WEBVTT 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:08.480 Hey friends, welcome back to the Semi -Seminary, 00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:11.519 and as we continue our Bible study series, which 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:14.980 we're calling the Bible for Grownups, we're now 00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:18.760 looking at the Acts of the Apostles in part 2. 00:00:18.809 --> 00:00:21.649 six of our message. We're going to concentrate 00:00:21.649 --> 00:00:26.070 on just two chapters, 13 and 14, as we examine 00:00:26.070 --> 00:00:29.530 what's called the first missionary journey of 00:00:29.530 --> 00:00:33.929 Barnabas and Paul. And we're going to see Christianity 00:00:33.929 --> 00:00:40.789 as it evolves from a Jewish messianic sect into 00:00:40.789 --> 00:00:45.250 a global religious movement. I'll see you on 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:51.219 the other side. Set the scene for our discussion 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:54.140 tonight by looking at where we dropped off last 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:56.179 time. One of the things that as we looked at 00:00:56.179 --> 00:00:58.939 that initial expansion outside of the city of 00:00:58.939 --> 00:01:01.159 Jerusalem, one of the things that we discussed 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:03.039 the last time we were together is how really 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:06.739 Luke, the writer of the narrative, really shows 00:01:06.739 --> 00:01:09.439 us a literary genius that he has, the way that 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:14.060 he's able to tell the story of this initial foray 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:18.200 outside of Jerusalem and into Judea and Samaria. 00:01:19.450 --> 00:01:22.549 while weaving in stories of the apostles like 00:01:22.549 --> 00:01:26.670 Philip and Peter at the same time, kind of keeping 00:01:26.670 --> 00:01:29.790 us in the loop as far as what's going on with 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:35.150 regard to Saul, who will become Paul as he initially 00:01:35.150 --> 00:01:38.109 begins persecuting the church, eventually on 00:01:38.109 --> 00:01:40.469 his way to Damascus has a conversion moment, 00:01:40.569 --> 00:01:43.609 and instead of persecuting the church now becomes 00:01:43.609 --> 00:01:48.420 one of its most famed. evangelists writing one 00:01:48.420 --> 00:01:50.980 -third of the New Testament by the time it's 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:54.780 all done. And what we're seeing here, of course, 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:59.599 again, is a promise of Jesus at the very beginning 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:04.780 of Acts that he explains how the expansion will 00:02:04.780 --> 00:02:08.259 go out from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and 00:02:08.259 --> 00:02:09.659 then eventually to the ends of the earth. And 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:12.520 we are going to tonight begin looking at the 00:02:12.520 --> 00:02:15.889 missionary journeys this represents. very poorly 00:02:15.889 --> 00:02:19.990 drawn, the first missionary journey of Barnabas 00:02:19.990 --> 00:02:24.830 and Paul. Your text may still invariably refer 00:02:24.830 --> 00:02:28.610 to Paul as Saul, but at this point going forward, 00:02:28.650 --> 00:02:32.509 I'm just going to use Paul. Not that you would 00:02:32.509 --> 00:02:35.330 be confused, but I do want to just explain for 00:02:35.330 --> 00:02:37.409 the sake of not having to switch back and forth 00:02:37.409 --> 00:02:40.129 and at what point. And it's in these two chapters 00:02:40.129 --> 00:02:42.830 tonight that actually the text will begin to 00:02:42.830 --> 00:02:48.819 refer to him as Paul. and not Saul. 13 and 14, 00:02:49.060 --> 00:02:51.759 but we're actually going to begin looking, when 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:53.840 we do begin to look at Scripture after the introduction 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.979 here, we're going to begin looking at Acts chapter 00:02:55.979 --> 00:03:02.259 9, verses 19 through 24. Then we'll jump to 13. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.620 That's a good few verses that will just kind 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:08.139 of place us. Again, tonight is a geography lesson 00:03:08.139 --> 00:03:13.509 as much as it is a Bible lesson. And so Luke, 00:03:13.590 --> 00:03:16.210 with his literary genius over the last time, 00:03:16.289 --> 00:03:19.550 shows us, interweaves some of these stories. 00:03:19.569 --> 00:03:23.710 We know about the introduction of Christianity 00:03:23.710 --> 00:03:27.270 into Samaria, a place that hasn't historically 00:03:27.270 --> 00:03:30.789 gotten along with their cousins, Semitic cousins, 00:03:31.030 --> 00:03:34.530 the Jews. And so when Christianity reaches Samaria, 00:03:34.629 --> 00:03:38.449 the apostles in Jerusalem are a bit skeptical 00:03:38.449 --> 00:03:40.819 and they send Peter. to go and check it out. 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:45.139 And sure enough, we have baptized people who 00:03:45.139 --> 00:03:47.360 have yet to receive the Spirit. If you recall, 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:50.860 we talked in that story about Simon the magician 00:03:50.860 --> 00:03:54.939 who asked for the Holy Spirit, but not asked 00:03:54.939 --> 00:03:57.300 for the Holy Spirit for himself, but rather the 00:03:57.300 --> 00:04:01.020 power to grant the Holy Spirit. We also looked 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:05.020 at Philip as he goes to Gaza, which is in southern 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:10.189 Israel. And he meets the eunuch in the chariot, 00:04:10.189 --> 00:04:14.409 the royal official of Candace, the African queen. 00:04:14.949 --> 00:04:19.170 And he's baptized. Paul ends up being converted. 00:04:19.230 --> 00:04:22.529 And if you recall, when we dropped off last time, 00:04:22.569 --> 00:04:25.730 he was beginning to argue with the same people 00:04:25.730 --> 00:04:29.209 that had made Stephen, the first martyr, upset. 00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:33.290 These Hellenized Jews, these people who were 00:04:33.290 --> 00:04:37.050 religiously Jewish. politically and culturally 00:04:37.050 --> 00:04:40.110 and socially had accepted a Greek way of life. 00:04:40.850 --> 00:04:45.110 Of course, the group that is, and this isn't 00:04:45.110 --> 00:04:47.860 oversimplification, but for our... purposes. 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:51.699 We're not going to hold exams on this subject. 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:54.600 For our purposes, this simplified explanation 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:57.639 will suffice. And to say that these Hellenized 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:00.560 Jews were dominated mostly by the Sadducees, 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:03.360 one of the ruling political parties within the 00:05:03.360 --> 00:05:06.560 Jewish leaders, and the Sadducees were particular 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:09.759 in their belief in that they did not believe 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:12.870 in bodily resurrection. So the idea that the 00:05:12.870 --> 00:05:15.930 Messiah was Jesus, who had resurrected himself 00:05:15.930 --> 00:05:20.910 from death, didn't jive for them. Also, they 00:05:20.910 --> 00:05:24.149 were the group that controlled the temple. And 00:05:24.149 --> 00:05:26.389 if we recall, with the indwelling of the Holy 00:05:26.389 --> 00:05:28.589 Spirit, the body becomes the temple. Those are 00:05:28.589 --> 00:05:33.529 two things that generally Sadducees would disapprove 00:05:33.529 --> 00:05:37.689 of. And so we see that argument. I'm not going 00:05:37.689 --> 00:05:45.019 to answer that phone. I'm trying to. Peter and 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:48.100 Cornelius. Cornelius is recognized within Acts 00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:53.759 as the first of the Gentile or non -Jewish converts 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:56.899 to Christianity. He was someone that was considered 00:05:56.899 --> 00:06:01.680 proselyte. Someone who did believe in a monotheistic 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:05.399 God, who did believe in Yahweh, but wasn't a 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:09.790 convert to Judaism. We recall that that involved 00:06:09.790 --> 00:06:14.990 a vision of Peter when he receives a vision from 00:06:14.990 --> 00:06:19.029 God in which a sheet comes down and all different 00:06:19.029 --> 00:06:22.990 types of animals are laid out and God instructs 00:06:22.990 --> 00:06:28.029 Peter to arise and eat. And Peter, stating what 00:06:28.029 --> 00:06:31.610 any good Jewish boy would, he can't because these 00:06:31.610 --> 00:06:37.500 animals are unclean. God admonishes him saying, 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:40.600 what God is, what I've considered clean, what 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:43.360 I've called clean, it's not your job to call 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:48.399 unclean. And we see that symbolism making a profound 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:50.779 difference in the theology of Peter in that he 00:06:50.779 --> 00:06:56.399 now understands that it's God's desire that all 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.339 peoples, Gentile and Jewish alike, be brought 00:06:59.339 --> 00:07:06.449 into the fold of followers of God. Peter goes 00:07:06.449 --> 00:07:09.910 to Cornelius' house, a house of a man that he 00:07:09.910 --> 00:07:11.810 would have considered unclean, gets there, and 00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:16.990 it's full of people. So a house full of unclean 00:07:16.990 --> 00:07:20.509 people, and they all end up being converted and 00:07:20.509 --> 00:07:25.930 baptized. Theologically, Christianity has now 00:07:25.930 --> 00:07:29.470 become a multicultural, multi -ethnic religion. 00:07:30.050 --> 00:07:32.730 But now we're going to see this actually begin 00:07:32.730 --> 00:07:36.209 to come true. geographically, not just theologically. 00:07:36.610 --> 00:07:39.490 So let me just say real quickly about Antioch 00:07:39.490 --> 00:07:44.110 here in Syria. Antioch is where we're going to 00:07:44.110 --> 00:07:46.910 have a focus shift from Jerusalem, at least for 00:07:46.910 --> 00:07:49.209 these two chapters in this first missionary journey, 00:07:49.329 --> 00:07:52.350 a focus of attention away from Jerusalem to this 00:07:52.350 --> 00:07:56.870 city in modern -day Syria, or Turkey, called 00:07:56.870 --> 00:08:02.129 Antioch. And it's the third largest city in the 00:08:02.129 --> 00:08:05.649 Roman Empire at the time. It rivals only Rome 00:08:05.649 --> 00:08:10.589 itself and Alexandria in Egypt. It was founded 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:15.149 by one of Alexander the Great's generals. It 00:08:15.149 --> 00:08:18.910 was a nexus point between the Silk Road, which 00:08:18.910 --> 00:08:22.449 ran east and west to Asia, here to the Mediterranean, 00:08:22.610 --> 00:08:27.899 from the Mediterranean over to Europe. The city 00:08:27.899 --> 00:08:32.460 of Antioch was also a huge port city. So it might 00:08:32.460 --> 00:08:37.360 be considered, say, an ancient Near East San 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:39.419 Francisco. If you could think of San Francisco 00:08:39.419 --> 00:08:42.419 at the turn of the 20th century, a city that 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:47.519 was very diverse ethnically and religiously. 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:52.379 This was a melting pot of all different types 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:56.340 of people. So let's begin tonight. And this is 00:08:56.340 --> 00:08:59.679 where we're going to find our two heroes, Barnabas 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:03.120 and Paul, when we pick up our story. But before 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.340 we pick up our story looking at 13 and 14, let's 00:09:05.340 --> 00:09:08.039 step back to Acts chapter 9, just so we can hear 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:10.620 some place names and get ourselves geographically 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:14.460 familiar, beginning with verse 19. Now those 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:16.259 who'd been scattered by the persecution that 00:09:16.259 --> 00:09:19.480 broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:24.779 far away as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. spreading 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:29.679 the word only among the Jews. Some of them, however, 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:33.240 were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, and they went 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:35.919 to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks also, 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:39.100 telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 00:09:39.419 --> 00:09:41.940 The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:44.279 of people believed and turned to the Lord. News 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:48.279 of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:52.100 they, the apostles, sent Barnabas to Antioch. 00:09:52.700 --> 00:09:55.059 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God 00:09:55.059 --> 00:09:58.019 had done, he was glad and encouraged them all 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:00.299 to remain true to the Lord with their hearts. 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:03.240 He was a good man. He was full of the Holy Spirit 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:06.279 and faith. And a great number of people were 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:12.799 brought to the Lord here in Antioch. Then Barnabas 00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:16.559 goes to Tarsus, which is Paul's hometown, to 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:20.600 find him. And he brings Paul now back to Antioch. 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:25.460 So for a year, Barnabas and Saul met in the church 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:29.600 here and taught a great number of people. And 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:31.519 this was where the disciples were first called 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:36.480 Christians at Antioch. Now, that's how we get 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:41.480 both Barnabas and Paul to this city, Antioch. 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:46.299 So now let's flip to chapter 13. And we're going 00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:50.779 to look at chapters 13 and 14 tonight. Now, in 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:53.899 the church at Antioch, there were prophets and 00:10:53.899 --> 00:10:56.200 teachers. Barnabas, we're going to name some 00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:59.419 off here. Barnabas, and then there was Simon 00:10:59.419 --> 00:11:03.820 called Niger. That's Latin for black or dark 00:11:03.820 --> 00:11:10.019 -skinned. Lucius of Cyrene. Manin, who was brought 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:13.340 up with Herod the Tetrarch. Now, remember, in 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:17.299 our story, the gospel accounts, we have Herod 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:19.059 the Great at the beginning of Christ's life. 00:11:19.950 --> 00:11:24.470 Then later in his life, we have Herod Antipas, 00:11:24.529 --> 00:11:27.990 and that's to whom he is sent the first time 00:11:27.990 --> 00:11:31.529 from Pilate, right? Herod Antipas. And then Antipas' 00:11:31.610 --> 00:11:35.350 son was also named Herod the Tetrarch, the third 00:11:35.350 --> 00:11:38.230 Herod. And he's the one that ends up dying in 00:11:38.230 --> 00:11:41.429 our story last week. Well, come to find out that 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:45.950 Manian was friends with Herod the Tetrarch as 00:11:45.950 --> 00:11:50.710 they grew up. And Saul. Paul, while they were 00:11:50.710 --> 00:11:52.970 worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit 00:11:52.970 --> 00:11:58.029 said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for 00:11:58.029 --> 00:12:00.830 the work to which I have called them. So after 00:12:00.830 --> 00:12:03.250 they fasted and prayed, they placed their hands 00:12:03.250 --> 00:12:06.009 on them and they sent them off. Now, before I 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:08.110 say anything else about this discussion between 00:12:08.110 --> 00:12:10.750 Barnabas and Paul, I would like to point out 00:12:10.750 --> 00:12:13.409 that the placing on their hands of their hands 00:12:13.409 --> 00:12:19.700 here is not to confer upon them power. Or it's 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:22.340 not to grant them authority, right? Because the 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:24.759 Holy Spirit actually grants them authority here 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:28.259 to be apostles. Laying on the hands by these 00:12:28.259 --> 00:12:31.879 disciples in Antioch is their agreement with 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:35.570 the Holy Spirit. Now, I'd like for you to turn 00:12:35.570 --> 00:12:37.629 with me. I think you guys are going to like this. 00:12:37.649 --> 00:12:39.649 We're going to do this a couple of times throughout 00:12:39.649 --> 00:12:41.590 the night tonight. I think you're going to learn 00:12:41.590 --> 00:12:44.029 some stuff perhaps about these characters that 00:12:44.029 --> 00:12:45.730 are going to be familiar to you, but you didn't 00:12:45.730 --> 00:12:47.929 know this. At least I didn't until I began to 00:12:47.929 --> 00:12:49.490 really study this kind of stuff, but I think 00:12:49.490 --> 00:12:51.789 this is really great stuff. So turn with me to 00:12:51.789 --> 00:12:55.269 Mark 15, and we're going to look at chapter 21. 00:12:56.389 --> 00:12:59.350 The Gospel of Mark, Matthew, Mark, the second 00:12:59.350 --> 00:13:06.860 gospel. The 15th chapter, the 21st verse, and 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:09.460 beginning at the 21st verse, where we find ourselves 00:13:09.460 --> 00:13:14.139 within the narrative of the gospel account, according 00:13:14.139 --> 00:13:19.460 to Mark, is Christ on his way to Golgotha. And 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:23.259 so Mark, John Mark, says these words. Mark 15, 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:29.740 chapter 15, verse 21. Mark describes this scene 00:13:29.740 --> 00:13:33.659 within that story. A certain man from Cyrene, 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:38.980 Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was 00:13:38.980 --> 00:13:43.940 passing on his way in from the country, and they 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:47.159 forced him to carry the cross. We all know the 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:50.960 story of Simon of Cyrene, right? Now, when writing 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:53.919 this part of the account, why do you suppose 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.000 Mark would have mentioned his sons, Alexander 00:13:57.000 --> 00:14:01.460 and Rufus? It's because they would have been 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:04.600 known by the church by the time John Mark wrote 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:08.500 his gospel. Remember, the gospel writers don't 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:10.600 have to tell us anything, and if they do tell 00:14:10.600 --> 00:14:14.820 us something, it's for a reason. Alexander and 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:19.279 Rufus are particularly mentioned here in the 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:22.759 gospel account because these are two men who 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:26.039 would have been recognized by the reader of this 00:14:26.039 --> 00:14:31.399 account once it was written. So Simon of Cyrene, 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:35.240 Alexander, and Rufus would have all been known 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:37.840 to members of the church. These aren't names 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:40.779 that Mark just decided to throw into his account 00:14:40.779 --> 00:14:43.899 to up his word count. They're there on purpose. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:47.340 So all of these men were known by the later church. 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:51.519 Now turn with me to Romans, the letter of the 00:14:51.519 --> 00:15:05.120 Romans in chapter 16. Mark 15, Romans 16. Just 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:06.779 one sentence. As a matter of fact, you don't 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:10.240 even have to turn to Romans 16 if you want because 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:12.019 I'll just tell you what it says and you can kind 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:18.720 of stay close. I forget. Let's say 5. What does 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:29.100 Romans 16, 5 say in your Bible? No! Paul says 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:31.740 in his greetings, oh, I'm sorry, verse 13. It's 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:34.279 in the little superscript. And I'm old enough 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:36.620 now that sometimes I read stuff and can't see 00:15:36.620 --> 00:15:42.580 real small print. Sorry, 13. Rufus. Greet Rufus. 00:15:43.100 --> 00:15:48.000 He says, hey, Roman friends, meet Rufus. Chosen 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:51.159 by the Lord and his mother, who's been a mother 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:55.120 to me too. It's supposed that the reason why 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:58.700 Paul says this is because Rufus and his family 00:15:58.700 --> 00:16:02.820 was whom he lived whenever he went to Antioch. 00:16:02.980 --> 00:16:07.419 So when we find the Apostle Paul in Antioch, 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:12.779 we find him living with Simon of Cyrene, who 00:16:12.779 --> 00:16:16.539 is the man who carried the cross for Jesus Christ. 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:19.419 Isn't that interesting? A little interesting 00:16:19.419 --> 00:16:22.600 tidbit of... Trivia there. And it is supposed 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:26.320 that the reason why he says Rufus and his mother, 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:29.139 who was also a mother to me, is because she showed 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:31.700 him hospitality whenever he stayed with them 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:37.700 there in Antioch. So on to Cyprus. Verse 4, back 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:41.679 to Acts 13. The two of them, oh, and you know 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:43.379 what? Let's pause right here as you flip back 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:48.399 to 13. I want you to notice that in verse 2 of 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:52.120 chapter 13, you'll notice that the Holy Spirit 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:56.679 says specifically, set apart for me, number one, 00:16:56.759 --> 00:17:00.299 Barnabas, and then number two, Saul. That will 00:17:00.299 --> 00:17:03.580 come back here in a second as important. The 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:06.359 two of them, verse 4. Sent on their way by the 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:09.079 Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:12.220 there from Cyprus. And when they arrived at Salamis, 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:17.640 which is actually right there, Salamis, they 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.779 proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:27.400 John was with them as their helper. Now, John, 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:37.319 we know, isn't John the Baptist. John the Apostle, 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:43.140 the son of Zebedee, because John was killed when 00:17:43.140 --> 00:17:46.180 we finished in chapter 12 last time. So this 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:49.339 is another John. This is John Mark. The John 00:17:49.339 --> 00:17:52.400 Mark of whom it's supposed the mother owns the 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:57.460 house in which the upper room is found. This 00:17:57.460 --> 00:18:01.000 is also the John Mark who writes the book of 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:05.069 Mark. So, John Mark is who this is. And I believe 00:18:05.069 --> 00:18:08.549 perhaps that maybe we call John, John now because 00:18:08.549 --> 00:18:10.529 John, the son of Zebedee is not dead. There's 00:18:10.529 --> 00:18:14.569 no more confusion about who John is. So John 00:18:14.569 --> 00:18:18.269 Mark gets to go back to be called and get to 00:18:18.269 --> 00:18:19.869 be called John. I don't know if that's true. 00:18:20.029 --> 00:18:23.470 I'm just saying it's interesting that we often 00:18:23.470 --> 00:18:27.650 see Mark or John Mark, but we never really see 00:18:27.650 --> 00:18:31.349 John Mark referred to as just John, except here. 00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:35.519 So they travel through the whole island. So they 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:40.839 came to Paphos. And there they met a Jewish sorcerer 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:44.539 and a false prophet named Bar -Jesus. Now what 00:18:44.539 --> 00:18:47.759 do you suppose Bar -Jesus might mean in Aramaic? 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:52.059 The son of Jesus. Actually, it would mean technically 00:18:52.059 --> 00:18:58.329 the son of Joshua. So the son of Jesus. who was 00:18:58.329 --> 00:19:01.910 an attendant of the pro -council Sergius Paulus. 00:19:01.930 --> 00:19:04.589 Now, the pro -council is going to be the Roman 00:19:04.589 --> 00:19:09.609 who's in charge of this island. He's not necessarily 00:19:09.609 --> 00:19:12.769 a governor, but he would be like the district, 00:19:13.069 --> 00:19:15.910 the person who's in charge of a district. The 00:19:15.910 --> 00:19:18.630 pro -council, he's the guy who's in charge of 00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:21.890 dispensing the law on this particular island. 00:19:21.970 --> 00:19:28.049 His name is Sergius Paulus. The procouncil, an 00:19:28.049 --> 00:19:31.470 intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Paul because 00:19:31.470 --> 00:19:35.890 he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elamus, 00:19:36.190 --> 00:19:38.869 the sorcerer, for that's what that name means, 00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:45.089 Elamus, means sorcerer or magician, opposed them 00:19:45.089 --> 00:19:48.930 and tried to turn the procouncil from the faith. 00:19:50.410 --> 00:19:54.250 So the procouncil, the head Roman, wants to hear 00:19:54.250 --> 00:19:57.230 this. They're stirring up all kinds of hubbub 00:19:57.230 --> 00:19:59.309 here on the island. I want to hear what these 00:19:59.309 --> 00:20:03.210 guys have got to say. Send for these two guys. 00:20:03.289 --> 00:20:06.750 I want to hear their story. And then Bar Jesus 00:20:06.750 --> 00:20:09.430 says, no, you don't want to hear their story. 00:20:09.589 --> 00:20:12.170 These guys are a bunch of nuts. Why would he 00:20:12.170 --> 00:20:15.089 say that? Because he's already got a corner on 00:20:15.089 --> 00:20:18.869 the advising religiously market for the procouncil. 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:26.000 Bar Jesus, or Elamus, is the guy who is his religious 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:31.339 advisor. That's his job, right? Then Saul, who 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:33.940 was called Paul, there we go, filled with the 00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:36.900 Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elamus and said, 00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:39.240 You are a child of the devil and an enemy of 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:41.200 everything that's right. You're full of all kinds 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:44.420 of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting 00:20:44.420 --> 00:20:47.240 the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:48.880 Lord is against you. You're going to be blind 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.500 for a time, not even able to see the light of 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:53.740 the sun. And immediately, mist and darkness came 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:56.420 over him. He groped about, seeking someone to 00:20:56.420 --> 00:20:59.119 lead him by the hand. When the procouncil saw 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:02.900 what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed 00:21:02.900 --> 00:21:08.099 at the teachings about the Lord. Again, the procouncil 00:21:08.099 --> 00:21:12.680 has got this religious thing figured out. Remember 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:20.400 that in a poly... Theistic, many gods. Polyreligious, 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:25.200 many religions. Time and place of which this 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:28.519 part of Asia Minor would have been completely. 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:32.420 This part in the first century would have been 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:36.839 wholly polytheistic and polyreligious. All kinds 00:21:36.839 --> 00:21:42.920 of gods. We have Roman people living in Greek. 00:21:43.710 --> 00:21:46.849 uh areas right well they even have their own 00:21:46.849 --> 00:21:51.890 gods for the same gods right zeus and and uh 00:21:51.890 --> 00:21:54.650 hermes i think i've got that right it's the same 00:21:54.650 --> 00:21:59.869 thing as jupiter and uh mercury greek gods roman 00:21:59.869 --> 00:22:03.009 gods same gods just different named gods based 00:22:03.009 --> 00:22:10.069 on who they were um so in this time When Christianity 00:22:10.069 --> 00:22:15.450 begins to make its inroads, religion is a dime 00:22:15.450 --> 00:22:20.109 a dozen. But Christianity was already proving 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:24.250 here to be something different altogether. And 00:22:24.250 --> 00:22:27.170 I think that's indicative here of why Bar -Jesus 00:22:27.170 --> 00:22:32.269 was so incredibly opposed to the pro -council 00:22:32.269 --> 00:22:36.400 hearing the good news. Because Bar Jesus was 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:39.380 a smart guy and knew there's something different 00:22:39.380 --> 00:22:42.039 about Christianity. If it would have just been 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.519 any other of these religions just coming down 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:46.619 the pike, they could have all sat around and 00:22:46.619 --> 00:22:49.319 listened to it and had a laugh. But I think Bar 00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:52.900 Jesus knew the difference. And that had a lot 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:56.839 to do with why he was so incredibly opposed to 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:58.960 the pro -council coming in contact with him. 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:02.500 Scholars have often wondered why Paul traveled 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:07.329 there. during his first missionary journey. Some 00:23:07.329 --> 00:23:10.490 have suggested that perhaps the Roman procouncil, 00:23:10.589 --> 00:23:13.750 Sergius Paulus, was converted at Cyprus, and 00:23:13.750 --> 00:23:18.029 he had requested Paul visit Pisidian, Antioch. 00:23:18.109 --> 00:23:20.690 This is where we're going next. This is the area 00:23:20.690 --> 00:23:24.410 we're talking about. And so what I, sorry, what 00:23:24.410 --> 00:23:29.269 I meant to say was, some people wonder why Paul 00:23:29.269 --> 00:23:33.140 makes the trip here to this place. It's supposed 00:23:33.140 --> 00:23:36.960 that perhaps the procouncil down here had family 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:41.240 up here. And so he perhaps may have even been 00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:46.359 the sponsor of this leg of the journey, go talk 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:51.119 to my family up here in Pisidia, Antioch. So 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:55.079 after leaving Cyprus, Barnabas and Paul travel 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:59.140 roughly 110 miles. This is about how far that 00:23:59.140 --> 00:24:03.109 is. They might have traveled. Some people say 00:24:03.109 --> 00:24:05.529 that they might have traveled along a Roman highway 00:24:05.529 --> 00:24:09.869 that would have been in this area, which would 00:24:09.869 --> 00:24:12.450 have been constructed in 6 BC, which connected 00:24:12.450 --> 00:24:19.029 the interior of Asia Minor with the coast. This 00:24:19.029 --> 00:24:22.430 Pisidian Antioch is the site of Paul's first 00:24:22.430 --> 00:24:27.910 recorded sermon in the book of Acts. And as we're 00:24:27.910 --> 00:24:30.130 going to find out, it doesn't take our traditional 00:24:30.130 --> 00:24:35.430 Jewish friends to oppose his message. Barnabas 00:24:35.430 --> 00:24:40.630 and Paul left Pisidia Antioch for Iconium here. 00:24:40.990 --> 00:24:44.710 This is not to scale because this is about 80 00:24:44.710 --> 00:24:48.829 miles away. And the people left behind there, 00:24:48.930 --> 00:24:51.509 however, were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. 00:24:51.569 --> 00:24:56.430 This is the first city to have a fully Gentile. 00:24:56.880 --> 00:25:02.359 Christian community. So picking that story up, 00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:08.700 let's go to, let's see, we're in 1313. So from 00:25:08.700 --> 00:25:11.940 Paphos, Paul and his companions. Now, if you 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:14.380 recall from chapter, the beginning of the chapter 00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:17.740 where I had said, I wanted you to notice that 00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:22.559 the Holy Spirit had called out Barnabas and Saul. 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:26.970 By the time they get to here, It's no longer 00:25:26.970 --> 00:25:30.829 Barnabas and Saul. They're now described as Paul 00:25:30.829 --> 00:25:34.369 and his companions. It's kind of an interesting 00:25:34.369 --> 00:25:37.829 thing. I think it ends up kind of leading to 00:25:37.829 --> 00:25:42.730 some later tension. It sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, 00:25:42.789 --> 00:25:46.970 where John, John Mark, left them for Jerusalem. 00:25:47.549 --> 00:25:50.150 Now do me a favor, put your finger right there, 00:25:50.289 --> 00:25:53.410 and skip over to Acts 15, and I'd like to look 00:25:53.410 --> 00:25:58.259 at verse 36. Beginning at verse 36. Sometime 00:25:58.259 --> 00:26:01.279 later, this is later on. Guys, this is, they'll 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:03.920 be back in Jerusalem, or the focus will return 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:06.759 back to Jerusalem here in 15. Okay, so this is 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:10.680 after this is all done. Okay, but this is a description, 00:26:10.859 --> 00:26:14.480 a later account of where we're at presently in 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:17.460 our story. Sometime later, Paul said to Barnabas, 00:26:17.460 --> 00:26:19.940 let us go back and visit the believers in all 00:26:19.940 --> 00:26:21.680 the towns where we preach the word of the Lord 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:24.279 and see how they're doing. And Barnabas wanted 00:26:24.279 --> 00:26:28.279 to take John, also called Mark. This is John 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:31.640 Mark, with them. But Paul didn't think it was 00:26:31.640 --> 00:26:34.539 wise to take him because he had deserted them 00:26:34.539 --> 00:26:37.660 in Pamphylia and had not continued with them 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:40.259 in the work. And they had such a sharp, sharp 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:43.359 disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:47.160 took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. But Paul chose 00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:51.240 Silas and left, commended by the believers in 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:54.859 the grace of the Lord. Now, do we know a relationship 00:26:54.859 --> 00:26:59.500 between Barnabas and John Mark? They are cousins. 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:06.259 They are cousins. And it's interesting that the 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:09.460 way we see a change in the name from Barnabas 00:27:09.460 --> 00:27:14.980 and Saul to Paul and the other boys. might have 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:18.680 been a reason for the reason why John Mark said, 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:21.539 I'm not following this guy around. I can't stand 00:27:21.539 --> 00:27:23.839 this guy. I'm going back to Jerusalem. That's 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:26.299 one theory. It could be that he was just a flake 00:27:26.299 --> 00:27:30.900 and he ran away. Could be. Seems like John Mark, 00:27:31.019 --> 00:27:35.240 the other examples of John Mark, the accounting 00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:39.059 of his life in scripture seems to tend to think 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:41.279 that he was more reliable than less reliable. 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:45.420 So I think this Barnabas, Paul thing has a little 00:27:45.420 --> 00:27:48.660 bit of weight to it from Perga they went on to 00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:52.740 Pisidian Antioch and on the Sabbath they entered 00:27:52.740 --> 00:27:55.880 the synagogue and sat down okay so let's just 00:27:55.880 --> 00:27:57.220 stop right there because that actually tells 00:27:57.220 --> 00:27:59.559 us something about how they are evangelizing 00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:03.420 they're still evangelizing by going to the synagogue 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:08.559 speaking to the Jewish people and the proselytes 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:13.359 right those that were Greek but had in in various 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:18.420 ways converted or connected to Judaism. So you 00:28:18.420 --> 00:28:21.299 have in these Greek cities, you will have in 00:28:21.299 --> 00:28:24.019 modern day Turkish cities, you'll have Jews. 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:28.200 Then you'll have people who are Jewish converts 00:28:28.200 --> 00:28:31.759 who weren't ethnically Jewish. And then you're 00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:36.039 going to have Greek speaking people who are proselytes. 00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:39.299 In other words, they believe in God. They dig 00:28:39.299 --> 00:28:41.839 this whole Jewish thing, but they're not fully 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:45.980 converted Jews. Because more than likely they 00:28:45.980 --> 00:28:48.740 would at this point be observing dietary law. 00:28:48.859 --> 00:28:53.940 If these proselytes, these proto -converts, if 00:28:53.940 --> 00:28:58.099 they were taking dietary law, regular dietary 00:28:58.099 --> 00:29:00.019 law, they wouldn't have been allowed in the synagogue. 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:02.930 They'd have been ceremonially unclean. Right? 00:29:02.970 --> 00:29:05.049 So more than likely, yeah, you're exactly right. 00:29:05.130 --> 00:29:07.950 These are people who have converted all but probably 00:29:07.950 --> 00:29:12.329 circumcision. And so, this is how they do it. 00:29:12.390 --> 00:29:15.529 They go to the synagogue first, and they speak 00:29:15.529 --> 00:29:19.910 on the Sabbath. Now, after reading from the Law 00:29:19.910 --> 00:29:22.390 and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue 00:29:22.390 --> 00:29:25.609 sent word to them saying, Brothers, they're saying 00:29:25.609 --> 00:29:29.029 this to Barnabas and Paul, Brothers, If you have 00:29:29.029 --> 00:29:31.150 a word of exhortation for the people, please 00:29:31.150 --> 00:29:35.970 speak. Now imagine, the Jewish, the non -Christian 00:29:35.970 --> 00:29:40.470 leaders of this synagogue have just invited Paul 00:29:40.470 --> 00:29:44.089 and Barnabas to stand up and speak for themselves. 00:29:44.970 --> 00:29:49.529 A decision that they will soon regret. So, standing 00:29:49.529 --> 00:29:55.049 up again. This is the first sermon of Paul. That's 00:29:55.049 --> 00:30:01.119 correct. Back in 13. chapter, verse 13, 16. Standing 00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:03.859 up, Paul motioned with his hand and said, fellow 00:30:03.859 --> 00:30:06.579 Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God. 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:10.420 Okay, that's the proselytes. Listen to me. The 00:30:10.420 --> 00:30:12.599 God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors. 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:15.140 He made the people prosper during their stay 00:30:15.140 --> 00:30:18.119 in Egypt with mighty power. He led them out of 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:21.849 that country for about 40 years. He endured their 00:30:21.849 --> 00:30:24.730 conduct, which I think is an absolutely wonderful 00:30:24.730 --> 00:30:28.109 way to describe God's patience with them during 00:30:28.109 --> 00:30:30.890 that time, in the wilderness, and he overthrew 00:30:30.890 --> 00:30:33.650 seven nations in Canaan, which we can learn about 00:30:33.650 --> 00:30:36.890 if we turn to Deuteronomy chapter 5, giving their 00:30:36.890 --> 00:30:39.470 land to his people as their inheritance. All 00:30:39.470 --> 00:30:44.690 of this, Paul says, took about 450 years. After 00:30:44.690 --> 00:30:47.549 this, this is... That's the 400 years in captivity. 00:30:47.609 --> 00:30:50.250 That's the 40 years in the wilderness. And then 00:30:50.250 --> 00:30:56.869 that's the 10 years after the transit of the 00:30:56.869 --> 00:30:58.730 Jordan River, the crossing over the Jordan River. 00:30:58.849 --> 00:31:01.069 But Joshua and the people stayed there 10 years. 00:31:02.450 --> 00:31:05.410 After this, God gave them judges until the time 00:31:05.410 --> 00:31:08.210 of Samuel the prophet. Then the people asked 00:31:08.210 --> 00:31:10.529 for a king and he gave them Saul, the son of 00:31:10.529 --> 00:31:13.250 Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. And I think this 00:31:13.250 --> 00:31:16.289 is Paul being Paul, if you know a lot about Paul, 00:31:16.369 --> 00:31:21.269 because his name is also Saul. And he's also 00:31:21.269 --> 00:31:25.170 of the tribe of Benjamin. I think it's kind of 00:31:25.170 --> 00:31:28.690 Paul going, oh, look, man, I'm a Benjamite too. 00:31:28.970 --> 00:31:32.029 I think there are times when he uses the fact 00:31:32.029 --> 00:31:37.829 that he is both a Pharisee. And a Benjamite? 00:31:38.670 --> 00:31:42.069 Yeah, to kind of, you know, really pump up his 00:31:42.069 --> 00:31:46.430 stature. So Saul, the son of Kish, the tribe 00:31:46.430 --> 00:31:48.450 of Benjamin, Saul rules for 40 years. And after 00:31:48.450 --> 00:31:51.710 removing Saul, he made David their king. And 00:31:51.710 --> 00:31:55.230 God testified concerning him, saying, I found 00:31:55.230 --> 00:31:57.509 David, the son of Jesse, a man of my own heart, 00:31:57.569 --> 00:32:00.230 and he will do everything I want him to do. Now, 00:32:00.250 --> 00:32:02.230 does God mean that David's going to be perfect? 00:32:02.470 --> 00:32:07.380 Nope. God means David will create a lineage that 00:32:07.380 --> 00:32:12.480 I'm talking about in Hebrew scripture that whenever 00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:15.420 Jesus comes along, you're going to be able to 00:32:15.420 --> 00:32:18.519 see I fulfilled that promise when we talk about 00:32:18.519 --> 00:32:22.339 it in the New Testament, so to speak. So he says 00:32:22.339 --> 00:32:26.240 this prophecy in the old Hebrew scripture, the 00:32:26.240 --> 00:32:30.259 first testament, if you will, right, to make 00:32:30.259 --> 00:32:34.430 that as a signifier. So when this happens, when 00:32:34.430 --> 00:32:38.710 Jesus comes, and he comes by way of the prophecy 00:32:38.710 --> 00:32:41.509 of the Hebrew scriptures, you're going to know 00:32:41.509 --> 00:32:44.670 it was me and not just something somebody made 00:32:44.670 --> 00:32:48.150 up. Right? And that's exactly what happens. And 00:32:48.150 --> 00:32:51.529 from this man, Jesus' descendants, God has brought 00:32:51.529 --> 00:32:53.950 Israel, the Savior Jesus, David rather, sorry, 00:32:54.089 --> 00:32:58.430 as he promised before the coming of Jesus. John, 00:32:58.430 --> 00:33:01.349 that John the Baptist, preached repentance and 00:33:01.349 --> 00:33:04.130 baptism. As John was completing his work, who 00:33:04.130 --> 00:33:07.029 do you suppose I am? I'm not the one you're looking 00:33:07.029 --> 00:33:09.470 for, but there's one coming after me whose sandals 00:33:09.470 --> 00:33:14.029 I'm not worthy to untie. So I basically, as Paul 00:33:14.029 --> 00:33:18.390 in my first sermon here, have recapped the whole 00:33:18.390 --> 00:33:22.410 history of the Hebrew people. And now comes the 00:33:22.410 --> 00:33:26.289 so what part of the sermon. So he looks at these 00:33:26.289 --> 00:33:29.410 men in the synagogue and says, fellow children 00:33:29.410 --> 00:33:33.589 of Abraham and you God -fearing Gentiles, it 00:33:33.589 --> 00:33:38.369 is to us, all of us, that this message of salvation 00:33:38.369 --> 00:33:42.289 has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their 00:33:42.289 --> 00:33:45.609 rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning 00:33:45.609 --> 00:33:47.509 him, they fulfilled the words of the prophets 00:33:47.509 --> 00:33:51.250 as read on the Sabbath. Though they found no 00:33:51.250 --> 00:33:53.250 proper ground for a death sentence, they asked 00:33:53.250 --> 00:33:55.710 Pilate to have them executed. When they carried 00:33:55.710 --> 00:33:57.369 out all that had been written about him, they 00:33:57.369 --> 00:33:59.670 took him down from the cross and laid him in 00:33:59.670 --> 00:34:02.369 a tomb. But God raised him from the dead and 00:34:02.369 --> 00:34:05.490 for many days was seen by those who traveled 00:34:05.490 --> 00:34:08.849 with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are 00:34:08.849 --> 00:34:14.849 now his witnesses to our people. We, Barnabas 00:34:14.849 --> 00:34:19.230 and I here, we tell you the good news. So, if 00:34:19.230 --> 00:34:21.769 you kind of wonder, what was the gospel message? 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:25.340 What was the good news? What was the thing that 00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:27.599 these apostles, these evangelists, what did they 00:34:27.599 --> 00:34:30.559 tell people to convince them to become Christians? 00:34:31.199 --> 00:34:34.559 Here's Paul's version of the good news. This 00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:38.159 is Christianity boiled down to a sentence per 00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:41.980 Paul. What's the good news, Paul? It's this. 00:34:42.699 --> 00:34:47.480 What God promised to our ancestors, He's now 00:34:47.480 --> 00:34:51.340 fulfilled for us, their children, through Jesus. 00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:55.519 As it's written in the second psalm, for you 00:34:55.519 --> 00:34:58.420 are my son today, I have become your father. 00:34:59.079 --> 00:35:02.539 God raised him from the dead so that he will 00:35:02.539 --> 00:35:06.579 never be subject to decay. As God has said, I 00:35:06.579 --> 00:35:10.260 will give you the holy and sure blessings promised 00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:13.719 to David. So it will also be stated elsewhere, 00:35:14.179 --> 00:35:18.360 you will not let your holy one see decay. Okay, 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:20.179 I just want to stop right there because Paul 00:35:20.179 --> 00:35:26.360 has now repeated this same concept twice. What 00:35:26.360 --> 00:35:30.280 is he driving at? Now, when David had served 00:35:30.280 --> 00:35:33.360 God's purpose in his own generation, he fell 00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:36.639 asleep. Now, what does Paul mean there? He died. 00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:40.780 David, for everything he was supposed to be, 00:35:41.059 --> 00:35:44.659 did not hold the power over life and death. And 00:35:44.659 --> 00:35:53.159 his body is worm. His body is gone. It has decayed. 00:35:53.860 --> 00:35:57.940 Power of life and death has come to us through 00:35:57.940 --> 00:36:01.800 Jesus. And if you believe that, forgiveness of 00:36:01.800 --> 00:36:05.460 sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him, everyone 00:36:05.460 --> 00:36:09.539 who believes is set free from the sins you know 00:36:09.539 --> 00:36:15.320 you commit. Every sin. Well, what does Paul mean 00:36:15.320 --> 00:36:19.119 there? What is Paul telling these Jewish and 00:36:19.119 --> 00:36:23.480 proselyte people in the synagogue? What's the 00:36:23.480 --> 00:36:26.300 big problem with the law? The big problem with 00:36:26.300 --> 00:36:29.940 the law is when you know you've screwed up, you 00:36:29.940 --> 00:36:33.199 can go offer repentance and be forgiven, right? 00:36:33.579 --> 00:36:35.980 But you also know, and you don't have to follow 00:36:35.980 --> 00:36:38.019 the law for very long to know that there are 00:36:38.019 --> 00:36:39.760 going to be times when you're going to break 00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:42.900 God's law and it's not even going to occur to 00:36:42.900 --> 00:36:46.159 you. There are going to be times when you are 00:36:46.159 --> 00:36:50.960 going to sin by breaking the law where you recognize 00:36:50.960 --> 00:36:54.659 it and you go offer a sacrifice of atonement. 00:36:54.760 --> 00:36:56.519 And then there are going to be times when you're 00:36:56.519 --> 00:36:58.880 going to break the law and you're not going to 00:36:58.880 --> 00:37:01.159 realize it and you're not going to be atoned 00:37:01.159 --> 00:37:03.780 for it. That means you're not going to be forgiven. 00:37:04.079 --> 00:37:07.699 Now, does God say that you can get to Jewish 00:37:07.699 --> 00:37:10.519 heaven as long as you atone for the sins that 00:37:10.519 --> 00:37:14.969 you knew about and said? gave atonement for no 00:37:14.969 --> 00:37:19.289 so you can't break any of these rules even if 00:37:19.289 --> 00:37:23.530 you don't realize it you're still guilty that's 00:37:23.530 --> 00:37:26.710 the problem with the law and that's paul's argument 00:37:26.710 --> 00:37:31.809 here because paul is saying through god's grace 00:37:31.809 --> 00:37:35.809 jesus has taken away that stumbling block not 00:37:35.809 --> 00:37:38.690 of the law for the sins for which you know you've 00:37:38.690 --> 00:37:42.750 committed and you follow the religious to be 00:37:42.750 --> 00:37:45.849 forgiven, but you're actually the stumbling block. 00:37:45.929 --> 00:37:48.710 That's not the stumbling block for us. The stumbling 00:37:48.710 --> 00:37:51.409 block is, as humans, we're going to break the 00:37:51.409 --> 00:37:55.949 law even when we don't even realize it. And Jesus 00:37:55.949 --> 00:38:00.849 provides a justification away from those sins. 00:38:01.329 --> 00:38:04.349 That's what Paul is teaching them here. This 00:38:04.349 --> 00:38:07.389 is what's different about Jesus, he's saying. 00:38:09.010 --> 00:38:12.300 And how is it different? And how can I tell you 00:38:12.300 --> 00:38:16.760 that there is supernatural, otherworldly power 00:38:16.760 --> 00:38:22.599 involved with this new system? Verse 37. But 00:38:22.599 --> 00:38:26.440 the one whom God raised from the dead did not 00:38:26.440 --> 00:38:33.820 see decay. How do we know this is from God? Everybody 00:38:33.820 --> 00:38:38.579 we have ever known... As from the patriarchs 00:38:38.579 --> 00:38:42.420 forward, no matter how great they were, Moses, 00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:50.539 the lawgiver, died and rotted away to dust. David, 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:55.519 the man after God's own heart, died and rotted 00:38:55.519 --> 00:39:02.019 to dust. Jesus Christ died and was raised from 00:39:02.019 --> 00:39:07.389 the dead and whose body did not decay. This is 00:39:07.389 --> 00:39:12.929 proof of God working in the world through Jesus. 00:39:13.050 --> 00:39:17.989 It's Paul's argument. This is what makes Jesus 00:39:17.989 --> 00:39:21.030 so different. He says, therefore, I want you 00:39:21.030 --> 00:39:24.110 to know that through Jesus, the forgiveness of 00:39:24.110 --> 00:39:28.170 sins is proclaimed to you. Through him, everyone 00:39:28.170 --> 00:39:33.960 who believes is set free from every sin. A justification 00:39:33.960 --> 00:39:37.980 you weren't able to obtain under the law of Moses. 00:39:39.360 --> 00:39:42.320 Take care that what the prophets said don't happen 00:39:42.320 --> 00:39:50.360 to you. Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, 00:39:50.420 --> 00:39:52.599 for I'm going to do something in your days that 00:39:52.599 --> 00:39:55.719 you would never believe even if someone told 00:39:55.719 --> 00:39:59.300 you. Paul is saying, I'm the someone telling 00:39:59.300 --> 00:40:05.360 you. Don't discount. Don't push away. Don't blow 00:40:05.360 --> 00:40:10.219 off God working supernaturally in our world, 00:40:10.280 --> 00:40:14.280 in our lifetimes. Because there are people our 00:40:14.280 --> 00:40:17.559 age who not only have heard the story, but saw 00:40:17.559 --> 00:40:21.719 it with their own eyes. As Paul and Barnabas 00:40:21.719 --> 00:40:24.380 were leaving the synagogue, the people invited 00:40:24.380 --> 00:40:27.360 them to speak further about these things on the 00:40:27.360 --> 00:40:31.119 next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, 00:40:31.579 --> 00:40:34.079 Many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism 00:40:34.079 --> 00:40:37.280 followed Paul and Barnabas and talked with them 00:40:37.280 --> 00:40:40.260 and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 00:40:40.340 --> 00:40:45.820 On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered 00:40:45.820 --> 00:40:49.679 to hear the word of the Lord. Is this a Jewish 00:40:49.679 --> 00:40:53.480 city? This is a Greek city. Is the synagogue 00:40:53.480 --> 00:40:57.119 now filled with people who are not Jewish? That's 00:40:57.119 --> 00:41:00.280 exactly what's going on. You think you get upset 00:41:00.280 --> 00:41:02.619 whenever you come in on Sunday morning and someone 00:41:02.619 --> 00:41:07.980 is sitting in your pew? Imagine how these guys 00:41:07.980 --> 00:41:10.500 would have felt. These guys aren't even Jews. 00:41:11.380 --> 00:41:15.280 They have swarmed the synagogue. You guys have 00:41:15.280 --> 00:41:17.380 got to hear what these guys are saying. Because 00:41:17.380 --> 00:41:19.960 they're talking about God not just being for 00:41:19.960 --> 00:41:25.719 these Jewish guys, but for us too. So on the 00:41:25.719 --> 00:41:27.260 next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered 00:41:27.260 --> 00:41:28.760 to hear the word of the Lord. And when the Jews 00:41:28.760 --> 00:41:31.679 saw the crowd, guess what? They were filled with 00:41:31.679 --> 00:41:34.599 jealousy. And they began to contradict what Paul 00:41:34.599 --> 00:41:38.320 was saying and he abused upon them. Then Paul 00:41:38.320 --> 00:41:41.119 and Barnabas answered them boldly. We have to 00:41:41.119 --> 00:41:44.239 speak the word of God to you first, to you Jews 00:41:44.239 --> 00:41:47.639 first. Where does righteousness and justice come 00:41:47.639 --> 00:41:54.739 first? To the temple. God, the entire time. Of 00:41:54.739 --> 00:41:57.340 humanity. Throughout the entire relationship, 00:41:57.780 --> 00:42:03.539 God holds his chosen accountable first. Right? 00:42:03.619 --> 00:42:08.400 And then justice goes out. When the word of Christ 00:42:08.400 --> 00:42:11.420 is spread, it goes to the Jewish people first. 00:42:12.019 --> 00:42:15.619 Righteousness and justice start at the temple 00:42:15.619 --> 00:42:21.239 first. Okay? So we had to come to you, Jewish 00:42:21.239 --> 00:42:24.440 friends. to talk to you first. But since you 00:42:24.440 --> 00:42:28.460 rejected it, and you do not consider yourselves 00:42:28.460 --> 00:42:32.000 worthy of eternal life, we have now been instructed 00:42:32.000 --> 00:42:36.380 to tell it to everybody else. Because we didn't 00:42:36.380 --> 00:42:40.340 make this up, Jesus told us, I have made you 00:42:40.340 --> 00:42:43.360 a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation 00:42:43.360 --> 00:42:46.880 to the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles 00:42:46.880 --> 00:42:50.460 heard this, they were glad. They honored the 00:42:50.460 --> 00:42:53.050 word of the Lord. and all who were appointed 00:42:53.050 --> 00:42:56.369 for eternal life believed. The word of the Lord 00:42:56.369 --> 00:42:59.170 spread throughout the whole region, but the Jewish 00:42:59.170 --> 00:43:02.449 leaders incited, and I love this, this shows 00:43:02.449 --> 00:43:05.769 how smart these guys actually are, but the Jewish 00:43:05.769 --> 00:43:09.769 leaders incited God -fearing women of high standing 00:43:09.769 --> 00:43:12.829 and the leading men of the city. You want to 00:43:12.829 --> 00:43:16.269 get these guys to shut up? You go get their wives 00:43:16.269 --> 00:43:19.570 to hassle them, which is basically what's happening. 00:43:20.190 --> 00:43:22.250 They stirred up persecution against Paul and 00:43:22.250 --> 00:43:24.710 Barnabas and expelled them from the region. So 00:43:24.710 --> 00:43:27.650 they shook the dust off their feet, right? And 00:43:27.650 --> 00:43:30.750 we know where that language comes from. That's 00:43:30.750 --> 00:43:33.110 advice of Jesus when he sends out his disciples. 00:43:33.369 --> 00:43:37.210 If you're rejected, shake the dust off your sandals, 00:43:37.269 --> 00:43:42.429 right? And then they went to Iconium, down here. 00:43:42.670 --> 00:43:45.190 And disciples were filled with joy with the Holy 00:43:45.190 --> 00:43:47.829 Spirit. So we've moved towns. We've come out 00:43:47.829 --> 00:43:51.440 of Pisidia, Antioch. Iconium, as we begin chapter 00:43:51.440 --> 00:43:57.099 14. At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went, as usual, 00:43:57.280 --> 00:43:59.340 to the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so 00:43:59.340 --> 00:44:01.739 effectively, a great number of Jews and Greeks 00:44:01.739 --> 00:44:04.539 believed. But the Jews who refused to believe 00:44:04.539 --> 00:44:07.199 stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their 00:44:07.199 --> 00:44:10.519 mind against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas 00:44:10.519 --> 00:44:13.639 spent considerable time there. So they're in 00:44:13.639 --> 00:44:18.980 Iconium for a considerable amount of time. Right? 00:44:20.809 --> 00:44:23.949 speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the 00:44:23.949 --> 00:44:26.369 message of his grace by enabling them, that's 00:44:26.369 --> 00:44:29.869 Barnabas and Paul, to perform signs and wonders. 00:44:30.130 --> 00:44:33.010 So they're there for a long time. They're preaching 00:44:33.010 --> 00:44:34.909 and they're teaching. Essentially what's happening 00:44:34.909 --> 00:44:37.769 is the longer they preach and teach, the more 00:44:37.769 --> 00:44:41.710 divided the community becomes. The more staunchly 00:44:41.710 --> 00:44:44.510 Christian the Gentiles become and the Jewish 00:44:44.510 --> 00:44:47.599 people that reject the message. the more defensive 00:44:47.599 --> 00:44:50.739 they become. But in this considerable amount 00:44:50.739 --> 00:44:53.840 of time, one thing that everybody has to acknowledge 00:44:53.840 --> 00:44:57.380 is Paul and Barnabas are performing all kinds 00:44:57.380 --> 00:45:01.440 of miracles in the city. The people of the city 00:45:01.440 --> 00:45:03.559 were divided. Some sided with the Jews, others 00:45:03.559 --> 00:45:05.920 with the apostles. There was a plot afoot amongst 00:45:05.920 --> 00:45:10.360 both to mistreat them and stone them. But then 00:45:10.360 --> 00:45:12.780 they found out about it and fled to the Laconian 00:45:12.780 --> 00:45:19.530 cities of Lystra and Derbe. And to the surrounding 00:45:19.530 --> 00:45:22.190 country where they continued to preach the gospel. 00:45:22.429 --> 00:45:25.789 Now this is one of these super cool things that 00:45:25.789 --> 00:45:27.929 if you don't know, if you don't realize this, 00:45:28.050 --> 00:45:29.869 I think this is really one of those things that 00:45:29.869 --> 00:45:32.210 puts things together. Okay, so we're following 00:45:32.210 --> 00:45:34.449 the story in Acts and we followed it from the 00:45:34.449 --> 00:45:36.949 very beginning. And when we start out the very 00:45:36.949 --> 00:45:40.039 beginning, Jesus is still on the scene. And then 00:45:40.039 --> 00:45:42.280 we see Pentecost and the church begins to grow. 00:45:42.460 --> 00:45:45.079 And we see the conversion of Gentiles. We see 00:45:45.079 --> 00:45:48.400 the conversion of the eunuch. Then we see the 00:45:48.400 --> 00:45:50.880 conversion of Paul. And now all of a sudden we 00:45:50.880 --> 00:45:54.340 see Christianity coming up here to Turkey. And 00:45:54.340 --> 00:45:57.280 as we have followed in our study, we have followed 00:45:57.280 --> 00:46:01.019 Christianity from its very beginnings as a church 00:46:01.019 --> 00:46:05.099 to where we are now. This is a chronology here. 00:46:05.360 --> 00:46:07.619 Now, what's really interesting is we stop and 00:46:07.619 --> 00:46:10.039 you just stay right there because I'll come back 00:46:10.039 --> 00:46:12.900 to 14 real quick. But if you stop and you flip 00:46:12.900 --> 00:46:16.559 your Bible over to Galatians chapter 3, what's 00:46:16.559 --> 00:46:20.340 Galatians? The Galatian letter is a letter by 00:46:20.340 --> 00:46:24.300 the Apostle Paul to Christians in a place called 00:46:24.300 --> 00:46:28.159 Galatia, to Christians who lived in churches, 00:46:28.219 --> 00:46:30.940 who lived there and went to churches Paul had 00:46:30.940 --> 00:46:37.940 founded, right? Where is Galatia? That's Galatia. 00:46:39.119 --> 00:46:43.000 Whenever Paul is writing to the Galatians, these 00:46:43.000 --> 00:46:46.480 are the people to whom he is writing. And Galatians, 00:46:46.480 --> 00:46:48.960 a little bit later, after this church has been 00:46:48.960 --> 00:46:52.380 formed, right? Chapter 3, we've got a problem 00:46:52.380 --> 00:46:55.900 because Peter comes along and tells these folks, 00:46:56.079 --> 00:46:58.800 oh, you guys love Jesus? Me too. Love Jesus. 00:46:58.900 --> 00:47:02.039 You've got to get circumcised. Remember? Right? 00:47:02.159 --> 00:47:03.760 And Paul goes, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 00:47:04.199 --> 00:47:06.639 Forget that stuff. It's circumcision of the heart 00:47:06.639 --> 00:47:09.619 now. Lucky you. No, no, no, no, no, no. It's 00:47:09.619 --> 00:47:13.139 okay. Right? And this is his letter to them explaining 00:47:13.139 --> 00:47:16.019 that. Chapter 3, he says, You foolish Galatians, 00:47:16.019 --> 00:47:18.980 who bewitched you? Peter. Right? Before your 00:47:18.980 --> 00:47:22.000 very eyes, Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed 00:47:22.000 --> 00:47:25.539 as crucified. I'd like to learn just one thing 00:47:25.539 --> 00:47:28.239 from you. Did you receive the Spirit by works 00:47:28.239 --> 00:47:31.940 of the law or believing what you heard? Are you 00:47:31.940 --> 00:47:36.420 foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, 00:47:36.559 --> 00:47:39.219 are you trying to finish by means of the flesh? 00:47:40.699 --> 00:47:44.860 Have you experienced so much in vain, if it really 00:47:44.860 --> 00:47:48.719 was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you 00:47:48.719 --> 00:47:53.179 the Spirit and work miracles among you by works 00:47:53.179 --> 00:47:56.179 of the law? Are you believing what you heard? 00:47:56.820 --> 00:48:00.980 When he's recalling to the Galatians that moment, 00:48:02.029 --> 00:48:05.570 That's where we are in the story. He's converting 00:48:05.570 --> 00:48:09.010 the Galatian people to whom he'll write to which 00:48:09.010 --> 00:48:11.510 you know the letter of the Galatian church. There's 00:48:11.510 --> 00:48:14.110 no Galatian church here, but this is where it's 00:48:14.110 --> 00:48:16.269 founded. It's kind of interesting. It may not 00:48:16.269 --> 00:48:20.809 be to you. So continuing on in chapter 14, we're 00:48:20.809 --> 00:48:24.420 now in Lystra here. And listen to what they said, 00:48:24.519 --> 00:48:26.659 a man who was lame. This is going to be a story 00:48:26.659 --> 00:48:29.300 that's going to recall very much the story of 00:48:29.300 --> 00:48:33.739 Peter and John as they go to the temple one day. 00:48:34.559 --> 00:48:36.860 There was a man who was lame. He'd been that 00:48:36.860 --> 00:48:39.639 way from birth and had never walked, just like 00:48:39.639 --> 00:48:42.079 the other gentleman. He listened to Paul as he 00:48:42.079 --> 00:48:44.039 was speaking, and Paul looked directly at him, 00:48:44.099 --> 00:48:46.360 saw he had faith to be healed, and called out, 00:48:46.460 --> 00:48:49.940 Stand up on your feet, just as Peter did. At 00:48:49.940 --> 00:48:53.199 that, the man jumped up and began to walk. When 00:48:53.199 --> 00:48:56.619 the crowd saw what Paul had done, this is where 00:48:56.619 --> 00:48:59.860 the story turns different, though. They shouted 00:48:59.860 --> 00:49:03.400 in the Lycanian language, the gods have come 00:49:03.400 --> 00:49:07.179 down to us in human form. Barnabas, they called 00:49:07.179 --> 00:49:10.699 Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he 00:49:10.699 --> 00:49:14.820 was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose 00:49:14.820 --> 00:49:18.079 temple was just outside the city, Brought bulls 00:49:18.079 --> 00:49:20.260 and wreaths to the city gates because he and 00:49:20.260 --> 00:49:23.380 the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 00:49:23.780 --> 00:49:27.659 So I think this is just an incredible image here. 00:49:27.739 --> 00:49:32.260 As Barnabas and Paul perform miracles, the people 00:49:32.260 --> 00:49:36.420 of Lystra think, of Lyconium think, it's the 00:49:36.420 --> 00:49:38.900 Roman gods. They're the Greek gods. They have 00:49:38.900 --> 00:49:41.780 showed up. And Paul and Barnabas are like, no. 00:49:42.480 --> 00:49:45.219 No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're regular dudes 00:49:45.219 --> 00:49:48.880 just like you. Our story continues. They tore 00:49:48.880 --> 00:49:51.639 their clothes, rushed out into the crowd, chanting, 00:49:51.739 --> 00:49:53.800 friends, why are you doing this? We too are only 00:49:53.800 --> 00:49:56.860 human like you. We're bringing you the good news, 00:49:56.920 --> 00:49:59.780 telling you to turn from these worthless things 00:49:59.780 --> 00:50:02.760 to a living God who made the heavens and the 00:50:02.760 --> 00:50:05.659 earth and the sea and everything in them. In 00:50:05.659 --> 00:50:08.380 the past, he let all nations go their own way. 00:50:09.019 --> 00:50:11.400 Yet he has not left himself without testimony. 00:50:12.139 --> 00:50:15.460 He's shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven 00:50:15.460 --> 00:50:18.559 and crops in their seasons. He provides you with 00:50:18.559 --> 00:50:20.800 plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. 00:50:21.460 --> 00:50:24.340 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping 00:50:24.340 --> 00:50:27.000 the crowd from sacrificing to them. Now why would 00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:30.739 Paul, trying to explain God to them, use this 00:50:30.739 --> 00:50:35.579 language? He has given you rain from heaven and 00:50:35.579 --> 00:50:38.099 crops in their seasons. He's provided you with 00:50:38.099 --> 00:50:40.610 plenty of food and he fills... Hearts with joy. 00:50:40.829 --> 00:50:44.849 The reason is these other gods, these Roman and 00:50:44.849 --> 00:50:48.449 Greek gods, the default was they were always 00:50:48.449 --> 00:50:53.429 angry. You didn't serve these gods out of pleasure. 00:50:53.650 --> 00:50:57.409 You served them to keep them from punishing you. 00:50:58.030 --> 00:51:01.469 That's a fundamental difference here between 00:51:01.469 --> 00:51:06.789 monotheistic Yahwehist thought and polytheistic, 00:51:06.829 --> 00:51:10.940 polyethnic religious thought. God is a God of 00:51:10.940 --> 00:51:14.739 love God provides you these things because he 00:51:14.739 --> 00:51:18.239 loves you you don't serve God because you're 00:51:18.239 --> 00:51:22.599 scared of him you serve God out of thanks because 00:51:22.599 --> 00:51:26.480 he loves you these people did not understand 00:51:26.480 --> 00:51:30.179 that concept That's why even whenever they said 00:51:30.179 --> 00:51:32.219 it, they still couldn't grasp it with their heads 00:51:32.219 --> 00:51:35.739 and still wanted to offer sacrifices. It shows 00:51:35.739 --> 00:51:38.420 us something about the thought of the Gentile 00:51:38.420 --> 00:51:40.940 people here at this time. That the way that they 00:51:40.940 --> 00:51:44.260 thought of God was not that he loves us and created 00:51:44.260 --> 00:51:46.300 us because he wants to have a relationship with 00:51:46.300 --> 00:51:50.980 us. It's that these gods hate us. And if we don't 00:51:50.980 --> 00:51:55.599 do things for them, they will punish us. Fundamental 00:51:55.599 --> 00:52:00.590 dichotomy. in theological thought between Gentiles 00:52:00.590 --> 00:52:05.349 and Jews. Then some Jews came from Antioch, this 00:52:05.349 --> 00:52:09.929 is the Pisidia Antioch, and Iconium, and won 00:52:09.929 --> 00:52:13.309 the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged 00:52:13.309 --> 00:52:15.869 him outside of the city, thinking he was dead, 00:52:15.929 --> 00:52:18.070 but after the disciples had gathered around him, 00:52:18.110 --> 00:52:22.289 he got up and he went back into the city. The 00:52:22.289 --> 00:52:26.369 next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. This 00:52:26.369 --> 00:52:29.389 is... what's considered the frontier here of 00:52:29.389 --> 00:52:32.769 Galatia. They preached to the gospel in that 00:52:32.769 --> 00:52:35.289 city, won a large number of disciples. Then they 00:52:35.289 --> 00:52:39.570 returned back here to Lystra, right? And then 00:52:39.570 --> 00:52:42.130 they went to Iconium and to Antioch. And what 00:52:42.130 --> 00:52:45.150 Luke is saying here is they get all the way out 00:52:45.150 --> 00:52:49.090 here to Derbe and they just basically retrace 00:52:49.090 --> 00:52:51.610 their steps. Remember, this is a trip that took 00:52:51.610 --> 00:52:54.429 a year out. This is a trip that will take a year 00:52:54.429 --> 00:52:58.400 back. So whenever they go back to these places, 00:52:58.599 --> 00:53:02.920 in many situations, things have heated up because 00:53:02.920 --> 00:53:06.199 the churches have really begun to fire off. In 00:53:06.199 --> 00:53:08.840 places where maybe the kitchen was a little too 00:53:08.840 --> 00:53:11.360 hot, in some areas they had cooled back down 00:53:11.360 --> 00:53:13.679 and they were able to pass back through these 00:53:13.679 --> 00:53:16.820 cities without any further persecution. But they 00:53:16.820 --> 00:53:20.840 end up making their way back here to Atalia, 00:53:20.960 --> 00:53:26.329 right? From there they sailed back to Antioch, 00:53:26.349 --> 00:53:29.789 where they had committed to the grace of God 00:53:29.789 --> 00:53:32.349 for the work they had now completed. On arriving 00:53:32.349 --> 00:53:33.909 there, they gathered the church together and 00:53:33.909 --> 00:53:35.630 reported all that God had done through them, 00:53:35.750 --> 00:53:38.070 and how he had opened a door of faith to the 00:53:38.070 --> 00:53:41.329 Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with 00:53:41.329 --> 00:53:43.849 the disciples. So they had made it back home 00:53:43.849 --> 00:53:47.769 two years later. At the end of chapter 14, we 00:53:47.769 --> 00:53:50.750 have what some people will consider the end of 00:53:50.750 --> 00:53:55.929 part one. Part one of the Acts of the Apostles 00:53:55.929 --> 00:54:00.610 has this serious problem of how Jewish people 00:54:00.610 --> 00:54:04.690 and Gentile people are to get along being brothers 00:54:04.690 --> 00:54:08.409 and sisters in Jesus Christ. Because we have 00:54:08.409 --> 00:54:10.670 this concern that you're supposed to be Jewish. 00:54:10.849 --> 00:54:13.349 We have this belief that it doesn't have anything 00:54:13.349 --> 00:54:16.690 to do with Jewish law anymore. And through the 00:54:16.690 --> 00:54:20.670 first half, these chapters 1 through 14, this 00:54:20.670 --> 00:54:24.599 is a constant. and consistent source of tension. 00:54:25.179 --> 00:54:28.860 Chapter 15, which we will focus on solely next 00:54:28.860 --> 00:54:32.739 time, just one chapter, 15, is going to be our 00:54:32.739 --> 00:54:37.199 intermission. Chapter 15 is going to set a clear 00:54:37.199 --> 00:54:40.860 boundary marker between what Christianity and 00:54:40.860 --> 00:54:43.719 its expansion was like at the beginning and what 00:54:43.719 --> 00:54:46.619 it's like at the end. In between, we have the 00:54:46.619 --> 00:54:51.530 council at Jerusalem. where we have to decide 00:54:51.530 --> 00:54:57.510 how are we Jews going to live with Gentiles in 00:54:57.510 --> 00:55:01.809 peace and harmony. And we're going to see one 00:55:01.809 --> 00:55:05.010 of my favorite characters of the whole of the 00:55:05.010 --> 00:55:08.190 Christian Bible, James the Just, or James the 00:55:08.190 --> 00:55:12.389 Righteous, Jesus' brother, is going to lead this 00:55:12.389 --> 00:55:16.449 council. He's going to send a letter to our newly 00:55:16.449 --> 00:55:19.449 minted Christian friends up here telling them 00:55:19.449 --> 00:55:22.329 how we're to live together in harmony despite 00:55:22.329 --> 00:55:26.349 our ethnic differences as far as our backgrounds 00:55:26.349 --> 00:55:34.070 are concerned. Well, there you have it. I hope 00:55:34.070 --> 00:55:36.809 that that was as interesting for you to listen 00:55:36.809 --> 00:55:40.289 to as it was for me to prepare for. Before we 00:55:40.289 --> 00:55:43.409 go, I invite you, however it is that you access 00:55:43.409 --> 00:55:47.590 your podcast, if you would take the time to rate 00:55:47.590 --> 00:55:51.650 us and review us, it helps to get our name out 00:55:51.650 --> 00:55:55.550 there to more people. And next week, I hope that 00:55:55.550 --> 00:55:58.329 you'll join us as we begin to focus on what's 00:55:58.329 --> 00:56:02.409 called the Council at Jerusalem in chapter 15 00:56:02.409 --> 00:56:04.530 of the Acts of the Apostles. But until then, 00:56:04.590 --> 00:56:07.909 friends, be blessed and be a blessing.