"Joy and the Holy Spirit" Sermon: Acts 13:44-52

“Joy and the Holy Spirit”

[Acts 13:44-52]
June 6, 2010 Second Reformed Church

We return to our look at the book of Acts this morning, and we will remember that Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch in Pisidia – in what we would now call Turkey. (John Mark had returned to Jerusalem.) They preached the Good News – that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic Kingship and the Promised Savior. They preached that Jesus is the Savior of all those who will believe in Him and the Final – Eternal – King to sit on the throne of David.

The people begged Paul and Barnabas to return to preach to them again on the next Sabbath, and they promised they would. Surely, during the week that intervened, they spoke with people and told them the Gospel that Jesus is God Incarnate, Who came to earth as a human being, lived, died, and ascended back to the Throne of the Son of God, at the Right Hand of God the Father. They were excited and wanted to know more. That is – the Gentiles – the non-Jews – in particular – wanted to know more.

So, the next Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas preached again in the synagogue, and Luke is quite specific in noting that “almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” It was the message of Jesus Christ that drew people into the sanctuary and made them want to hear more – not tricks or programs. And the majority of the city crowded into the synagogue because they were hungry for this Good News. They recognized the truth of what Paul and Barnabas were preaching.

But there were Jews who were jealous: “Who are Paul and Barnabas that they would draw such crowds to hear them speak in the synagogue? It’s our synagogue. We are the leaders – we are the sons of Abraham – they should be listening to us. And why are Paul and Barnabas offering the message of salvation to Gentiles? Salvation is for the Jews. God is the God of Israel. Who do Paul and Barnabas think they are?”

In their jealousy for attention and to keep the Promise of God for biological Jews, these Jews flew into a rage and began yelling at Paul and Barnabas – contradicting what they said, cursing at them, calling them blasphemers.

Paul and Barnabas responded, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”

What were they saying? In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:26, ESV).

The Promise of Salvation was, indeed, given to the people of Israel through the prophets, but the promise made through father Abram was “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3b, ESV).

The Savior was given to and through Israel to the Jews first, but “He came to his own, and his people did not receive him” (John 1:11, ESV). Therefore, the Promise was opened – as God had planned from the beginning – also to the Gentiles – to the non-Jews. Believers in the Savior – Christians – come from every background throughout time and space. The message of Salvation in Jesus Alone is for “the whole creation” (Mark 16:15b, ESV).

But these Jews did not understand the Promise – they did not believe in Jesus. They wanted to jealously hold on to God and His Word and not allow God to reach all of the people that God had intended. We have churches – today – where to be a Christian, you must be a white man with a tie, or you must speak in tongues, or you must be baptized as an adult, or you must be married.... Jesus is the Savior of everyone who will believe – no matter what they have done or where they have come from – nothing will keep a person from Jesus who truly believes. And we dare not put up road blocks like these Jews did.

This was an age-old promise: the prophet Hosea was called by God to condemn Israel, and he did it symbolically, in part, by naming his children “No Mercy” and “Not My People.” And God said, “And I will have mercy on ‘No Mercy,’ and I will say to ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are my people;’ and he shall say, ‘You are my God’” (Hosea 3:23b, ESV).

Jesus said the same thing in a parable: “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to the servant, ‘Go quickly to the streets and the lanes of the city, bring the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you have commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, ‘Go to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet” (Luke 14:16b-24, ESV).

These Jews wanted the Promise of God’s Salvation to be just for the biological Jews – even though God had always said it was for them first, but also for the rest of the Creation. Jesus had come to them, and they rejected Him. And when Paul and Barnabas told the Gentiles that Jesus is Salvation for them, as well – for everyone who will believe, these Jews were angry.

We should not be surprised, because Jesus promises those who believe in Him will be persecuted: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among the wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:16:-18, ESV).

So, let us not be surprised, even in this day, that when the Word of God is truly preached, there is opposition to it. It may be polite or it may be violent, but when the Word of God is truly preached, there is opposition to it.

The reaction of the Gentiles was different: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading through the whole region.”

The Gentiles heard that salvation was available to them, as well as the Jews. They were not second-class citizens compared with the Jews. No, they were equally dead in their sins and lost without hope unless God changed them and made them His people. The same salvation in Jesus Alone was and is available to the Jews and the Gentiles – to everyone who would believe. There was hope The God of the Jews had chosen a people from all of the world

And in case we have forgotten the state in which we are all born, remember what Paul wrote, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked” (Ephesians 2:1a, ESV). Every human being is born spiritually dead – unable to change or choose Jesus and His Salvation. We see this very strongly in our text: “and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” We could restate it: all those God chose to believe believed. Or, all those God chose to save believed. Salvation is wholly of God.

This is a distinctive of Reformed Theology – what we understand to be biblical theology. We understand that I cannot save myself and you cannot save yourself and I cannot save anyone and you cannot save anyone; God Alone saves all those whom God chooses to save, for God’s Own Reasons, not due to anything we would or would not due. Salvation is a Gift of God, as God freely chooses to give it.

Paul writes, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (I Corinthians 1:18-21, ESV).

Paul is saying what researchers argue today: preaching is about the worst way to convey the Message of the Gospel. Of all the methodologies of presenting information and getting people to understand it and believe it – standing before people and preaching – so the experts say – is about the lease effective. So, people argue that were should have powerpoints and dancers and clowns and all kinds of visuals and interactive things going on during worship. But – and you may have heard this expression – the ends don’t justify the means. Generally speaking, the people who tells us that we should change the way we worship and minimize – or even eliminate the sermon – honestly believe that doing so will bring more people to faith in Christ.

But God said that we are to preach His Word – event though preaching is “folly” – because it is not through my skill as a preacher or debater that anyone believes in Jesus – it is God working through His Word read and preached. For God’s Own Reasons, God is pleased to normally bring people to faith through preaching. But it is God that changes a person’s heart and brings him to spiritual life – no me, not my abilities, not you, and not your abilities.

God has not done what the experts find to be the best way. But God says that this is what we are to do and this is how we are to worship, and we dare not do other than what God has called us to do. If we do continue in the “foolishness of preaching” as the heart of our worship, as God is willing, God will apply His Word and cause people to believe. So, let us understand that when the Word of God is truly preached, all those whom God intends to believe will believe.

I am to study and prepare and preach. You and to study and prepare and tell others. But God saves. Jesus saves. And when the Word of God is truly preached, all those whom God intends to believe will believe.

The Jews should have rejoiced to see so many Gentiles coming to faith in the God of Israel and His Savior, but they did not. Instead, they went to the leading women of the city – Gentile women who had converted to Judaism – women who were known for their character and devotion to the Word of God – and to men as well. And they stirred them up – they convinced them that what Paul and Barnabas were doing was against the Word of God, so they used their standing and power and money to bring a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drive them out of the city.

What did the Jews say to these women and men of influence? How did they convince them to persecute Paul and Barnabas? Luke doesn’t fill in the details for us, but given that he notes that these were women and men of “high standing,” a threat to their standing – especially financial – might have been involved.

We will remember what Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23b, ESV).

How did Paul and Barnabas respond to this persecution? They shook the dust from their feet, as Jesus had said to do (Matthew 10:14), and they went on to Iconium, about seventy-five miles east.

“And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

Does that make sense? They were persecuted and forced to leave the town, so they were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit? Were Paul and Barnabas and the disciples masochists? No.

We may remember what Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange was happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of Glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name” (I Peter 4:12-16, ESV).

In other words, if we preach the Gospel and we are persecuted for it, we should rejoice because the Gospel has been heard – the Glory of God has been made known – those whom God meant to hear His Word and believe it have done so, and those who oppose it are being shown for who they are.

Paul and Barnabas were not joyful to be persecuted and run out of town, but they were joyful to be persecuted and run out of town because the Gospel of Jesus Christ had been understood and believe by some, and others – the persecutors – had made themselves known. Paul and Barnabas were joyful because God the Holy Spirit had worked through their preaching, causing some to believe. The fact that some people rejected the Gospel and persecuted them let them understand that God had made the Gospel known – that it had been understood – and that brought them joy, as the Holy Spirit worked in and through them.

That doesn’t mean they weren’t saddened or angered by those who did not believe. But they understood that it was not their job or ability to make people believe. They and we are to preach the Gospel and God will apply it by the Holy Spirit and cause faith as He sees fit – as it pleases Him. We are to present the Gospel – to preach it – to the best of our ability. God will use it as He wills.

And when the Gospel is received and believed, the Christian responds in joy, and the Holy Spirit wells up in the Christian, working His Will among those to whom we preach. Our job is to preach. We are not to worry about how God applies His Word to the world. We are to rejoice in any and all who come to faith – to belief – to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

And so Paul and Barnabas did: they preached in Anitoch in Pisidia, and many Gentiles believed in Jesus Alone for their salvation, and they were persecuted by some of the Jews and some of the leading women and men of high standing, so they went on to the next stop on their missionary journey – rejoicing that God had caused some to believed, and they were filled and strengthened and made ready for their work by the Holy Spirit.

When the Word of God is truly preached, there is opposition to it.

When the Word of God is truly preached, all those whom God intends to believe will believe.

And, when the Gospel is received and believed, Christians respond in joy, and the Holy Spirit works in and through them.

As the Word of God is read and preached this morning, the Holy Spirit is applying it – as God wills – to us in this church. Perhaps God is maturing some of us. Perhaps God is making Himself known to some of us who have never truly believed. Perhaps God is convicting some of us to a strong faith in His Word.

As we receive the bread and the cup, Jesus, Himself, spiritually meets with us and gives us His Grace that we might be strengthened and made ready for the work that God has for us. The bread and the cup are not magic – they remain bread and fruit of the grape. Yet, God has chosen to minister to we who believe through the Word and through the sacraments – as often as we come together (I Corinthians 11:17) – so let us rejoice in all that God has done and go forth in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, You have told us that we are to spread Your Gospel through the reading and preaching of Your Word. You have given us the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit to help us to study and prepare and preach Your Word as You have called us. We ask that You would help us to trust that You will apply Your Word as You see fit and bring all those whom You have called to be Your people to eternal salvation in Jesus’ Name. Cause us to rejoice when anyone hears the Gospel and especially when someone believes the Gospel. And send us forth, renewed and reformed for the work You have called us to do. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.