Acts 13:1-12 (Click title for audio access)
"The Spirit And The Bride" •
9.11.11 • Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary
Christian Fellowship
Intro.
- Our previous
chapter left us with the phrase, "But the Word of God grew and
multiplied!"
- Every effort
to derail the church has ended the same way, with the church growing in the
face of opposition, either gaining their opponent in the case of Saul or
crushing them in the case of Herod.
- It is not the
church that does this, but the Holy Spirit who works through the Church.
˚ "Do you know what the
life of the church depends on? It depends on what? The Holy Spirit! It's an
absolute contradiction to assume that a church can function unless it is under
the very direct control of the Holy Spirit. You got it? A church cannot
function apart from that. Why? Because all the church is, is the combination of
the ministries of the gifts of the Spirit. Right? All it is, is the interaction
of the Holy Spirit through human vessels. That's all it is. If you suck that
out of the church you have nothing but carnal clanging going on."
John Macarthur
- This first
section of Acts 13 is a treatise on the authority that the Holy Spirit yields
in and through the Church. The Holy Spirit has the authority to
I. Authority To Command The Church (v.1-3)
II. Authority To Commision Apostles (His
Servants) (v.4,5)
III. Authority To Call Out Enemies (v.6-12)
Text
I. Authority To Command The Church (v.1-3)
• Acts
13:1 : "Now in the
church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas,
Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up
with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul." : We are given a portrait of this
church in Antioch, at least in terms of their leadership.
- Antioch Christian Fellowship was a colorful
place, with an abundance of spiritual gifts as well as a diversity of
characters.
- They had prophets. A prophet was a person who
would speak authoritatively for God, even speaking of future events. Agabus had
been such a prophet when he spoke of the famine to come.
- Usually, especially as the church got older,
the prophetic office took on more of a telling forth of God's Word, rather than
a fore telling of future events.
- At this time, there was not a New Testament
that had been accepted by the Church, so as Ephesians 4:11 tells us, God gave the church Apostles, Prophets,
Evangelists and Pastor Teachers.
- These teachers could open up the Word of God,
that which was accepted in the Old Testament and make it clear, either through
practice or principle.
- God, through His Holy Spirit, had gifted the
church with these offices, filled by people. This church seems to have had an
all-star cast, as these five names are recorded.
- Their names speak of their diversity.
Barnabas, we have already seen, was a Jewish man, a Levite specifically and a
man with the gift of encouragement.
- Remember that it was Barnabas who had come
from Jerusalem to see what God had done in this church. In a way, he had become
it's first official Pastor.
- Next, we have Simeon called Niger, meaning
"black" likely referring to African roots.
- Lucius was a Greek man from Cyrene. Some have
suggested that he and Simeon were the men from Cyrene who had begun preaching
Christ in Antioch in the first place back in Acts 11:20.
- Next, we come to Manaen, who potentially has
the most interesting story of these first four.
- Josephus tells of a story of a Prophet named
Manehem who foretold the rise of Herod The Great long before it would have been
believable.
- When Herod the Great ascended to the throne,
he remembered this Prophet and out of royal gratitude, Herod the Great adopted
his son Manaen.
- Manaen was brought up with Herod Antipas' as
a step brother! What happened from there is a matter of conjecture, though we
can safely say that Herod went one way and Manaen, the other!
- All of the Herods that we have looked at,
ended in doom, separated from the Lord. But Manaen was a success story, having
lived in their world, but escaped it's influence.
- His adoptive family had tried to destroy
Christ and the Church. Manaen stood as a pillar in it!
- And last but not least, there was Saul. He
was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and likely the lead teacher among the group.
- This group of people formed the team that
oversaw the work that had begun in Antioch, sharing the responsibilities for
the growing flock.
• Acts
13:2,3 : "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said,
'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'
Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away." :
Luke writes that they ministered to the Lord. The word
"ministered" comes from the Greek word for "liturgy." This
refers to the public service where people would be led to worship the Lord.
- They led services and the content of that
service was unto the Lord. The function of the church, primarily, is to bring
worship to God. God is the audience and our liturgy, service is for Him.
- This morning, you and I have come here to
this place, to minister to the Lord! We have come to bring Him the sacrifice of
our labors, our hearts and our lips.
- Don't get trapped in the latest wave of
thought amongst church goers, who often look at Church in a consumeristic
fashion. "How was that for me?"
- Instead of wondering what blessing you
received, you need to know that this church was consumed with the thought that
their worship was being judged by God!
- Does that help to change your perspective
about this place and your function? I hope so!
- Liturgy was the church's public worship and
fasting was their private worship. Fasting, abstaining from food for a time,
was a regular part of their lives as leadership.
- Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount,
"When you fast," indicative of normative practice for the life of a
believer. Much of the church took on Jewish practices in the early days.
- As Christians, one cannot point to a specific
verse that requirs fasting, but it is a genuine part of our lives. I heard a
man once say that fasting was a decision to feed one passion over another!
- "God, I am going to feed my passion for
you during this time that I would otherwise be feeding this passion for food."
- As they ministered to the Lord, the Holy
Spirit said. Notice those words: As they did this.
- Concurrence. People often wonder why God is
not speaking to them. Look at your public and private worship!
- Are you in the lane where He is? Is your
heart seeking to find His direction and clarity for your life? Ministering to
the Lord and fasting provide the lane for God to speak into your life
personally.
- You have heard it quoted that we will reap
what we sow. Most only see that in negative terms, but it is true in positive
terms as well, especially so in 2
Corinthians 9:6.
- If you felt today that things were not
"happening" for you spiritually, I'd honestly ask you to look long
and hard at the priorities that you have set for yourself! Are they His?
- Note that as they did these things, the Holy
Spirit spoke to them. They lived where He would be and when He spoke, they were
in position to hear.
- Today, we have a completed Bible and a
prepared preacher, but we desire above everything else, to be dynamically
taught by the Holy Spirit, to listen to His instruction for our lives.
- He will speak to me through His scripture during
the week and then He will speak to me while I am speaking, calling me to
emphasize or illustrate certain points.
- He is still speaking. Are we listening? Are
we actively submitting even as we listen?
- Look at what He said to the church:
"Separate to Me." Appoint them. Set them apart. Consider them spoken
for and commissioned for the work to which I have called them.
- The Holy Spirit speaks, He has desires and He
has work for men to do! He has a call upon Barnabas and Saul. He has a work
that He has designed specifically for them.
- Do you know that the Holy Spirit has a call
on your life for work that He wants you to do? If you do not know what that is,
don't worry. He has ways of letting you know!
- I believe that after Barnabas and Saul had
returned from their relief trip to Jerusalem, that they had caught the bug.
It's rare that God calls someone to something that is utterly foreign to them.
- Barnabas and Saul were already traveling
buddies and I think that being back in Antioch had been a bit of a stretch for
them.
- When the church heard the plan, they resisted
saying, "Hey, your not Father God!" No. They laid hands on them,
signifying agreement and cooperation.
- They were obedient, even in light of the fact
that Barnabas and Saul were their primary and likely, best leaders and
teachers.
- The church sent them out, literally releasing
them from their responsibilities and releasing them to the Holy Spirit's
intention.
II. Authority To Commision Apostles (His
Servants) (v.4,5)
• Acts
13:4,5 : "So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to
Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in
Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also
had John as their assistant." : Saul and
Barnabas received their orders from the Holy Spirit with full support from the
Church in Antioch.
- Make no mistake: The Holy Spirit is the
authority. The church acts as extensions of His hands and His heart as we
cooperate in what He does.
- Their work was to travel through a circuit of
towns that we'll see in this chapter and the next, with the privilege of
announcing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- The work that the Spirit called them to has
become known as the First Missionary Journey. This will be the shortest of the
three missionary journeys, both in time spent and miles crossed.
- This will cover about a 2 year period and
roughly 12 to 1400 miles. It began at Seleucia.
- Seleucia was the port city of Asia Minor,
Cyprus is the island in the Mediteranean Sea and Salamis is the eastern port
city of Cyprus.
- Why Cyprus? It's closest to Antioch and it's
home to Barnabas! What a way to kick things off!
- Once they hit the ground in Salamis they
began their mission by going to those who would receive their news first: The
Jews.
- Remember that this is an act of the Holy
Spirit, directing them in their methodology.
- Though the church was expanding to include
Gentiles, there was still the necessity of inviting God's people to the
proverbial table.
- They would find the synagogue, preach the
Word of God to the Jews and then head out from there, but that was always their
starting point.
- John Mark came along with them and acted as
an underrower, a support of some kind. It's likely that he watched and prayed
as Barnabas and Saul ministered God's Word.
- John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas and was
therefore brought by these men. I might quickly point out that there is a
divine call upon Barnabas and Saul that is absent here with Mark.
III. Authority To Call Out Enemies (v.6-12)
• Acts
13:6,7 : "Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos,
they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus,
who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called
for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God." :
The Apostles and John Mark went throughout Cyprus to the port on the
western side of the island, Paphos.
- This island journey, given the Roman road
that led through it, would have been an 80 to a 110 mile journey and would have
taken at least a week to cross by foot if you walked continously.
- Not much is noted about their journey, but
when they came to Paphos, they had come to the important part of the island.
Paphos was the place of provincial government.
- This is where they met Bar-Jesus, the name
meaning "Son of Jesus." Jesus, as you may recall, was a common name.
- This man was an astrologer, or magi of the
Persian order, which Luke also identifies as a false prophet.
- He would be one who would claim to speak for
God, but whenever he did speak and whatever he spoke regarding God or His ways,
was false. Everything about this man was false!
- He was also a Jewish man with ties to the
local Roman government. This man Sergius Paulus, was the deputy director for
this region and Luke calls him an intelligent or learned man.
- This man wanted to have Barnabas and Saul
give the word to him. He invited them. He sought them out.
• Acts
13:8-12 : "But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated)
withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul,
who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
and said, 'O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy
of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the
Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be
blind, not seeing the sun for a time.' And immediately a dark mist fell on him,
and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul
believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of
the Lord." : When the boys brought the word,
Bar-Jesus, also known as Elymas, literally the wise man, opposed them.
- When God is working to move in a person's
life, a person like this is not far away. In ancient history, the best example
happened when Moses stood before Pharoah.
- II Timothy 3:8 tells us that Jannes and
Jambres resisted Moses. Now, Elymas stands in the way of the Apostles,
resisting their words actively looked to dissuade the Proconsul.
- It's sad that such men exist in the same way
today. Woe to any man who would turn away from the gospel and choose for
himself eternal exile.
- Greater woe to any man who would seek to take
others down that same path! I honestly fear for people like University
Professors and outspoken Athiests.
- Their desire is to discourage faith in
Christ, looking for ways to turn people away from Christ.
- Jesus said that to stumble one of His would
bring about ruinous results!
- Elymas sought to pervert or corrupt the
things that were being said. His slithering words spewed Satanic wisdom into
mind of Sergius Paulus.
- Ah, finally: Let me introduce you to the
Apostle Paul! Saul was also called Paul. The name Saul means
"desired," while Paul means "little."
- Saul was the Hebrew name, while Paul was the
Greek surname. It's likely that since they were in Gentile country, that this
name was much more acceptable to use.
- When Elymas stood against the Word of God,
Paul filled with the Holy Spirit, set his eyes intensely upon him. The AV
translates this "he fastened his eyes upon him!"
- He looked at him. Big deal. Think of it this
way: Up until this moment, Elymas had been allowed to talk and there had been
polite round about discussion about religion.
- Now, after having looked at the affect that
Elymas was having, Paul locked eyes with him to let him know that he was going
to be shut down.
- This was a response from the Holy Spirit, who
was exposing an enemy of the gospel.
- Paul's message to him was for all intents and
purposes, a direct message from the Holy Spirit! Listen to what the Spirit
diagnoses.
- He is a man who is full of all deceit and all
fraud. If there is a way to do either, Elymas has it covered, for their is
nothing that he won't use.
- The word for "deceit" in the Greek
language is to catch with bait. Paul is saying that his words are false, but
the fish thinks he's getting something good!
- The word "fraud" then speaks of his
acting without any concern as to what his actions would cause. He had no
concern for the protection of his "friend" or the defense of the
truth.
- He had an "in" and he was doing
what he was doing to protect that position. This is his inner heart, something
that only the Holy Spirit could diagnose.
- Remember that his name was Bar-Jesus, meaning
Son of Jesus. Paul says, "You're not the Son of Jesus; You are a Son of
the devil who is an enemy of righteousness!"
- This is his origin, where his inspiration
comes from. His actions reflect his Father's priorities.
- Worse than everything, he works to corrupt
the ones that are right. This was his practice. Paul asks him rhetorically,
"Are you ever going to stop doing this? The answer is no.
- For that reason, God allows this judgment of
blindness to come upon him. This is fascinating.
- Bar-Jesus was a self-proclaimed Seer, serving
a man who wanted to see the Apostles and hear the gospel. Paul was a man
converted after a time when he didn't see.
- When Paul put his eyes upon Elymas and called
this blindness down, I wonder if he thought, "Making him blind will be the
only way that he will be able to truly see!"
- Did Paul actually make this person physically
blind? Unless this man had a thing for holding people's hands, you had better
believe it was physical, total, but gracious and temporary.
˚
"This blindness for a time is a judicial penalty. It
is by no means all that he deserved, but in His grace, God moderated it by not
cutting off the opportunity for repentance. It was a preliminary judgment like
so many that God inflicts on willful sinners, in order by such severe means,
possibly to turn them from their evil ways. These judgments if they are spurned
prefigure and announce the final, fatal judgment. God warned Pharoah with ever
greater severity until the cup of his obduracy overflowed, then came the final
stroke. This man's willful blindness was punished by miraculous physical
blindness. The penalty often corresponds to the guilt. If this penalty would
fail of it's proper effect, a greater penalty awaited it: The darkness of
everlasting death. The Devil's son would then end in the Devil's eternal night!" R.C.H Lenski
- The Lord would act in judgment upon Elymas
and at the same time act in grace by opening the eyes of Sergius Paulus!
- Sergius Paulus saw what happened. He saw that
Bar-Jesus had no sight physically. Having been unable to withstand Paul, he
realized that he had not had any sight spiritually!
- This man believed because of the miracle, but
the true test of his belief was that he was amazed at the teaching of the Lord!
- If this Paul can display such power to tear
down this man Bar-Jesus, he must be telling the truth about THAT man, Jesus the
Christ!
Conclusion
- The Holy
Spirit must have free reign in this Church, corporately and individually? Does
He have that in your life?
- Actually, if
we are to be consistent with scripture, because He has the authority to
commission, set apart servants for His work, your life is actually HIS LIFE!
- He will do
work through you, empowering you to offer grace to some and speaking through
you to confirm His judgment upon others!
- Any other
life is a powerless caricature, a poor imitation, a futile exercise of
religion. I'm pretty sure that while SOME of us fear the reality of
Christianity, NONE of us want dead religion!
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