Exposition of Acts: Focus on Jesus
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A Sermon by Dr. Bob Griffin, Teaching Elder at Sovereign Grace Church
I. FOLLOWING
A. GOD’S LEADING
1. REACHING
Acts 13:14a but they continued on from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch.
2. REVERENCING
Acts 13:14b And on the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue and sat down.
B. GOD’S OPPORTUNITY
1. READING
Acts 13:15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”
2. RESPONDING
Acts 13:16 So Paul stood up and, motioning with his hand, said: “Men of Israel and you who are God-fearers, listen.
II. FOUNDATION
A. GOD’S CHOICE
1. REDEEMING
Acts 13:17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm He led them out of it.
2. REPLACING
Acts 13:18-20a And for about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years.
3. REQUESTING
Acts 13:20b-22 And after that He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when God had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’
B. GOD’S PLAN
1. RECEIVING
Acts 13:23-25 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as He promised. Before His coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of Whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
(also, Is 11:1-16; Mk 1:2-8; Lk 3:15-18; Jn 1:6-8)
2. REJECTING
Acts 13:26-29 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize Him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. And though they found in Him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
(also, I Cor 15:3-4; Deut 21:22-23; Gal 3:13-14)
3. RAISING
Acts 13:30-31 But God raised Him from the dead, and for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people.
III. FULFILLMENT
A. GOD’S PROMISE
1. REJOICING
Acts 13:32-33 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this He has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.”
(also, Ps 2:7-8; II Sam 7:10-14)
2. REGARDING
Acts 13:34-37 And as for the facts that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to decay, He has spoken in this way, “I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.” Therefore, He added in another psalm, “You will not let your Holy One see decay.” For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but He whom God raised up did not see corruption.
(also, Is 55:3; Ps 16:10)
B. GOD’S WARNING
1. RECKONING
Acts 13:38-39 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
(also, Eph 2:8-9)
2. REBUKING
Acts 13:40-41 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: “Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you won’t believe anyway, even if one tells the whole story to you.”
(also, Hab 1:5; Amos 8:11-12)