Sunday Morning Service

Acts 13:34-52 (Click title for audio access)

"Paul's Sermon, Part III"  •  9.25.11  •  Sunday Morning Service, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- The church is the steward of the gospel message, given to us by God to dispense to every person on the planet. It is a message of hope and life eternal.

- Sadly, the gospel is largely neglected by those who know and radically misunderstood by those who do not know because of those who claim to know!

- The gospel is not the entire Bible, though it is found throughout the entire Bible. The gospel is not that God wants you to be rich, happy or healthy.

- The gospel IS a synopsis of God's redemptive plan, focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ, designed by God to be the doorway into fellowship with Him eternally.

- As a result, any gospel presentation will contain the elements found in this section of scripture. It will begin with what we call "Gospel Events."

- Jesus Christ lived a perfect life according to the Mosaic Law and Holy Scriptures, He died on behalf of sinners, He was buried for three days and on the third day, He rose!

- In this section, we find Paul and Barnabas where we left them last: In the region of Galatia, at a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch.

- We left off with these words from Acts 13:33: "And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus."

- Paul is finishing up his treatise on the gospel events, showing that the resurrection was scriptural.

- God had made a promise to His children Israel, those of the Jewish race, that He would send a Savior. The religious leaders killed Him but God raised Jesus and fulfilled His promise.

- This idea of a resurrection, just like Christ's rejection, had been predicted in scripture.

Text

•  Acts 13:33b  : "As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’"  :  These inspired words of King David apply to Jesus, not on the day of His birth, but on the day of His resurrection!

- Psalm 2 is about the ascension of a King to the throne, in spite of worldly opposition. The world plotted in an opposite way, but God laughed at them.

- On the day of the resurrection, Jesus rose to the glory of His authority, the realization of His reign as the King of Kings in spite of the world's opinion of Him.

- "You are my Son, Today I have begotten You." Jesus has always been the Son. God affirmed that truth several times during Christ's earthly ministry.

- God, on resurrection day, presented Christ in all of His glory, effectively endorsing once and for all, the perfection of Christ's sacrifice and His right to rule as King of Kings forever.

- The word "begotten" means to come into being. When the resurrection took place, Jesus came into His own. He had always been the Son of God. Now it was unmistakenly proven to all.

•  Acts 13:34,35  :  "And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.' Therefore He also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’"  : Paul puts two more scriptures together, from Isaiah 55:3 and Psalm 16:10 respectively. Isaiah 55 is a beautiful chapter, inviting people to come to life in God.

- Psalm 16 speaks to the relationship that Jesus had in His Father and that we would also have. The Psalm ends with the quotation, but the invitation: "At your right hand are pleasures!"

- The life that God would give to His people would be a resurrected life, one that would never return to corruption, the word referring to the decaying of the body and a promise of eternal pleasure.

- When God raised Jesus from the dead, it was a permanent condition. Others like Lazarus, had been raised from the dead, but all of them had returned to the grave. This was different.

- Jesus rose from the dead never to die again! God in raising Christ from the dead made Him the firstfruits of what resurrection would be like for His people perpetually.

•  Acts 13:36,37  :  "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption."  : David was a great man. He served His own generation. That is at once,  a great statement and a great question: Are we serving our generation?

- Two things are said of David biblically. First, he was a man after God's heart by having obeyed the will of God. That was his living testimony.

- After he was dead, he had served his own generation by the will of God. They are connected by the will of God. Let us aspire!

- Paul says of David that he fell asleep. This is a distinctly Christian concept. Death is as natural and as harmless as falling asleep , buried with his Fathers, referring to Jerusalem.

- In other words, David could not have written these things about Himself.

- David faced corruption, meaning that his body could easily be found in some form! Not so with Jesus, whose body was nowhere to be found! Jesus saw no corruption.

- This ends Paul's section on the Gospel Events. His life, death, burial and resurrection. Now, he moves them to the "Gospel Call."

•  Acts 13:38,39  :  "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses."  : Because the resurrection reveals that Jesus is God's Son and that His sacrifice for sin was accepted, let it be KNOWN to you. This is not a guess or a theory.

- Let it be known to you. This message is for the hearer. The gospel is not trivial pursuit. It is knowledge from God that will transform any life!

- The announcement is that through Jesus, to you, is the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the vehicle through which God's forgiveness flows.

- The person who would view this as "good news" must first understand the "bad news."  That bad news is that every person who has ever lived is a bona fide sinner by birth and practice.

- That sin, in any measure, is an offense to the holy nature of God, who cannot and will not allow sinful humanity to enter into His presence.

- Paul asserts that through Jesus, forgiveness for those sins is a guaranteed but only through Jesus Christ. No other name is associated with forgiveness. Jesus and Jesus alone!

- It is through Jesus alone that forgiveness, release from spiritual bondage is possible. Think of it this way: Forgiveness is the removal of a mountain sized debt, taking the account to zero.

- God has always been a God of forgiveness, but as soon as the account was at zero, with the next infraction, the account began to build yet again. That's where this next part really counts.

- Through Him is forgiveness and by Him there is justification.

- In Jesus, everyone who believes is justified. Justification is for everyone who believes.

- Everyone who believes what? That Jesus is the culmination of God's redemptive plan.

- What does it mean to believe? The dictionary defines this Greek word as having come to trust and have full confidence in the statement as truth. That is the mental aspect of belief.

- The physical act of believing is to fully commit oneself to that truth, leaving sinful activities and submitting oneself to God's desire for one's life.

- Additionally, to believe in Christ is to actively reject any other notion of righteousness before God. We believe in Christ alone for righteousness.

- Now, let's turn our attention to the word "justified." The word means positively "to pronounce or declare righteous" and negatively, "to pronounce one guiltless."

- Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, totally committing themselves to Him, can be looked at as though they had never sinned.

- If forgiveness is the zeroing out of an account, justification is the line of credit that Jesus earned for His people!

- Christ's sacrifice opened the door for every nation! His sacrifice is sufficient for every person who has ever lived and believed to benefit from the reward due to Him!

- Everyone who believes. That is both the scope and the limit.

- For those who do not believe, it is implicit, but allow me to say it explicitly: There is no forgiveness, no justification before God! The law is alive and condemns that person.

- To those who believe, the law of Moses no longer has a hold over them.

- The law of Moses could never justify a sinner. The law could only show man that He is a sinner! Only belief, total commitment to Christ can justify the sinner.

- Paul moves from the Gospel Call to the "Gospel Warning."

•  Acts 13:40,41  :  "Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to you.’" :  Here is the dangerous counterpoint. This is why Paul issues the "beware therefore." They were to contemplate their response carefully.

- Paul quotes from Isaiah 29:14 and Habakkuk 1:5.  These two verses declare a unity of thought. To not believe is to despise. To not believe in Jesus is to pridefully hold to another opinion!

- "I won't believe in Jesus because their must be some other way. God will accept me as long as I'm sincere and am a good person."

- That is the ultimate slap in God's face! If that could be true, then why send Jesus! Paul says to them and I say to you: "Beware!"

- Marvel and perish. There are those who think that what God has done is noble and selfless and they admire the possibility. They see the love and marvel, but it never moves them to believe.

- That is the warning here. God has not done all of this, fulfilling His promise in history, sending the Savior Jesus, and raising Him from death just to cause you to marvel.

- He has done this so that you could have a living relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ in the strength of His Holy Spirit!

- Finally, we get to see, at least in the case of the Galatians, the "Gospel Response."

•  Acts 13:42,43  :  "So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God."  : Verse 42 should read just a bit different. Many of the other translations note that "they went out of the synagogue of the Jews," likely referring to Paul and Barn.

- The Gentiles begged, repeatedly, that Paul and Barnabas speak these same things again the next Sabbath. They wanted to hear this good news again.

- Imagine living under the impression that God would never take you as you were. God would accept you only if you became a Jew through circumcision and kept the Mosaic law

- After the service was over, Jews and Gentile proselytes followed after the men. It's notable that they persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

- When you read Galatians, that book begins with an indictment of the church because it had not continued in the grace. This is an interesting moment.

- Paul and Barnabas had to persuade them. The word implies that they had to win them over. This was not a natural decision and there was obvious pressure to the contrary.

- These Jews and proselytes were likely the first converts in Galatia, but the lived in a hotbed of opposing viewpoints!

•  Acts 13:44-47  :  "On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'"  :  The next Saturday was epic! The whole city came to the Synagogue! The word had spread through those that had been persuaded.

- When the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with excitement to see just how positive the response was and how great the opportunity was now to love God together!

- Nope. They saw the multitudes and they were filled with envy or jealousy. They had never seen God work in such a powerful way. And here, He was doing it through their message! No fair!

- Immediately, they went out of their way to fight against this. They set themselves against Paul and when that didn't work, they insulted him.

- Instead of backing down, Paul and Barnabas grew increasingly bold or confident. They knew the truth. They knew there was life in Christ and they recognized this as a spiritual attack.

- They knew also a truth that it would be wise for us to discern. The Jews contradicted and blasphemed Paul and Barnabas, but it was the message that they rejected!

  - In effect, their decision was that they had judged themselves. Ultimately, God will only confirm that which was decided in the response of the individual.

- When a person rejects the message of the gospel, they are judging themselves in that moment. Their hardened hearts reveal the potential of their final separation from God.

- They were unworthy of the believer's reward. The word "unworthy" comes from the marketplace, where value was assessed on a scale. Weight was the determining factor.

- By their unbelief, the weight of their righteousness was nowhere near what the determined weight of righteousness was, which in this case, is belief in Christ.

- It was clear now to Paul, in the case of this region, that they would focus in on the Gentiles. This was not just a personal preference or done to spite the Jews. This was God's mandate!

- Paul quotes from Isaiah 60:3. God was shining the light of the gospel into the darkest place of the world.

•  Acts 13:48,49  :  "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region." : Paul's words echoed in the hearts of the Gentiles. It worked well for them! To them, this was double good news for he did not need to become a Jew through circumcision to find the life of God.

- They glorified the word of the Lord. They glorified the gospel. They delighted in the gospel. Do you? Do you glorify and lift up the gospel of God? Do you delight in the gospel even now?

- That day, as the gospel was proclaimed, those that had an appointment to eternal life believed. They were ordained, assigned a place for eternal life.

- The word of the Lord spread yet again, this time in the region of Galatia where a church would quickly rise up, but would struggle because of the nature of the group in the next verse.

•  Acts 13:50-52  :  "But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."  :  The Jews of that synagogue had sought to contradict and blaspheme. When that failed, the incited a mob. Who did it begin with? Devout and prominent women!

- Talk about not fighting fair! They also added the chief men. These were important dignitaries, civil leaders, people with authority. These brought persecution and kicked the boys out of town.

- Paul and Barnabas did what Jesus taught His disciples. They rejected the news. They were unworthy of eternal life.

- A Jewish person would shake the dust from their shoes to show that they bore no further responsibility. After they left they came to Iconium, which we'll discuss next week.

- Now, notice this: The Gospel has been rejected. They have been expelled. There is a mob behind them. What is their response? They were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit!

- Neither the joy of the Lord or the Holy Spirit are gifts that only manifest themselves when things are good. The Apostles were filled with joy because they had been obedient to God's call.

- His Holy Spirit filled them to face what would come next.

Conclusion

- As we close, we have seen the Gospel Events. Every time we share the gospel, we must remember that it's about Jesus. He lived, He died, He was buried and He rose again!

- We then must tell them that the Gospel Calls them to believe, turning themselves to Jesus and repenting from all known sin, especially the sin of pride that believes in self-salvation.

- To all men, we would give the Gospel Warning. This good news is bad news if you don't believe it. If it is just a great story or if it is just a noble tale, you have missed everything.

- Finally, there will always be a Gospel Response. Some will oppose you, mock you and maybe even persecute you. But there are some who will have an appointment with heaven.

- The possibility of the latter is worth the risk of the former!

Thursday Night Bible Study

Leviticus 13-Leviticus14:9 (Click title for audio access)

"Dealing With Leprosy And Lepers"  •  9.22.11  •  Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- The Levitical system of worship was dependant upon the maintenance of ceremonial purity. Consequently, certain animals could not be eaten and certain actions were prohibited.

- These were issues that were outside of the human body. What we have before us in chapters 13 and 14 originates in the human body and made one unclean, unfit for worship.

- The danger was a disease called "leprosy." For the Israelites, it was a physical ailment. For you and I, it is a typical ailment relating to sin. When we see that, we'll have the key to understanding.

- This is how they were to deal with the issue of leprosy. The parallels will become increasingly obvious. First, there was to be "examination."

Text

•  Leviticus 13:1-3  :  "And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his body like a leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white, and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. Then the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean."  : Leprosy silently incubates under the skin, but presents when skin lesions appear. Before that, there is no warning.

- Eventually, these lesions deaden the nerve endings, leaving it's victim without pain sensation.

- Over time, extremities would become infected, eventually leading to the loss of limbs.

- If a person developed a skin condition, God tells Moses that the priests are to diagnose it. I believe that to be very telling, especially given the type. Priests need to discern sin versus pattern.

- The best equipped people, with God's help, were the priests. They needed to be able to discern what leprosy was as there were skin issues that resembled leprosy, but were not.

- The distinguishing marks of early detected leprosy would be whitening hair and depth.

- If the color of the hair had not changed and the sore was only skin deep, it was non-leprous, othwerwise, the person would be pronounced "unclean" and leprous.

- This is an interesting concept as it pertains to sin. Sin can be a one time event. However, the danger is when sin becomes a habitual practice.

- One might observe the event, but it's the pattern that is dangerous. This is not just a surface condition. It goes much deeper than that. That takes time to discern. Look at verse 4.

•  Leviticus 13:4-8  :  "But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days. And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore appears to be as it was, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him another seven days. Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore has faded, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the scab should at all spread over the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen by the priest again. And if the priest sees that the scab has indeed spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy."  : After examination comes isolation. There needs to be time for further study of the patterns developing.

- The person that came to the priest with concern over his skin would go through a two week cycle of observation, isolated from the camp as well as the worship of the Lord.

- The priest needed time to investigate and examine the sore. Had it changed in 7 days? Had it become deeper? Had it spread? Leprosy never stayed in one place. It would eventually spread.

- If in two weeks the sore began to mend, then the person would return to his life. If not, this person was unclean and was given a sentence of lerosy! Imagine that two week wait!?

•  Leviticus 13:9-11  :  "When the leprous sore is on a person, then he shall be brought to the priest. And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the swelling on the skin is white, and it has turned the hair white, and there is a spot of raw flesh in the swelling, it is an old leprosy on the skin of his body. The priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not isolate him, for he is unclean."  :  This section begins to deal with other skin disorders, though the term "leprous" is still employed.

- Such skin disorders or "leprous sores" might be eczema, psoriasis or even acne. Imagine the dry heat of the desert, with the exposure to the sun and you could see how the skin could react.

- The priest would examine a man to discover if the area of infection was active, which would show itself in an open sore. For one with such a chronic condition, he would not have to be isolated.

- Isolation was for those with leprosy. This type of person was unclean but not contagious.

- The point here is that God wants His Priests to be very careful in their diagnosis. Don't needlessly isolate a person who merely had a skin condition.

- These next sections cover different skin disorders, so we'll cover them quickly.

•  Leviticus 13:12-23  :  "And if leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the one who has the sore, from his head to his foot, wherever the priest looks, then the priest shall consider; and indeed if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. It has all turned white. He is clean. But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean; for the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy. Or if the raw flesh changes and turns white again, he shall come to the priest. And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the sore has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. He is clean. If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is healed, and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be shown to the priest; and if, when the priest sees it, it indeed appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore which has broken out of the boil. But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in it, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days; and if it should at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean."  : The condition was raw skin. Was there an active infection or was this an old condition that had faded or was fading. The priest was to examine the man to see whether or not the leprosy has returned.

•  Leviticus 13:24-28  :  "Or if the body receives a burn on its skin by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white, then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the hair of the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper than the skin, it is leprosy broken out in the burn. Therefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in the bright spot, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days. And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread on the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn. The priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn."  :  Being burned caused one to be unclean, but it could also be a precursor to leprosy.

•  Leviticus 13:29-37  :  "If a man or woman has a sore on the head or the beard, then the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if it appears deeper than the skin, and there is in it thin yellow hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a scaly leprosy of the head or beard. But if the priest examines the scaly sore, and indeed it does not appear deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale seven days. And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if the scale has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the scale does not appear deeper than the skin, he shall shave himself, but the scale he shall not shave. And the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale another seven days. On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scale; and indeed if the scale has not spread over the skin, and does not appear deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the scale should at all spread over the skin after his cleansing, then the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the scale has spread over the skin, the priest need not seek for yellow hair. He is unclean. But if the scale appears to be at a standstill, and there is black hair grown up in it, the scale has healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean."  : God is referring here to psoriasis of the scalp. In extreme cases, that would appear to be leprous.

•  Leviticus 13:38,39  :  "If a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, specifically white bright spots, then the priest shall look; and indeed if the bright spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is a white spot that grows on the skin. He is clean."  : They were to be concerned with shiny white spots, perhaps even glossy. Pale spots were of no concern.

•  Leviticus 13:40-46  :  "As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean. He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean. And if there is on the bald head or bald forehead a reddish-white sore, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy on the skin of the body, he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his sore is on his head. Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp." : From isolation to excommunication! A diagnosis of leprosy was devastating personally. He was also to be shunned publically.

- He was to tear his clothes and leave his head without a covering. He was to announce to anyone around him, with mouth covered, to avoid spreading the disease, that he was unclean.

- This would prevent communication of the disease among the people, curbing it's spread.

- Such a person was cut off from all the life of Israel, dwelling instead in solitude, outside of the camp of the Israelites where waste was taken. That is where the leper lived. Think principally.

- A person has not just sinned, but makes a practice of it. After a time of observation, it is time for that person to be removed from the camp before his sin spreads to others.

- Before long, where does that person find himself? Isolated and living among other lepers!

- God moves the instruction from warning us about leprosy in the body to warning us about the leprosy that could be contained in our possessions.

•  Leviticus 13:47-52  :  "Also, if a garment has a leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment, whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather, and if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a leprous plague and shall be shown to the priest. The priest shall examine the plague and isolate that which has the plague seven days. And he shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather or in anything made of leather, the plague is an active leprosy. It is unclean. He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; the garment shall be burned in the fire."  :  Remember again that the word "leprous" is used generically. Leprosy cannot exist in non-organic material. However, mold or mildew can.

- That is what God is communicating to Moses. Their bodies had to be clean and their outer garments had to be clean as well. Their garments and the covers for their tents were valuable.

- The warp was the lining or the stitching. The woof was the material that was attached to it. It could be leather or linen. If mold was found, the garment needed to be burned.

- No matter the value, if there is something leprous in the material, it needs to be burned!

•  Leviticus 13:53-59  :  "But if the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the plague; and he shall isolate it another seven days. Then the priest shall examine the plague after it has been washed; and indeed if the plague has not changed its color, though the plague has not spread, it is unclean, and you shall burn it in the fire; it continues eating away, whether the damage is outside or inside. If the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has faded after washing it, then he shall tear it out of the garment, whether out of the warp or out of the woof, or out of the leather. But if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a spreading plague; you shall burn with fire that in which is the plague. And if you wash the garment, either warp or woof, or whatever is made of leather, if the plague has disappeared from it, then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean. This is the law of the leprous plague in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof, or in anything made of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.'"  :  The garment was to be isolated and examined. It was to be burned if there was an enduring plague, washed if it faded.

- The application is simple: No matter the value of the thing, it would be unwise to expose yourself to leprous influence! Whatever God was referring to physically, the type is very clear.

- Anything that can defile, will defile! Don't give it room. Don't let it grow near you! The consequences are too costly.

•  Leviticus 14:1-3  :  "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest. And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper,"  :  Here is that silver lining of redemption. We have considered that leprosy could exist in the lives of these believers.

- But there would be a day of his cleansing! That is a fantastic truth! Yes, disease is a reality, but healing is an eventuality! Sin is a reality, but God is greater than sin!

- Notice that there was a day when the leper would be cleansed. He is not healed. He is cleansed. That is a very important distinction.

- You and I are never not sinners. However, we are washed and cleansed!

- The priest had the responsibility to diagnose the leper. At the same time, he had the responsibility to speak about God's healing. This is also extremely important.

- As Priests, we cannot be too careful with our diagnosis. At the same time, we must be ready to see God issue His healing touch! We are not just to leave a leper out for good. Look for healing!

•  Leviticus 14:4-9  :  "then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field. He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows—all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean."  : Two birds, one that would be killed in an Earthen vessel. The thought of a bird immediately moves our minds to the sky.

- Something from heaven joined into something that was made from the earth. What a picture of Christ, God clothed in flesh, killed. Then what about the living bird?

- That bird was to be dipped in the blood and the water from the first bird. The mixture of blood and water sounds familiar! Our Lord's heart was ruptured and blood and water flowed out.

- That blood water mix was to be put on the hyssop and sprinkled on the leper and the bird, let loose in the open fied. As that bird flew away to heaven, we think of Christ's ascension!

- As for the leper, he was to wash his clothes, shave and wash for a period of time. After seven days and a fresh shave, he was to be brought back into fellowship, for he was clean!

Conclusion

- Like leprosy in the days of the Israelites, the reality and danger of sin is very real. We need to be vigilant in not allowing it in our lives or in our congregation.

- At the same time, because Jesus Christ has died, fulfilling the law and it's demands perfectly, when a sinner turns from their way, we need to be the first to open our doors for our clean brother!

Sunday Morning Service

Acts 13:13-33 (Click title for audio access)

"The Gospel In Turkey!"  •  9.18.11  •  Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- When you consider your salvation, when do you consider that it began? Many of us will point to a moment in time when a response was given, perhaps at an altar call or a crusade.

- As I grow older and have spent many an hour considering this, I am more and more amazed at the lengths that God has gone to in order to secure the salvation of His people.

- As we come to the middle portion of Acts 13, I believe that you will see that this is exactly Paul's meaning as he gets to announce the word of salvation to an unsuspecting group.

- My goal this morning will be to present the heart of God in the act of your salvation, which I pray will impact you in a fresh way and inspire you for passionate service to Him.

Text

•  Acts 13:13 :  "Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem."  :  From the western edge of Cyprus, a shift in leadership has taken place on this team. To this moment it had been Barnabas and Saul. Now it is Paul and his party, who are setting sail.

- This was what was always going to happen, as Paul had been specially prepared by the Lord for this trip. Barnabas led long enough for that transition to take place naturally.

- They came to the capital city of the region of Pamphylia, which was Perga, located on the Mediteranean coast of Turkey.

- When they came to shore, John Mark took his leave, opting to go back to Jerusalem. Why did Mark leave? There are many who have attempted a guess. We know two things.

- First, there was no recorded divine call for Mark. He was an assistant, likely at the urging of his encouraging Uncle Barnabas.

- No matter who encourages us, without God's personal call and resource, we can not hope to be sustained in heaven's work.

- Second, when the second missionary journey begins, Paul has some very sharp opinions about John Mark, noting that he had "departed" or even deserted them.

- Whatever the case may have been for his leaving, it was an inopportune time to discover that he was not much of a missionary!

- He would really do better writing books, which I imagine came next in his life! Having said all of this, John Mark is not any less of a Christian.

- He will serve God another way, which is the beautiful thing about the Lord. He's not a God with only one job description for His believers. Each has a special call. Mark had one too!

•  Acts 13:14,15  :  "But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, 'Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.'" : John Mark having left them, the Apostle's destination was Antioch in Pisidia. This is not to be confused with Antioch in Syria, where the church of Antioch was.

- In fact, in the Ancient world, there were dozens of towns named after the Roman General.

- For those seeking greater insight into this particular section of scripture, you might give a read through the book of Galatians, for Pisidian Antioch and the next several cities are Galatia.

- Most scholars believe that Perga was a place of special hardship for the Apostle Paul and may have been the reason that no ministry is recorded there.

- In that sub-tropical location, it is believed that Paul contracted malaria and sought to relieve it by going from the tropics to the higher and dryer land.

- Pisidian Antioch was a remote location, reached only by scaling the Taurus mountain range, which was a daunting physical task, as well as a sincere security risk.

- When one looks at the area, you can see plainly how bandits could thrive there!

- Consider this: Paul had malaria or something like it, which featured a frequent burning headache. One commentator wrote that it was like having a red hot poker plunged through the eyes!

- He traveled on foot through an intimidating mountain range, known to be a frequent hideout for highwaymen!

- When one considers these factors, it's no wonder Paul considered Mark a deserter! It also highlights Paul and Barnabas' devotion to the gospel.

- Despite his pain, Paul entered the Synagogue and put himself into position to be used.

- Synagogues could be found in any town where there were 13 or more Jewish males.

- It was customary for the Jewish people to come together on Saturday in order to hear from the scriptures. Afterward, it was customary to open up the floor to any visiting Rabbi's.

- Can you imagine this moment: They looked to Paul and Barnabas and asked, "Do you guys have anything to share?" Can you imagine Paul's response?

- "Boy do I!" He must have been like the little kid who knows the answer in the class with his hand waving wildly in the crowd!  This was the invitation that Paul had been waiting for!

- What we see next is Paul's first and longest recorded sermon in the book of Acts.

•  Acts 13:16-19  :  "Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, 'Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment."  : Paul stood up, accepting the invitation and directed the synogogues attention to himself. He begins by noting his audience: Jews and God fearing Gentile proselytes.

- He begins with the history of God's choice of Israel, begininng with her Fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These were the men that God chose to represent His interests in the world.

- It was His idea to have a nation of people on the Earth that would witness to His reality.

- He picked Abraham over Nahor, Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau. It's interesting that each were younger brothers, not first born, which would have been the world's way.

- We know nothing of Nahor, but Ishmael was the result of Abraham's flesh and Esau best represented a man consumed with worldliness.

- Seems like God made some good choices, though His choice was not predicated on their perfection or their works. His choice of them is His business.

- Abraham had grown up in an idolatrous nation in Chaldea. Something occurred in his life that we are not told about, but in Genesis 12, God invites Abraham to go on a journey with Him.

- God revealed Himself to Abraham and promised to make a nation out of Him, a promise that He subsequently repeated to Isaac and Jacob, making them the Fathers of the nation Israel.

- God birthed the nation of Israel through them and then, Paul says that He exalted them. He raised them and caused them to be great when they were in captivity!

- Talk about a miracle, generally, captive nations dwindle and lose themselves in the culture of their captives. That was not the case with the Hebrews, a people who thrived in captivity.

- It was so that the Egyptians feared the Hebrews because they had multiplied so greatly. Their solution was oppression. But it was God's strong arm that delivered them from Egypt.

- He chose, He raised, He delivered them out of Egypt and He put up with them. That seems a very strange thing to say, though the word is much more tender than that.

- In the wilderness, God treated Israel like a Father would treat his son. He loved, protected, cared for and corrected them. Then He settled them by demolishing their enemies from before them.

- These had been great cities and a group of unarmed slaves saw them brought down!

- Paul rightly attributes the entire victory to God, having been the architect for the people of Israel. His plan for them was becoming more and more clear as history unfolded.

•  Acts 13:20-25  :  "After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’  From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’"  : After Joshua led the people into Canaan, the people had a series of leaders that God raised up to deliver them from trouble, though He was their King.

- That changed when the last godly judge Samuel got to be near an age where he could no longer be God's physical, judicial representative.

- The people did not care for Samuel's sons, so they asked Samuel for a King, something which I Samuel 8:7 shows, was a rejection of God as their King. This led to Saul's ascension.

- He was the people's choice and for 40 years, they had to endure his faulty, fleshly leadership. He was truly the leader that they deserved!

- He was a man with all the physical attributes that a King of that world would have had, but spiritually, the man had no real heart to obey the Lord, so God removed Him.

- The course that was Saul's life was increasingly sad. Out of insane jealousy, he chased his rival all over Israel, a futile exercise given God's favor of David.

- He lost all communication with God and eventually, being wounded in a battle with the Philistines, he was ignominously killed with all his sons.

- In essence, God allowed Saul's choices to ruin Him. In contrast, God began to raise up David and to rebuild the Kingdom of Israel that had been so divided prior.

- David was a King after God's heart. What made him or anybody after, a person after God's heart? Obedience to all of God's will! That was David.

- David was a man who sinned greatly, but he obeyed God's heart in confession and repentance. God is not looking for perfect people, just obedient people!

- When David sought to make a house for the Lord, the thought inspired God to reveal one of the greatest promises that he would ever receive.

- Turn over to II Samuel 7. God said to David, "You think you are building me a house? I'm building YOU a house!"

•  II Samuel 7:12-16 : "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.'"

- Paul tells them that this Prophetic Son was Jesus Christ, the One who will rule on the throne of David for eternity! He was the embodiment of that promise.

- Paul sweeps their minds to more more recent days, just about 13-15 years prior when John the Baptist came and the fulfilment of God's promise was fulfilled.

- It was John's testimony that it was not he, but it was Jesus that was the Messiah! John testified that Jesus was the One.

- Among the Rabbi's, it had been determined that a Rabbi could ask his students anything except the removal of footwear. That was deemed to humiliating a task.

- John is saying, "I'm so low and He's so great, I'm not even worthy of that great honor!"

- Before we move on, I want to call your attention to Paul's point: God is faithful! From the founding of the nation to the sending of a Savior to fulfill His promise, God is faithful!

- His point to them is that He has not neglected them in any part of their history, whether it be during times when He put up with their character flaws or when He allowed Saul to reign.

- When Israel asked for a King, rejecting God, He remained faithful to them. How much does God's faithfulness to Israel pertain to His faithfulness to us? Such great parallels exist.

- LIke Israel, the Church is a chosen vessel thought of by God before the world ever saw it. Like Israel, God has delivered us, not from a physical enemy, but from sin itself, the greatest enemy!

- His faithfulness to the people of Israel in the past solidifies our trust in His faithfulness to us in the future! God cannot be anything but faithful to you and I!

•  Acts 13:26-28 : "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death."  :  The word of salvation. The message of God's life, is first to the Jews, that the promises that God made to His people are fulfilled in Jesus, but just as clearly to those of the Gentile nations that fear Him.

- He is the promised Savior for their sins. He is the promise of life and the fulfilment of all things necessary for redemption. They might ask, "How do you know? Paul proves this in three ways.

-  First, Paul proves this by the way that Jesus was treated when he came. One would think that a positive response would have validated Christ's claim. Ironically, it was his rejection that did so.

- The people of Jerusalem, the religious rulers, did not recognize Jesus or understand the words of scripture that they had heard all of their lives!

- The Old Testament showed that the Messiah would be rejected and condemned. The religious leaders couldn't even see that their rejection of Jesus was proof that He was the Messiah!

- David wrote that Jesus would be despised and included the very taunts of his enemies in Psalm 22:6-8. Isaiah wrote that Jesus would be despised and rejected in Isaiah 53:3.

- They had no cause for death in Him and believe me, they looked! Every safeguard for justice was removed. False witnesses, immediate hearing and sentencing to death, impartial jurors, etc., were used to trump up charges against the Lord.

- After an examination of Jesus by Herod and Pilate, they could find no reason to kill Him, yet the religious leaders mounted a pressure filled campaign and got Pilate to agree to His death.

 - Jesus was truly the only innocent man to ever live, but His death was God's requirement!

•  Acts 13:29-33  :  "Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus."  : The first proof was the leader's rejection of Jesus. The second proof was the fulfilling of scripture. 

- Jesus' body was determined to be dead, something that every Roman officer would know how to effect.  Please turn in your Bibles to John 19.

- Jesus was hanging dead on the cross, but the Passover feast was going on, so there was pressure to pull the bodies from the cross, especially His.

- The Romans would expedite death by breaking the legs of the victims. Having seen that He was already dead, one of the soldiers pierced His side to make sure.

•  John 19:35-37  :  "And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, 'Not one of His bones shall be broken.' And again another Scripture says, 'They shall look on Him whom they pierced.'"

- When Paul mentions that they had fulfilled all that was written, John's account shows us that this was indeed the case! Every prophecy was fulfilled!

- A thinking religious leader might have looked and seen just a few of these moments and thought, "Wow, He just quoted Psalm 22:1. That's an odd verse to quote!"

- I imagine that that man was Joseph of Arimathea, who offered his tomb for the body of Jesus.

- For three days, His body was laid in that brand new tomb, guarded by Roman soldiers.

- Men were done with Him. Their hatred and rejection was complete. The tomb was full for a time, but God was not done. God raised Jesus from the dead!

- No matter what men tried to do, God invalidated their opinions and rejection, in faithfulness to His promise, God raised the only Savior that He ever sent!

- When people ask if there is another way to heaven, you might want to tell them this: "There is no way better than Jesus, otherwise God might have raised them too!"

- Paul's hearers might have said, "How can this be possible?" This is where Paul provides the third proof and final proof for us this morning: Living witnesses!

- There are many who had seen Him, several that were alive at that time, who would corroborate Paul's words.

- If there was any time in history when Christianity could be stomped out and disproven as false, it was that time! They had genealogical records in the temple.

- Was Jesus related to Abraham and David? To Abraham through Joseph, David through Mary! Was He of the tribe of Judah? Through Joseph. Just start there at that time.

- Do you know that the Jewish people cannot rightly discern who their Messiah is today? When the Temple was destroyed, so were the genealogical records!

- But more than any other proof, the proof of Christ's resurrection could have easily been ascertained. Many of the witnesses were alive at that very time.

- These witnesses were spread out all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. Jesus had appeared to over 500 at one time! That is why Paul so confidently proclaimed this to them.

Conclusion

- Salvation. The very life of God, was conceived in the mind of God and carried out in time by the commitment of God, through the Son of God, dispensed to us over time by the Spirit of God.

- His grace chose us for justification, His faithfulness keeps us in sanctification and His power will deliver us to heaven, which is glorification!

- It's a God sized gift that is proven by Israel's rejection, scripture fulfillment and a body that would not stay in the ground because the ground was not worthy!

- That is what you and I stand on today, a sure witness of God's faithfulness to us. In light of this great salvation and this faithful God, how shall we then live?