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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13, just a reminder, 
we're considering the first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas sent 
out by the church in Antioch, the Antioch in Syria. They first 
go to Cyprus, and then they go to an Antioch in the region called 
Pisidia. So they are in Pisidian Antioch. 
The Apostle Paul has been invited to speak, to speak the truth 
to this particular synagogue. He does so, and as we saw last 
time that we gathered together, the Jews went out of the synagogue, 
the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them 
the next Sabbath. So we'll pick up the reading 
here in chapter 13 at verse 42. 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. On the next Sabbath, almost the 
whole city came together to hear the word of God. Well, when the 
Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and contradicting 
and blaspheming. They opposed the things spoken 
by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, it was necessary 
that the word of God should be spoken to you first. But since 
you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, 
behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded 
us, I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should 
be for salvation to the ends of the earth. Now when the Gentiles 
heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. 
And as many as had been appointed to eternal life, believed. And 
the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. 
But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief 
men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and 
expelled them from their region. But they shook off the dust from 
their feet against them and came to Iconium. And the disciples 
were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Our gracious God and Holy Father, 
we thank you for the Word and we praise you for this history, 
this record, this theological account of how the churches were 
planted in the early church, how the Word went forth and disciples 
were made. We thank you for the missionary 
enterprise begun here by Paul and Barnabas. How we thank you 
that that Word went forth and that it continues to go forth 
even to this day. And we would pray even now, God, 
that it would be active in our own minds and hearts as we gather 
here this morning. We pray that you would edify 
and strengthen and encourage your people. We pray that you 
would have mercy upon and convict and draw out of darkness into 
marvelous light those who are not yet Christ's. We know that 
salvation is of the Lord. We know that you are sovereign 
in these things. And God, we rest secure in that reality, 
knowing that you have purpose to save a great multitude that 
no man can number. from every tribe and tongue and 
people and nation. So God, extend that mercy and 
grace even now. And we pray that sinners would 
see the glory of Jesus Christ and would look to Him in faith 
and would know the joy of being found in Him. Do forgive us for 
our sins and our transgressions. Wash us afresh in that precious 
blood of Christ and fill us now with Your Spirit. And we pray 
in Jesus' holy name. Amen. Well, as I said, this is 
the first missionary journey. It took place in about AD 47 
and 48, covered about 1,400 miles, and it covered the churches, 
or rather the regions of Cyprus, as I mentioned already, the churches 
of Southern Galatia. We see here Pisidian Antioch, 
as Steve read, we'll notice, God willing, next week Iconium, 
and then Lystra, and then Derbe, and then once the Apostle Paul 
and Barnabas finish their mission, they go back through those particular 
regions, visit the churches, strengthen the brethren, appoint 
elders there, and then they ultimately return to the church in Antioch 
and give a favorable report. So chapters 13 and 14 in the 
Book of Acts do highlight for us that first missionary journey. Now, remember that Paul preached 
in this synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. And in the first place, 
in verses 16 to 22, he sketched Israel's history. He wanted to 
show that what he was speaking on, what he was preaching, was 
something consistent with their own history and their own scripture. He then announces the arrival 
of Israel's Messiah in verses 23 to 25, and then he explains 
the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He died, that 
He was raised the third day, and all those who look to Him 
in faith will have everlasting life. And then the last time, 
as I mentioned, we saw the immediate response in verses 42 and 43. Well, this morning we're going 
to take up the next Sabbath. The next Sabbath here in Pisidian 
Antioch, that's what verse 44 indicates. So I want to look 
at, first of all, the opposition of the Jews in verses 44 and 
45. Secondly, the response of Paul 
and Barnabas in 46 to 48. And then finally, the spread 
of the word in verses 49 to 52. But let's look at verse 44 in 
terms of the opposition of the Jews. So the following Sabbath 
day, notice what occurs according to verse 44. almost the whole 
city came together to hear the word of God. What an encouragement 
move by the spirit to produce that effect. Now the apostle 
Paul obviously preached in a manner that was consistent with the 
written word. The spirit was there. There was good reception 
on the part of the hearers. And then we see that in the next 
week, a week later, almost the whole city shows up. That indicates 
that the people who were at the Sabbath or rather at the synagogue 
on the previous Sabbath told others. They told others, you 
ought to come and you ought to listen to this man, Paul. You 
ought to hear what he says concerning Jesus, Israel's Messiah. You 
ought to hear the way of salvation by grace through faith in Christ 
Jesus, our Lord. So by word of mouth, the very 
city was roused and almost the whole city comes together to 
hear the word of God on that following Sabbath. So the preaching 
of Paul on the previous Sabbath was blessed of God and profitable 
to the hearers. Therefore, the hearers went out 
and rallied up further sort of support to hear the word as it 
would be proclaimed here. And that, of course, arouses 
the Jews according to verse 45. It's not every Jew. Certainly 
some Jews would have responded favorably to Paul's preaching. 
They would have come to know Jesus Christ as the promised 
Messiah, as the one that their scriptures testified concerning. 
But as a whole, there was unbelief on the part of Israel. They rejected 
the claims of Jesus. They rejected that he was, in 
fact, the one written of in the Old Testament prophets. In fact, 
modern Jews are still waiting for the Messiah. That's what 
distinguishes them. They are waiting for the one 
that will come in fulfillment of the scriptures, having rejected 
the one who in fact came in fulfillment of the scripture. So verse 45 
tells us, when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled 
with envy. And if we ask the question, why 
would they be filled with envy? I think there's two responses 
that we can make. In the first place, they wanted 
the Gentiles to come over to their particular position. We 
like victory when we preach. And these Jews, having rejected 
Jesus, didn't want these Gentiles to go after Jesus. As well, they 
certainly didn't want these Gentiles to go after the Apostle Paul. 
There is a power play among these religious leaders, just like 
it occurred in the time of, in the life and ministry of our 
Lord Jesus. They were incensed by him because persons followed 
him and wanted to hear what he had to say. And certainly if 
persons hear him and follow him and do what he says, they would 
no longer have a need for these particular religious leaders. 
So there's envy in their hearts, and as a result, they then try 
to shipwreck the very thing spoken by the Apostle Paul. So verse 
45 says, but when the Jews saw the multitudes, again, multitudes 
of Gentiles, These persons that would come to the synagogue and 
then left and then brought more Gentiles. When they saw these 
multitudes, they were filled with envy. And contradicting 
and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. So 
in terms of contradiction, Whatever Paul would have said, they would 
have said just the opposite. Paul claims that this Jesus of 
Nazareth is in fact the fulfillment of our scriptures. He's not. 
That's how they would contradict. But then it goes on to say that 
they blasphemed. Now this particular word that's 
used, when it's used from man to man, it can mean slander. So they slandered the things 
that were spoken by Paul or slandered Paul himself. But I think this 
is something of Luke's Christology. I think what Luke is telling 
us is to deny, or when you deny Jesus, when you resist the message 
concerning Jesus, you are blaspheming God. Remember that God is triune. God is Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit. You reject one of the persons of the Godhead, you are 
rejecting the entirety of the Godhead. And as a result, you 
are a blasphemer. So it's not so much, I think, 
that they were slandering Paul, though that was part of it. They 
were actually blaspheming the very word and truth of God Almighty. And I think we all need to let 
this soak in, because I think there are times that the Christian 
church can get a bit lost on this particular account. We think 
that just because Jews are monotheists, they're somehow connected to 
us. They're not. They reject the Savior. I don't 
say that to promote hate or anti-Semitism, but to promote pity on their 
part, to promote on our part for them, and then prayer and 
a desire to see them converted to the truth as it is in Jesus. 
In that second petition of the Lord's Prayer, the Westminster 
Larger Catechism highlights the reality or the need to go and 
preach to the Jews, because they need the gospel. They need the 
truth as it is in Jesus. Apart from Him, they will perish 
eternally in hell. And so we need to understand 
that blasphemy or rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ is blasphemy 
against the Lord God most high. And Luke sort of summarizes everything 
at the end of verse 45 by saying, they opposed the things spoken 
by Paul. And you can see again why. They 
rejected Jesus. They said it was not Jesus that 
fulfilled everything that the prophets wrote. They were still 
waiting for the Messiah. And as a result, they speak these 
evil things. Now notice secondly, look at 
the response of Paul and Barnabas. I think this is very instructive 
for us because there's always going to be opposition. There's 
always going to be resistance against the message of Christ 
and Him crucified. What are we supposed to do when 
people do oppose us? Do we run and do we hide? Do 
we cower? Do we quiver? Do we cry? Do we 
say, oh, we're snowflakes and we need a safe place? Notice 
what happens with Paul and Barnabas. They were emboldened. They grew 
more bold. The opposition didn't stop them, 
but rather the opposition aroused in them a more earnest commitment 
to setting forth Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is the 
kind of ministers that we need today. These are the kinds of 
men that when we pray to the Lord of the harvest to raise 
men up, that they would be these kinds of men. Men that don't 
twist or distort or change the message or shave off the rough 
edges, but when opposition or persecution comes, they get emboldened 
to speak even more earnestly concerning the glory of Jesus 
Christ the Lord. That's precisely what the text 
tells us. Notice verse 46, then Paul and 
Barnabas grew bold. They grew bold. Now, as we look 
at this, this isn't always typical, is it? When men are silenced 
or men aren't rejected or are resisted, at times they don't 
grow bold. Now, this wasn't native to the 
apostle Paul. We saw in Acts 4, the other apostles, 
not Paul at that time, they pray to God so that they may speak 
the word with boldness. The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 
6, tells the Ephesian Christians to pray for me, that utterance 
would be given to me, so that I may speak the word boldly as 
I ought to speak. So we see that God is sustaining 
His servants. God is granting them what they 
need. That in the midst of opposition, 
in terms of men, God's on their side. The Spirit is upon them, 
and they now are bold to speak the truth. Now notice how they 
respond. They say in the first place that 
there was a priority with reference to gospel preaching. In other 
words, the Jews first. Notice verse 46. Then Paul and 
Barnabas grew bold and said, it was necessary that the word 
of God should be spoken to you first. We see that in Jesus' 
commission in Luke 24. Where are they supposed to begin? 
Jerusalem. We see it in Acts chapter one. 
You'll be witnesses of me or to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, 
and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. Peter echoes this 
in Acts chapter three at verse 21. To you first, this message 
comes. The apostle Paul highlights this 
in Romans 1 16. I'm not ashamed of the gospel 
for it is the power of God to everyone who believes. To the 
Jew first and also to the Greek. And if we ask the question, why 
the priority? Because it was initially revealed 
unto them at the call of Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans in 
Genesis chapter 12. The promises, the prophecies, 
they were given to this people, the people called Israel. And 
that's why there is this priority to explain to them that the very 
scriptures that they held in their laps were the very Word 
of God that displayed or expressed rather that Jesus was in fact 
the Christ, the Son of the living God. I think Barrett summarizes 
well. He says, the Christian message 
was the fulfillment of Israelite history and especially of Israelite 
prophecy. So it doesn't say to the Jew 
first and then to the Greek, as if Greeks or Gentiles are 
somehow unimportant, as if Jews have a leg up on the Gentiles. No, in terms of God's redemptive 
plan, the promise initially comes to Israel. So when Christ comes 
in accordance with that promise, it is imperative upon the early 
church to make this known to the Jews. But then notice what 
he goes on to say in terms of their culpability and in terms 
of their responsibility. Notice at verse 46, it was necessary 
that the word of God should be spoken to you first, but since 
you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life. Now that's a very intriguing 
way that the Apostle highlights their culpability or their responsibility. This is a very intriguing passage 
because in verse 46, Luke indicates to us the responsibility of man. And then in verse 48, Luke indicates 
to us the sovereignty of God. Someone once asked Charles Spurgeon, 
how do you reconcile God's sovereignty and human responsibility? He 
says, I don't need to reconcile friends. Both things are taught 
in the scripture. And we need to guard our hearts 
against a rationalistic attempt to try and pair off the edges 
that we perceive to be rough. But in verse 46, he indicates 
their responsibility, and this is most important. This is crucial. When he says, since you judge 
yourselves unworthy of eternal life, I don't think Paul, that 
theologian of grace, that theologian who understood all too well total 
depravity and total inability, actually thinks that persons 
think that they're worthy of eternal life. That's not the 
case. No man rightly understanding his sin can ever assume that 
he's worthy of eternal life. We are worthy of eternal punishment. We are worthy of eternal torment. 
We are worthy of eternal separation from the presence of God and 
the glory of His power. That's what we're worthy of. 
But he's using a manner of speech to provoke in them this understanding 
of their responsibility for having rejected Jesus Christ as Lord. 
Notice the text, verse 46. He says, since you reject it 
and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life. Again, don't 
think he's saying, now I think that people out there are worthy. 
No, he is saying that to reject Jesus, to reject the gospel of 
Jesus is to put yourself outside of everlasting life. There's 
one way of acceptance with God, and that is through Christ the 
Lord. If you reject that, you are fundamentally taking yourself 
out from that place of possible blessing and putting yourself 
on the outs. That's the emphasis. Reject Jesus, 
you reject everlasting life. Reject Jesus, and you embrace 
the wrath and fury and punishment of God. Reject Jesus, and everything 
will be miserable for you. Now this isn't the case simply 
for first century Jews in Pisidian Antioch, but the same thing is 
true even now. If you continue to resist, you 
continue to reject, you continue to stiff arm the offer of mercy 
and grace, which should continue to come, Then you judge yourselves 
unworthy of eternal life and put yourself in a position that 
is horrific. It is terrible and terrifying. 
And I would submit to you that you should pay attention to what 
happens in this particular passage. They had in fact become the despisers 
of verse 41. They had in fact become the very 
enemies of the gospel of free and sovereign grace. And that's 
what Paul emphasizes and highlights for them in this instance. Now, 
it does not mean he would never speak to Jews again. He will 
certainly speak when he says, we're going to turn to the Gentiles. 
Doesn't mean he's given up on them. It doesn't mean that he 
stopped praying for them. It doesn't mean that he's not 
going to visit their synagogues and present the gospel to them. 
But in this instance, in Pisidian Antioch, with all these multitudes 
of Gentiles coming and the Jews themselves resisting and counting 
themselves unworthy of eternal life, Paul says that we will 
turn to the Gentiles. Now again, remember, in this 
particular context, this would not have pleased them. This would 
not have made these Jews happy. In fact, later in Acts chapter 
22, they follow his message until the time when he says that God 
called us to go after the Gentiles. It's at that point that Paul 
has to stop his defense because everybody flips out. The thought 
of Gentiles entering in to the very covenant community that 
at one time was only by Israelite, that was an offense 
to these people. But Paul doesn't shrink back 
from telling them that. So these Jews, the Apostle highlights 
their responsibility in rejecting, and then at the end of verse 
46 he says, we turn to the Gentiles. Now notice this mission to the 
Gentiles in verses 46 and 47. Paul gives the reason for this 
in the first place God commanded it. God commanded Paul to go 
after the Gentiles. Acts 1, generally, you're my 
witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost 
parts of the earth. But then look at the call of 
Saul of Tarsus in particular in Acts 9.15. Acts 9.15. But the Lord said to him, verse 
15, go for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before 
Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. That was Paul's marching 
order. And so in Pisidian Antioch, When 
the Jews in Mass reject him and resist him and blaspheme the 
very Christ that he's preaching, he says, we're going to turn 
to the Gentiles. We're going to go after them. This is what 
God has commanded. Look at Acts 26. Paul, before 
Agrippa, asserts or highlights the very mission that was given 
to him by the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 26, and it sounds a lot 
like the passage that Steve read from in Isaiah 42. But if you 
look at Acts 26 at verse 15, so I said, who are you, Lord? 
And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. but rise 
and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, 
to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you 
have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will 
deliver you from the Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles, 
to whom I now send you, to open their eyes in order to turn them 
from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that 
they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among 
those who are sanctified by faith in me. So, just to summarize 
before we move on, the Apostle is saying that the promise made 
to Abraham, continuing through Isaac and Jacob, expounded on 
in the entirety of the Old Testament, both prophets and psalmists, 
has come to pass. It's come to fruition. Jesus 
is the Savior sent to Israel. And for these Jews to reject 
that, they have judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life, 
so we're gonna go to the Gentiles. Now, how does this affect the 
Gentiles? This is what we see in the passage. Paul says in verse 47, for so 
the Lord has commanded us, he was commanded, and then he invokes 
the prophet Isaiah, not 42, 49. There's similarities between 
42 and 49, but here it's Isaiah 49, verse six. It says, I have set you as a 
light to the Gentiles that you should be for salvation to the 
ends of the earth. Now, in Isaiah the prophet, there's 
four songs. They call them songs, servant 
songs of the Lord. And it's in Isaiah 42, Isaiah 
49, Isaiah 50, and Isaiah 53, 52 and 53. And essentially what 
you get in these servant songs are facets of the person and 
the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, interestingly, this is about 
the servant. Isaiah 42, Isaiah 49, Isaiah 
50, Isaiah 53. It's about Jesus, the Messiah. But notice what Paul is doing 
in this very instance. He is invoking Isaiah 49.6 and 
applying it to himself. In other words, he is suggesting, 
or is stating, or declaring rather, that he is a light to the Gentiles. He has been given by God for 
the salvation to the ends of the earth. How can that be? If 
it's Jesus, originally or initially, how could it possibly be the 
apostles as well? Well, by virtue of our union 
with Jesus Christ. When we make known the glory 
of Christ throughout the earth, that is a light under the Gentiles. 
That is precisely what the prophet was speaking to. Again, I think 
Barrett highlights this well. He says, Paul is a light of the 
Gentiles only in virtue of the Christ whom he preaches. It's 
not that Paul was the greatest guy in the world, wandered around 
and just emanated light. That's not the emphasis. The 
emphasis is that as Paul preaches Christ, as Paul preaches forgiveness 
of sins, as Paul preaches a righteousness that avails with God, he is then 
emanating the light to the Gentiles. The declaration of Jesus Christ 
is the revelation of light to Gentiles. So Paul is a light 
to the Gentiles only in virtue of the Christ whom he preaches. 
Christ is the light to the Gentiles as he is preached to them by 
his servants. So you see what Paul is doing. 
The promise was prophesied by Isaiah. It's come to pass in 
the person and work of Christ and in us, his emissaries or 
his ambassadors. It really is a wonderful bit 
of theology. Simeon, that man who saw the 
Lord's salvation, rehearses this truth as well in his song in 
Luke chapter 2. In Luke chapter 2, we have that 
man Simeon, and he says, Lord, now you are letting your servant 
depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen 
your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all 
peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory 
of your people Israel. So Paul says this is coming, 
this is happening rather right now. God Almighty has ordained 
that we would be a light to the Gentiles, that we would be the 
ones to announce salvation to the ends of the earth. Now, the 
Gentiles respond favorably to this, as you would expect they 
would, right? I mean, that makes sense when 
they hear Gentiles, they hear the mission of the Savior himself 
and the mission of the Savior's apostles. Certainly, their ears 
would be a prick. They would want to pay attention 
to this. And we see, according to verse 48, they receive the 
word. They glorify the word of the 
Lord. It's such a blessed thing. And 
I think that goes back to what we see the spirit is doing in 
this very instant. On the previous Sabbath, when 
they left the synagogue, Gentiles begged that the word would be 
preached to them. On the following Sabbath, almost 
the entire city came and gathered together. What's the point? There 
was a hunger for God's word in this first century context. And 
I'm not convinced that we always see that hunger for God's Word 
in our 21st century context. We're kind of a take-it-or-leave-it 
sort of a Christian movement. Well, you know, we confess the 
importance of the Word of God, but it's not so important that 
I'd read it every day. It's not so important that I'd 
read it to my children every day. It's not so important that 
I'd attend the services at my church every Sunday or even Wednesday 
night. Brethren, if we value and we 
prize the word of God, we will not only be beggars for it, but 
we will respond favorably to it. And this concept or idea 
of glorifying the word of the Lord seems interesting, doesn't 
it? Psalm 138 says that God magnifies his word, even above his name. If you read the Old Testament, 
you ask the question, what does, or what is the significance of 
the names of God? It's God, it's who God is. The 
names of God reveal to us who God is. And yet in Psalm 138, 
it says that he's magnified his word above his name. That shows 
his interest in that word. But when we get to these Gentiles, 
what does it mean that they glorify the word of the Lord? I think 
Calvin explains it well. He says, and surely we do then 
honor the word of God as we ought when we submit ourselves obediently 
to it by faith. That's what it means to glorify 
the word of the Lord, when we submit obediently to it by faith. That's when we know, whether 
you ever say, boy, I just glorify the word of the Lord, whether 
or not you ever sing Psalm 138, the reality is, is that those 
who submit obediently to it by faith are those who revere it, 
those who treasure it, those who say with the psalmist, it's 
much finer than gold. there is this prize, there is 
this value to it, there is this desire after it. And then Calvin 
concludes the statement by saying, as it cannot be more grievously 
blasphemed than when men refuse to believe it. So these Gentiles 
hear the mission that marked the Savior, but the mission that 
marks the Savior's apostles. And so these Gentiles are now 
intrigued, but then 1348b indicates why it is they believed. Were they smarter than the unbelieving 
Jews? Were they not as sinful as the 
unbelieving Jews? Was their free will left intact 
more so than the unbelieving Jews? No, the very fact that 
these Gentiles believed the Word of God was due and owing to God. 1348b is a statement concerning 
God's absolute sovereignty. There is absolutely no way to 
try to change it, or to try to tamper with it, to make it say 
something that is contrary to our theology. We don't have to 
do that. Armenians do. They don't like this passage. 
So they try and change it. They try to make it say the opposite. Those who believe were appointed 
unto eternal life. That's not what the text says. 
The text is a conspicuous presentation of the absolute and unrivaled 
sovereignty and majesty of God. Notice in 1348b, "...and as many 
as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Calvin says again, 
for this ordaining must be understood of the eternal counsel of God 
alone. And this place teaches that faith 
depends upon God's election. See, there are those who teach 
that we believe and then we're born again. That's not what John 
3 tells us. We are born again in order that 
we might believe. Others teach, again trying to 
turn this text on its head, to suggest that when we believe, 
that's when God elects us unto eternal life. No, faith is a 
consequence of election. Faith is a consequence of predestination. Faith is not the cause. Faith 
is not the reason. Faith is not the producer of 
election. Rather, God chose us in Him before 
the foundation of the world. And as a result of that sovereign 
grace, then sinners, according to God's timing and plan, according 
to the power and presence of His Holy Spirit, believe the 
truth as it is in Jesus. Again, this differentiates Reformed 
or Calvinistic believers from those who reject this or resist 
it. Brethren, the reality is that 
if God had not chosen us, we would have never chosen Him. 
If God had not predestined us, we would have never looked favorably 
upon Him. If election is unbiblical, then 
none of us are going to be saved. It must be this way. But as I 
said, Luke makes sure that we understand it's not only God's 
sovereignty, but he can tell these unbelieving Jews in verse 
46, since you judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. Again, 
we're not called to reconcile friends. Both things are taught 
in Scripture. To try and eliminate one or the 
other ends up in either hyper-Calvinism or Arminianism or Pelagianism. 
Reformed theology, consistent Calvinism, takes the statements 
of Scripture and deals with it. exegetes them in their context 
and sees there is no discrepancy whatsoever, that God Most High 
is sovereign, that man is in fact responsible, and that when 
it comes to glory given for salvation, it goes to God. It's not us. It's not our expression of faith. 
It's not our wretched free will. Brethren, before God started 
working in us, we were that man, that woman described by the apostle 
in Romans chapter three. There is non-righteous, no not 
one. What does Paul say about man 
in that particular place? He says, there is no fear of 
God before their eyes. There is none who seeks after 
you. That's us in our natural state. That was these Gentiles in their 
natural state. That was these unbelieving Jews 
in their natural state. What makes the difference? We 
just sang, pity the nations, oh our God, and constrain the 
earth to come. Brethren, this promotes hope, 
this promotes confidence, this promotes gospel preaching. The 
idea that understanding God's sovereignty will somehow inhibit 
us or keep us from preaching the gospel. I could never preach 
the gospel if I thought for a moment it was up to a guilty, vile, 
helpless sinner to make a decision for Jesus. I rejoice in Psalm 
110, where God the Lord, or David under God the Lord, says that 
you make men willing in the day of your power. The reality is, 
is that God saves to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto Christ, 
and he is the one that receives the honor and the praise. There 
is a parallel passage to this. Do you ever have those instances 
where you think of something, and then somebody else says it, 
and you go, oh, that's cool. A little confirmation there. 
That's my charismatic side, I guess, or my Pentecostal side. But I 
thought John 10.26 when I reflect on Acts 13.48. And then I glanced 
at Gil, and when he was discussing 1348, he has John 10, 26. Now, probably I saw that sometime 
ago, and that's why it was there. So it's not like I had this original 
great thought, it's probably planted there by John Gil, and 
then I thought it was mine, I see John Gil. But listen to what 
Jesus says in John 10, 26. But you do not believe because 
you are not of my sheep. You do not believe because you 
are not of my sheep. If God had purposed you to be 
a sheep, if God had purposed you as an elect sinner, if God 
had purposed or predestined you unto salvation, you would believe, 
but you don't believe because you're not of my sheep. See, 
the Arminian flips the passage on its head. He says, well, now 
that you believe, God is instituting you as the sheep. Now that may 
seem like a subtle distinction, but it's massive. It's huge. It locates the primacy of the 
will upon the sinner rather than upon God. And this is Christ. You do not believe because you 
are not of my sheep. Same sort of construction. As 
many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. Now let's 
look finally, the spread of the word. The spread of the word. 
We'll visit this at the end. Notice in verse 49, this is a 
summary, 49 to 52 summarizes essentially what's happened in 
Pisidian Antioch. Now we've spent a considerable 
amount of time walking our way through Paul's preaching here 
in Pisidian Antioch. So verses 49 and following sort 
of summarizes as the dust settles, no pun intended, because that's 
actually gonna happen here, but as Luke is summarizing, he wants 
us to understand the spread of the word. And what does that 
indicate to us? That indicates that the opposition 
cannot silence God. Be encouraged about that. Psalm 
29 tells us the voice of the Lord crushes the cedars of Lebanon. So try as these unbelieving Jews 
might in Pisidian Antioch to silence the apostles, to contradict, 
to envy them, to blaspheme the very things that they're speaking. 
What happens according to verse 49? And the word of the Lord 
was being spread throughout all the region. There's an instance 
in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul, a later imprisonment, 
in 2 Timothy 2, verse 9. He says, "...for which I suffer 
trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains." But 
the Word of God is not chained. And doesn't that happen in history? 
I think this is the application of the psalmist when he says, 
"...even the wrath of man shall praise you." Try as they might 
to suppress the truth as it is in Jesus, it can't be suppressed. Try as you might to take its 
chief spokesman off the beaten path and put him in jail. The 
Word of God is not chained. Try as you might to extinguish 
the Christian movement. It's not going away. Christ is 
at the right hand of the Father. Christ is building His church. 
Christ has promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it. Brethren, we ought to be very 
bold, very encouraged, and very earnest, and very hopeful with 
reference to the spread of the gospel. I feel like at times 
we think we're like third or fourth or fifth in the line of 
who's really important in society. I mean, Islam is growing so rapidly. Christ must reign till all of 
his enemies are made his footstool. That's just the simple biblical 
reality. There's one institution, one 
group that continues on, and that is the church, because behind 
her is Christ the Lord, who has omnipotence and omnipresence 
to be their guide, to be their shield, and to see them through 
the various assaults of men. Notice that he revisits or highlights 
the escalation of the opposition of the Jews. And this is something 
I think is symptomatic of church history. We've already seen it 
in the book of Acts. They initially tried to stop 
the apostles by just charging them, commanding them, don't 
do this anymore. We forbid you to preach in the 
city. Talk about freedom of speech. I mean, that's just an absent 
sort of a thought or concept when it comes to religion or 
politics. I mean, these men are incensed. They want to get rid 
of that which offends. Now, as Christians, we fully 
disagree with the claims of false religionists. We fully disagree 
with the claims of heretics, but do we expel them from cities? 
Do we arouse the prominent women? Do we get the chief men of the 
city to chase them out of our city? That's the animosity and 
the antipathy of these men toward the cause of God and truth. Notice, 
escalation according to verse 50. But the Jews stirred up the 
devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised 
up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from 
their region. Paul speaking to this in 2 Timothy 
3, 10 and 11. He says to Timothy, but you have 
carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, 
long-suffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which 
happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra, what persecutions 
I endured, and out of them all the Lord delivered me. You see 
that antipathy of the God-hater toward the truth. You see that 
enmity. As I said earlier in the Book 
of Acts, they first charge them, tell them, command them not to 
preach anymore in the city. And then they escalate it. They 
imprison them. They put them in jail. They escalate 
it. They beat them. They escalated by the time we 
get to Acts chapter 7. What happens to Stephen? The 
same sort of a situation. They cannot defeat Stephen in 
an exchange of doctrine. Acts 6 tells us that. These men 
disputed with Stephen and Stephen continually bested them. So what 
do they have recourse to? False charges. Deliver him up 
to the Sanhedrin. Tell them that he's a blasphemer. 
Brethren, these are capital offenses that the godless are willing 
to engage in, whether it means slander, whether it means blasphemy, 
whether it means twisting or distorting the truth, whatever 
it takes to silence the opposition. That escalation occurs here in 
the book of Acts, and we see it occurring. We just read in 
the last hour, Pastor Wang Yi, From the Steve mentioned I think 
it's a bit odd too. I think there's an Old Testament 
reference there, but it's early reign Covenant Church He's a 
reformed preacher in China, and he was just sentenced to nine 
years nine years that man is going to be taken off the beaten 
path because he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and Missionaries 
that we know, that we love, that we support, that we've prayed 
for for 20 years are now having to leave China because of the 
gross opposition, because of the oppression, and the attempt 
at suppression. But you know what's going to 
happen? They're not going to be able to extinguish. They're 
not going to be able to wipe out the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 
In fact, it would probably be of God, or normal to the way 
God deals, once all these Western missionaries are gone, to see 
a time of great blessing and revival. Not suggesting that 
they've impeded that or hindered that, but just to show these 
commies in China that you can't stop the Word of God. Though 
you may imprison Paul, the word of God is not chained. Though 
you may kill Stephen, the word of God is not stopped. Though 
you may contradict, and though you may be filled with envy, 
and though you may blaspheme the things spoken by Paul, what 
happens to the word? It spreads throughout the region. You cannot silence the King of 
kings and the Lord of lords. You cannot stop the advance of 
Christ and his church. You cannot. He has promised, 
and he has, all authority, all power in heaven and on earth. So these men, these Jews, these 
unbelievers, stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief 
men of the city. They raised up persecution against 
Paul and Barnabas and then expelled them. You're no longer welcomed 
in our region. You're no longer welcomed in 
our part of the world. We no longer want you as long 
as you're preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus. Now notice 
Paul and Barnabas's response in verse 51. They take seriously 
the Lord's admonition. Doesn't Jesus in the gospel narrative, 
specifically Matthew 10, 14, tell them that when they go into 
these cities, if these cities reject them, if these cities 
refuse them, then shake off the dust from your feet. Have no 
truck with those people whatsoever. You have nothing in common with 
those people and therefore you shake off that dust and you separate 
yourselves from them. One commentator, Dennis Johnson, 
says, the long-suffering and non-violent gentleness of Jesus' 
servants should not be mistaken for a lack of divine authority. 
Their message cannot be scorned with impunity. Rather, their 
dust-shaking ceremony previewed the day when God himself will 
make an utter separation between those who have fled to him for 
refuge and those who have fled from him in rebellion. In a terrifying 
prelude to the final division, Jesus instructed his emissaries 
to give certain cities what they wanted, to withdraw the indicting 
and saving word of God from them. That's a very appropriate comment. 
They're not pushovers. There's no lack of divine authority 
when a group of people rejects or resists the word of God. It simply means that you indicate 
the judgment of God is going to be upon them. Paul does that 
in his preaching. Notice in Acts 13 at verse 40. 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. You see, we preach the love of God, we preach the mercy 
of God, we preach the grace of God, we preach the righteousness 
of Christ, we preach the forgiveness of sins, but we equally preach 
the judgment of God, the wrath of God, the fury of God, and 
the righteousness of God. We don't say, oh no, God loves 
everybody all the same, and everything's just gonna work out in the end. 
Brethren, we are not universalists. The Bible sets forth a real hell. 
The Bible sets forth a real separation between the sheep and the goats. 
The Bible sets forth this reality, that the righteous have bliss 
in heaven, and that the unrighteous will be cast off forever into 
hell. And if we don't tell men, if we don't warn men, if we don't 
exhort men, then we're not being consistent with our calling. 
So the apostles indicate, or the apostle rather, along with 
Barnabas, shakes off the dust from their feet against them, 
and then they go to Iconium. Now notice finally the joy of 
the disciples. Verse 52, the disciples, most 
likely the disciples in Pisidian Antioch. Those who had just received 
the word. Those who had, not that I'm suggesting 
Paul and Barnabas didn't have joy, of course they had joy. 
They were Paul and Barnabas. I mean, Paul was that sort of 
fellow that when you were around him, he probably just had a smile 
on his face. He loved Jesus, and he had the joy of the Lord. 
Paul, remember, was the man who commanded us, rejoice in the 
Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. I 
don't ever have in my mind this long-faced, miserable Paul. That's not what I see when I 
don't envision Paul in the sense of, you know, any beard, mustache, 
not like that. But I just don't get this dour, 
sour-pussed fellow, this guy who looks like he's just munched 
lemons and he's miserable. I get that from the unbelieving 
Jews. I think there is a contrast here 
between the disciples and the opposition. Opposing Jesus Christ 
does not promote joy. Resisting Jesus Christ does not 
promote happiness. I think it's safe to say that 
most everybody, I realize there's exceptions to every rule, but 
most everybody wants joy. Most everybody wants happiness. 
Most everybody wants some sort of order and goodness in their 
life. Well, the way to that is not 
by resistance against God. The way to that is not by rejecting 
Christ and the claims of the gospel. The way to that is by 
faith in Christ. And that's precisely what these 
disciples have. The disciples were filled with 
joy and with the Holy Spirit. Paul in Romans 14, 17 will write, 
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness 
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Verse chapter 15 verse 
13 in the book of Romans, he says, now may the God of hope 
fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound 
in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. And again, I think the 
contrast is marked. There's this opposition. that 
isn't joyful. There's this opposition that 
doesn't have or know the Holy Spirit. And then you have these 
believers, these disciples, who have both. They have joy and 
the Holy Spirit, which indicates, again, that even though there 
is opposition against the truth as it is in Jesus, that doesn't 
mean the absence of joy. We can still be joyous even in 
a situation where there's persecution. We can still be joyous even when 
there's this opposition to our cause. Why? Because our joy isn't 
rooted in externals. Our joy isn't fleeting. Our joy 
isn't here and there. Our joy, rather, is in the triune 
God of Holy Scripture. That's where our joy is. And when men oppose, when men 
persecute, when men contradict, when men blaspheme, when men 
resist the things that we speak or believe, it doesn't mean that 
we're going to be the joyless, miserable lot that they themselves 
are. Brethren, joy is consistent even 
in the midst of persecution and affliction. Well, in conclusion, 
just a couple of thoughts and then we'll close. First, In terms 
of the opposition to the gospel, when we see the book of Acts 
right off the bat, it doesn't take long to get into this. The 
first chief enemy of the Church of Christ is unbelieving Jews. 
Secondly will be the Roman Empire. Initially, the Roman Empire was 
favorable, or if not favorable, they left Christianity alone. 
They saw Christianity as a subset of Judaism. And Judaism, for 
the most part, in the empire, was left alone. They had a degree 
of liberty. They had the freedom to worship. 
They had their synagogues. They had these various things. 
And for the most part, they weren't molested by the civil state. 
But as Christianity starts to go forward, and as persons start 
to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, the civil state gets increasingly 
more opposed to that. So you've got unbelieving Israel, 
and then you've got the Roman Empire that is after the people 
of God. So that opposition is introduced 
to us early on in the record by Luke, because he's not lying 
to us. He is not deceiving us. He's 
not suggesting to us that once you become a Christian, everything's 
just going to be hunky-dory, and it's really going to be like 
the Charismatics say. It's really going to be like Joel Osteen 
says. Every day will be like a Friday. No, that's not reality. There's heartache, there's hardship, 
there's imprisonment, there's martyrdom, there's suffering, 
there is torment, there is pain associated with the cause. And 
that's what we find in this particular passage. And brethren, may I 
just make a plug for the prayer meeting? That's why we read Voice 
of the Martyrs. That's why we acquaint ourselves 
with what's happening in other parts of the world. This is a 
genuine application of Hebrews 13. What are we supposed to do 
with the prisoners? Forget them? Not have any clue 
that they exist? No, the Apostle tells us in Hebrews 
13, 4, remember the prisoners! You're one with them. You're 
in chains with them. There's solidarity among the 
body. I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. You persecute the church, you 
persecute Jesus. You persecute our Chinese brethren, 
you're persecuting us. You're persecuting. And we need 
to know about that so we can hold you up in prayer. See, we 
don't presently face the kind of opposition that they do there. 
And I'm just saying, China, go all around the globe, go all 
over the earth. You see resistance to and opposition 
toward the people of God. We don't experience that presently, 
though I think it is going to increase, not a prophet, nor 
the son of a prophet, but you'd have to be pretty foolhardy not 
to read the writing on the wall at this particular point. They 
are trying to silence us by stopping us, condemning any sort of sin 
that society revels in. Brethren, hate crime speech or 
crimes against what they call hate speech ultimately targets 
you and I. Again, it targets others out 
there that shouldn't say horrific things, but typically they identify 
a condemnation, not based on the person, but based on a particular 
sin, as hate speech. This is going to increase unless 
things change, and we need to be prepared. But we should at 
least understand the suffering of our brothers and our sisters 
elsewhere. We ought to be able to enter into what Paul says 
in Hebrews 13, 4. We ought to think outside of ourselves at 
least once a week. I mean, once a week, okay? Just stop thinking about, you 
know, me, Jim, for 15 minutes and pray for these poor people 
in other parts of the world. Think about the Hamiltons. Think 
about the sorts of things that happen in Myanmar. You have to 
protect these children from being kidnapped and sold into prostitution 
or killed and their organs harvested. I mean, they have a genuine need 
to build fences so that persons don't come in and kill the children 
they're looking after and take their organs out and sell them 
on the black market. Again, brethren, we got issues. 
I'm not going to suggest that we don't, but at this point in 
the history of the world, that ain't our issues. That is not 
our problem, but it is the problem of others. It is a genuine concern. Imagine, for us today, the very 
thought of letting our children out front. We, you know, they 
call them helicopter parents now. You know what that is? You 
hover around your kid. I was that way when I would feed 
one of my, it was Kelly, the oldest daughter. I mean, as soon 
as I'd give her a bite, I'd wipe her face. I was that hovering 
helicopter parent that didn't want her to have any of that 
garbage on her face. I'd be right there. We don't 
want our kids to wander out of the front yard for fear they 
may be abducted or hit by a car. I've got to tell you, in my 53 
years, I never once for a moment in life in the US or life in 
Canada ever feared somebody killing my children to take their organs 
out and sell them. That just never rose in my head. 
And yet that's happening. And yet we, for whatever reason, 
don't know about this and we don't pray for brothers and sisters. 
The unbelieving Jews opposed the things spoken by Paul. The 
unbelieving Jews stirred up women and men in order to persecute 
the missionaries. The unbelieving Jews expelled the missionaries 
from the region. I mentioned Stephen. The opponents 
disputed with Stephen and they were bested by him. That should 
be it, right? Not in religion and politics. 
Religion and politics, if you disagree, I'm gonna kill you. 
That's just the way it is, isn't it? I mean, look at the world 
today. Don't they tell you or caution you when you're young? 
Don't ever talk about religion and politics. They don't tell 
you why, because they might kill you. That's what happens when 
you disagree about religion and politics. That's what happens 
in this instance. They couldn't bash Stephen, so 
they end up charging him before the Sanhedrin of blasphemy. That 
was a capital offense. They stoned Stephen to death. 
They would do the same thing to these men if given the opportunity. 
In fact, that's what Paul rehearses. That's what we just saw in the 
reading in Acts chapter 14. What happens to Paul? They stone 
him. They leave him for dead. He gets 
up, he goes into the next city, and he preaches the gospel all 
over again. See, there is this animosity toward God, this animosity 
toward Christ. Edwards was right. They can't 
get to God, so they'll attack the people of God, and we see 
that in spades in the history of the church. Brethren, we need 
to be on guard. We need to be aware. We need 
to be ready. If we hardly attend church now, and we hardly pray 
now, and we hardly read our Bibles now? Do we actually think that 
when persecution comes, we're gonna step it up? The best way 
to plan for persecution is to be faithful right now, to be 
attending right now, to be in the scriptures right now. What 
does it say when Daniel was forbidden to pray to the living and true 
God? He goes into his room, he opens the window as his custom 
was. It was his practice, it was his 
habit, it was his manner of life to pray to the true and living 
God, such that when the decree is issued, he says, forget it, 
I'm gonna continue to do what I've always done. But if you 
haven't always done what you're supposed to do, when the persecution 
comes, you might just say, well, okay, I guess I can't go to church 
today. I guess the government doesn't 
want me to worship Jesus. I guess there is a lion in the 
street. All these excuses. Brethren, 
if we are not faithful now, we're not going to be faithful then. 
That's my thought on the situation. But the opposition of the Jews 
could not stop the spread of the gospel, and the opposition 
of the Jews could not quench the joy nor the presence of the 
Holy Spirit in the lives of God's people. To be encouraged, whatever 
may happen, whatever increasing opposition may obtain with reference 
to us in life in Canada, it's not the case that they can strip 
from us joy or the Spirit. Never can any foe, any enemy 
whatsoever, strip those things from the people of God Almighty. 
Then I just wanted to focus one more thought on this whole theological 
emphasis in the passage. I think verse 46 authorizes legitimizes, endorses gospel 
preachers for blaming sinners on not coming to Jesus. Hyper-Calvinism 
doesn't say that. Hyper-Calvinism would never suggest 
that. But Biblical Calvinism, Reformed 
theology, we don't need to reconcile friends because both are taught 
in Scripture. Of course I know it's the absolute 
sovereignty of God. Of course I know it's owing to 
election and predestination, just as He chose us in Christ 
before the foundation of the world. But the apostle Paul does 
not let these men off the hook. Since you judge yourselves worthy 
of eternal life or everlasting life, this is wrong and wicked 
and foul on your part. Don't resist. But I think it 
also legitimizes, authorizes, and endorses gospel preaching 
to sinners. Come to the Lord Jesus, believe 
on him, turn from your sins, look unto him who is altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. Go to the Christ in whom there 
is forgiveness, the Christ in whom there is a righteousness 
that avails with God. Take these things to heart. Quit 
playing games in the sense of, well, I don't know if I'm elect. 
I don't know if I'm predestined. The emphasis in gospel preaching 
isn't, I want you to see if you're an elect. I want you to see if 
you've got an E on your back. Spurgeon refers to that as well. 
I don't have to see that they've got an E on their back to tell 
them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But I suspect some have 
been duped into thinking that that's precisely what needs to 
happen. I need a sign. I need to understand. I need 
it to be disclosed whether I'm predestined or elect. No, you 
need to believe the gospel. You need to look unto the Lord 
Jesus Christ. As the serpent was lifted up 
in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. I guarantee 
you, when those Israelites, in Numbers 22, when they were bit 
by those fiery serpents, and Moses said, I want you to look 
at this brazen serpent and you'll live. I doubt they had encounter 
groups to try and discover whether or not they were predestined 
not to die from snake venom. They looked, they looked at the 
brazen serpent. They didn't say, well, I don't 
know if I'm inclined to look. I don't know if it's been predestined 
for me. They looked, they were bitten. The remedy was set forth 
and they looked. And yet we know we're all bitten 
by sin. We know we're all poisoned by 
iniquity. And when it comes to the remedy 
set forth, look unto Jesus, believe on Jesus. It's at this point 
that hyper-Calvinism has promoted in the part And the hearts of 
people say, well, I'm not sure I'm predestined. I'm not sure 
I'm elect. I'm not sure if it's for me. 
Because after all, many are called and few are chosen. Amazing how 
our memories rehearse the few Bible verses that we know to 
argue against us closing with Jesus Christ. Never underestimate 
that. Does the devil use crack cocaine 
to keep people away from Jesus? Probably, does the devil use 
Sabbath breaking to keep people away from Jesus? Probably, does 
the devil use an imbalanced doctrinal approach to keep people away 
from Jesus? I'd have to say, probably not. Do not fall prey to it. If you are one of the Israelites 
who has been bitten and your body is riddled with poison, 
look to the remedy and be saved. Christ alone is the way of salvation. Believe on him and you will have 
everlasting life. Let us pray. Our Father, we thank 
you for