What did Paul
preach? The following Acts 13:13 - 13:52 tells us what he preached in Antioch.
It's important to know what Paul preached. He went to the Jews at Antioch into
the synagogue on the sabbath and he and Barnabas were invited to speak. Paul
stood up and at first declared their history to them before declaring the
Savior had come. Read it--
Act 13:13 Now
when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia:
and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
Act 13:14 But
when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into
the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
Act 13:15 And
after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent
unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for
the people, say on.
Act 13:16 Then
Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that
fear God, give audience.
Act 13:17 The
God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when
they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he
them out of it.
Act 13:18 And
about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the
wilderness.
Act 13:19 And
when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their
land to them by lot.
Act 13:20 And
after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty
years, until Samuel the prophet.
Act 13:21 And
afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a
man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
Act 13:22 And
when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom
also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man
after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Act 13:23 Of
this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour,
Jesus:
Act 13:24 When
John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the
people of Israel.
Act 13:25 And
as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he.
But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy
to loose.
Act 13:26 Men
and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth
God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
Act 13:27 For
they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor
yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have
fulfilled them in condemning him.
Act 13:28 And
though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he
should be slain.
Act 13:29 And
when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from
the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
Act 13:30 But
God raised him from the dead:
Act 13:31 And
he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem,
who are his witnesses unto the people.
Act 13:32 And
we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the
fathers,
Act 13:33 God
hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus
again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day
have I begotten thee.
Act 13:34 And
as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to
corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of
David.
Act 13:35
Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One
to see corruption.
Act 13:36 For
David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on
sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
Act 13:37 But
he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
Act 13:38 Be
it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Act 13:39 And
by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not
be justified by the law of Moses.
Act 13:40
Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the
prophets;
Act 13:41
Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a
work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
Paul warned them.
Beware. The prophets
spoke of the Savior's being rejected, of the truth being denied. The Jews Paul
was speaking to KNEW what he was talking about-they'd heard the words for
years.
Pro 1:24
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man
regarded;
Pro 1:25 But
ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Pro 1:26 I
also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
Pro 1:27 When
your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Pro 1:28 Then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me:
Pro 1:29 For
that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Pro 1:30 They
would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Pro 1:31
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with
their own devices.
Pro 1:32 For
the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools
shall destroy them.
Isa 5:24
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff,
so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust:
because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word
of the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 65:15 And
ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall
slay thee, and call his servants by another name
Throughout their
history they could not deny a consistent aspect- the Jewish leadership becoming
corrupt and denying the real truth of God. Over and over again it happened and
if anything the Jewish leadership should have been on constant watch lest they
too fall victim to the same fate. They chose not to heed the truth though. They
had expectations of how things were going to happen and nothing was going to
alter their perception of the coming Messiah. They weren't going to let
themselves be deceived and truly believed they were doing the will of God, just
as Paul himself had believed until his encounter with the Lord Jesus. Why weren't all these Jewish leaders given an
encounter with Jesus? Because simply put, they did not want TRUTH. At their
hearts they loved the lies they'd spun about themselves and didn't want
anything disrupting those lies. The man Jesus preached loving enemies, sharing
wealth, forgiving sins, and they didn't want any of that. They liked their
prestige, they liked the status quo the way it was. They loved their heartless
ceremonial laws, laws that were never meant to lack compassion. They wanted
their wealth right where it was, in their pockets They enjoyed having enemies
because it just reiterated their own self-importance. In summary, they did NOT
want God or God's truth, not in their hearts. Paul wanted truth, Paul wanted
God and God's truth and this is why Jesus appeared to him personally and chose
him for a very important work. Paul wasn't the only Jew to become a Christian,
there were many of them, but few in the grand scheme of it all. The leaders did
not want truth
Act 13:42 And
when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these
words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
The Gentiles- NON
JEWS wanted to hear the truth, and asked that it be given to them the following
sabbath. What did the Jews think of the message they'd just heard? Did they
want to hear more?
Act 13:43 Now
when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes
followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue
in the grace of God.
Many wanted more.
Act 13:44 And
the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of
God.
ALMOST the WHOLE
city came to hear the words of truth the next sabbath day! Jews and Gentiles
alike.
Act 13:45 But
when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against
those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
The Jews saw the
multitudes! These people didn't come out to see them, but here they were now to
hear the word of one who was advocating for a criminal crucified by their
leadership already. They were filled with envy. They did NOT want truth! They
were selfish, envious, evil. They spoke against Paul weaving their web of lies
discounting all the truth they'd heard. They desired blindness, they didn't
want truth, they were going to be like the people of old who discounted the
prophets in favor of their own brand of truth.
Act 13:46 Then
Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God
should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
It was NECESSARY
that God's chosen be given a chance to accept the truth of God, a truth that
couldn't be killed with the Savior. They were given this chance and they
rejected it! They put it from them, they judged themselves in their decision
and they were unworthy of everlasting life.
Now the truth of the gospel would go to the Gentiles.
Act 13:47 For
so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the
Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the
earth.
Act 13:48 And
when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the
Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Act 13:49 And
the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
What an amazing
revival! What an awesome undertaking! The truth was spoken, believed and lives
were saved all through the gospel, the salvation offered through Jesus Christ
our Lord and Savior! The good news was spread throughout the entire region and
the Gentiles gladly embraced the truth!
Act 13:50 But
the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the
city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out
of their coasts.
The Jews were NOT
content to let the Gentiles have the truth they'd rejected. They stirred up all
the deceived Jews they could to rid the city of Paul and Barnabas.
Act 13:51 But
they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto
Iconium.
Act 13:52 And
the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
Expelled from region
only to go on to the next filled with JOY and the HOLY SPIRIT!
They weren't
preaching to be accepted into a group but to give all the truth they could and
have as many as would accept the truth. They weren't trying to fit in or have
the Jews overthrown by the Gentiles, that wasn't Christ's way and never will
be! They were content to move on to continue to spread the good news! May God
help us never be discouraged but forever preaching His truth come what may!
All through Jesus
Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR, our KING!
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