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Paul's Sermon in Antioch - Acts 13
Paul's Sermon in Antioch - Acts 13
When Paul entered the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, he was invited to speak to the assembly. Paul later said of his preaching that he preached Christ and Him crucified. Every sermon is centered upon that message. This message is no different in this regard.
He outlines the basic history of the Jewish people in this sermon. To help in remembering the basic history, teachers have broken the story down into sections. There were the periods Before the Flood, After the Flood, and then the Patriarchs.
Paul here skips over the first two periods and begins with the Patriarchs stating "God of this people Israel chose our fathers" (vs. 17).
Egyptian Bondage: "…and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt" (vs. 17).
Wilderness Wandering: "with uplifted arm he led them out of it and for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness (vs. 17-18).
Conquest of Canaan: "And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years" (vs. 19-20).
Judges: "and after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet" (vs. 20).
United Kingdom: "Then they asked for a king…." (vs. 21-22).
With the mention of David Paul brings up the promise to David that one of his descendants (seed) would set upon the throne and rule not just Israel but the whole of the world. This descendant would not die and have his body return to dust, but would but would be raised to sit on the throne forever. Israel struggled with this as they saw the kingdom self-destruct. It first split into two parts. Then the northern 10 tribes were conquered by Assyria. Judah was captured and destroyed by the Babylonians. This ended the rule of the kings of David's line. The family continued, but their role as kings ended.
Paul's point is that with the coming of Jesus, this promise is now fulfilled. With the coming of John the Baptist, Jesus is pointed out to be the Christ and Savior that was promised (24). Yet, the rulers of Israel rejected Him and had him put to death, fulfilling the very prophecies of the Christ (26-29).
The pivotal point is then made: "But God raised him from the dead" (vs. 30). It is Jesus who was raised. Jesus now sits on the throne. Having been raised from the dead to sit on this throne, his body did not 'return to dust'. It is through THIS MAN that forgiveness of sins if proclaimed (vs. 38).
The congregation in Antioch was then given the choice of accepting Jesus as their king and following His rule, or rejecting God's appointed king. As has been the history of mankind, some accepted and some rejected the offer. Such rejection does NOT dethrone Jesus, but it does align one against God and Jesus. There can be no salvation with such a rejection.
Followers of Jesus must continue the proclamation of forgiveness of sins through Jesus the King. Many people will reject him just as they did in the first century. Yet, the good news is that many people will turn to him in trust and obedience and be restored to a right relationship with God. Praise the Lord for such mercy.
Hugh DeLong
