus, they finish 
the tabernacle. In the book of Exodus, the Shekinah 
glory of God comes upon the tabernacle. But Moses himself couldn't go 
into the tabernacle because Moses is a sinner. Moses, the holiest 
of Israel, the best and the brightest of Israel, cannot enter into 
that house, cannot enter into that tabernacle where the glory 
of God is. That's why the book of Leviticus, 
that's why the emphasis is on sacrifice in chapters 1 to 9 
in the book of Leviticus. How does sinful man approach 
a holy God? Well, as Morales tells us, it's 
through a bloody knife and a smoking altar. It is that sacrificial 
system that deals, at least typically, with the sins of the nation so 
that they can, in fact, commune with God in temple, in tabernacle. And even prior to that, what 
happens after the fall? What happens when Adam and Eve 
sin? Adam and Eve run from God. Adam and Eve show or set forth 
the default mechanism that has ever since been imitated. We 
sin against God, what do we do? We try to run and hide. We try 
to run and hide by pretending there is no God. We try to run 
and hide by suppressing the truth of God. We try to run and hide 
by our argumentation. We try to run and hide by our 
own attempts at atonement. We try to run and hide by a whole 
manner of things that are ultimately wicked in and of themselves. 
But how does God deal with Adam and Eve? He kills animals before 
them, and he covers them with those skins. Again, that's typical. That's pointing forward to the 
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But you see, 
Adam and Eve had sinned against God. They had transgressed that 
law. And now God comes to deal with them in grace. There is 
no forgiveness by your own attempt. There is no forgiveness by you 
trying to outweigh the bad with your good. Forgiveness is grace. Forgiveness is mercy. Forgiveness 
is goodness. Forgiveness is kindness. We don't 
earn it, we don't deserve it, but God in his mercy has granted 
it to us. Why? Because as the prophet Micah 
says, he delights in mercy. So I don't think we have that 
conception of God sometimes. And I'm not suggesting we shouldn't 
listen to verses 40 and 41 and the serious threat that's attached 
to Paul's preaching. That God is a just God. That 
God is a righteous God. That God, according to this altar, 
is angry with the wicked every day. But we always need to make 
sure that we're balanced in our understanding because that God 
who's angry with the wicked every day is the same God of Psalm 
103 who knows our frame. He knows that we're but dust 
and he pities us. That's our God. And if you're 
not a believer here this morning, that's God. And that God is accessible. We can come to the Father through 
the Son. This man in Paul's preaching, 
according to Acts 13 and verse 38, forgiveness does not come 
because you outweigh the bad in your life and God rewards 
you. Forgiveness doesn't come because 
you pay money, because you do certain things, because you enter 
into a bartering system with God. No, forgiveness is an act. 
of God's mercy to sinners. That's Paul's point in Acts 13, 
38. So he says, therefore, let it 
be known to you, brethren, that through this man is preached 
to you the forgiveness of sins. Now, I'm going to stop here because 
I don't want to take this too far afield or too long, rather. 
We'll pick up the next section, God willing, next week. So in 
terms of the redemptive preaching or the redemptive focus in his 
preaching, we've seen the preaching of the forgiveness of sins. God 
willing, next week we'll see the preaching of justification 
by faith alone. So Paul deals with both of those 
things, forgiveness, justification. I want to end on this particular 
note. that he says that the blessings of God are obtained not by our 
works, not by our merit, not by our righteousness, but through 
faith. Faith is the empty hand that God gives us to receive 
the blessings that God gives us. Faith is a gift given by 
God. Now, again, I've heard the logic 
before. Well, if we tell sinners that, that'll make them really 
sad and despair, because if it's not something that they can conjure, 
or conjure up, rather, then they have nothing to do. You know 
what my answer to that is? No sinner, apart from the grace 
of God, will ever even want forgiveness. I mean, he may want it for a 
bit of peace of conscience at some level, but the forgiveness 
of sins that comes as a result of the bloodshed of Jesus Christ, 
pagans just don't even concern themselves about those sorts 
of things. But if faith is a gift, think about the God that we've 
just surveyed. Think about the God that the 
Bible sets forth. A God who delights in mercy. 
A God who says, look to me and be ye saved, all the ends of 
the earth, for I am God and there is no other. The God who says, 
I will blot out all your transgressions. You see, the very thought that 
faith is a gift given by God is ground for great encouragement 
for any sinner here. because God is about doing these 
things. God is the father of the prodigal. 
God does run from the porch. God does fall on prodigals. God 
does kiss them. God does put rings on their fingers. 
God does put robes on their back. God does call for the slaying 
of the fatted calf. God does say there is rejoicing 
in heaven over one sinner who repents. If you do not have faith, 
if you do not have repentance, cry to the Lord God most high 
who grants it. But emphasize this, as Paul does, 
believe. Look unto Jesus Christ in faith. Our confession is so helpful 
here. There's a lot of confusion about faith. I think I've heard 
it with kids. Well, what does it mean to believe 
the gospel? What does it mean to believe on Jesus? Sometimes 
we get to the point where it's almost belief plus works, and 
so we have to be very careful to make sure that we define faith 
properly and in a manner that is consistent with Holy Scripture. 
Again, I think our confession helps when it says this. It says, 
by this faith, it's talking about saving faith, a Christian believes 
to be true whatsoever is revealed in the word for the authority 
of God himself. That's faith, isn't it? We believe 
whatever the Bible says. Oh, but scientists tell us the 
world is, what, four billion years old? I don't know what 
they're at now. That number just keeps increasing. Science has said it's all but 
replaced, thus sayeth the Lord. But for the person who has saving 
faith, he doesn't care what science says if science has gone off 
the reservation and entered into philosophy. Science can build 
us nice refrigerators. Science can build us nice cars. 
Science is a good thing. It simply means knowledge, and 
men who have that knowledge can do good things with it. But science 
can't get into the philosophical questions of the origin of the 
universe. That is a call they're not able 
to answer. They're not able to engage. And 
so we ought not to fear that. The person who has saving faith 
looks at the entirety of the Word of God and says, of course 
I believe it. Of course I believe there were Hittites, even though 
science or anthropology in the first part of the 20th century 
said, oh, you know, the Bible is false when it comes to these 
Hivites or Hittites. Well, the civilization was found 
by archaeology not long after such claims were made. So we 
believe whatever the Bible says, and that's what the Confession 
highlights. It says it also apprehends this faith, with reference to 
the Bible, and excellency therein above all other writings and 
all things in the world. In other words, the Bible is 
the best of books. I have a lot of books in my library. 
They're all about the Bible. Why? Because the Bible is the 
best of them. Because all Scripture is given 
by inspiration of God. As wonderful as Owen may have 
been, as wonderful as Spurgeon may have been, they were not 
writers who were guided by the direct inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit. And that's what we have in the 
sacred writings of Holy Scripture. Goes on to say, as it bears forth 
the glory of God and His attributes, the excellency of Christ and 
His nature and offices, and the power and fullness of the Holy 
Spirit in His workings and operations. Goes on to say, with reference 
to those who have saving faith, and so is enabled, the person 
who has saving faith, to cast his soul upon the truth thus 
believed. and also acts differently upon that which each particular 
passage thereof contains, yielding obedience to the commands, trembling 
at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this 
life and that which is to come." So you see what the confession 
does. Saving faith is believing everything 
the Bible says. seeing that the Bible is the 
book of books, the most excellent, the most wonderful, the most 
glorious thing ever. And then to see that as a believer 
in Christ, there's different responses to the law of God, 
obedience to the threatenings of God, warning to the promises 
of God, great encouragement and comfort. And then the confession 
hones in. It comes to get real specific 
on this matter of saving faith. And it goes on to say, But the 
principal acts of saving faith have immediate relation to Christ, 
accepting, receiving, and resting upon Him alone for justification, 
sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of the covenant of 
grace. So we believe everything that 
the Bible says but the principal acts of saving faith. What marks 
or identifies principally saving faith? It is to accept, to receive, 
and to rest upon Jesus Christ alone for justification, sanctification, 
and eternal life by virtue of the covenant of grace. And those 
are metaphors, that accept, that receive. Those are metaphors 
for belief on Him. In fact, John Calvin, I think, 
makes belief very simple. Again, if you study this issue, 
faith, sometimes people want to mix faith and works and call 
that faith. Well, that's not good. That's 
not a way to go with reference to faith. I think Calvin is right 
on John 3.33. He says, to believe the gospel 
is nothing else than to assent to the truths which God has revealed. It's so simple. Exactly. It's so simple, and yet it's 
so hard, isn't it? We need God's grace, we need 
the Spirit, we need conviction of sin, and we need Him to show, 
to set forth Christ as altogether lovely and as chief among 10,000. 
For you here this morning that are not believers in Jesus Christ, 
here's the answer. believe on Jesus Christ. Look 
unto me, Yahweh says, all the ends of the earth, for I am God 
and there is no other. That's the response to the message 
concerning this man, the Savior sent to Israel, the Savior preached 
by John the Baptist, the Savior that was crucified, the Savior 
that was resurrected. The response of any unbeliever 
is to look unto him in faith for the forgiveness of sins. Let us pray. Father, we thank 
you for your word, and we thank you for the clarity of the apostle 
and his preaching. I pray, Father, that these things 
would find the mark in our hearts as believers, that we would be 
refreshed and encouraged, that there is forgiveness with you, 
that you may be feared. And for unbelievers, that they 
may be encouraged, that there is forgiveness with you, that 
you may be feared. And God, I pray that we'd all 
ponder the prophets, the Psalter, and the New Testament, and what 
it testifies concerning our God. Our God that is gracious, our 
God that is in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, and our 
God who is calling men and women and boys and girls from every 
tribe, tongue, people, and nation. We thank you for Jesus. We thank 
you for the cross. We thank you for the resurrection. 
We thank you for his life of perfect obedience to the Father's 
law. And even now, Lord God, we pray 
that you would bless and strengthen our hearts and encourage us. 
And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.