June 9, 2019
Currently we are on a journey with Paul and Barnabas. They started in Antioch and we left them last time in Paphas.
Acts 13:13-23
The Antioch in verse 14 is a different Antioch than the one they started in.
Imagine as a missionary back then going around preach the Gospel without having the Gospels or the rest of the New Testament to use. All they had back then was the Old Testament and it was probably in scrolls. Here in Acts is the first time one of Paul’s gospels is recorded.
When Paul got to the synagogue in Antioch he sat down. He didn’t just start preaching. When you go to a synagogue and sit down the leader will ask if you have something to say. When the leaders asked Paul offered right away. Paul starts his message with a history lesson on their ancestors. He tells them that God chose them out of all the other families. God has chosen each of us to become His. He continues to tell them how they had been enslaved in Egypt, delivered from enslavement and wondered around in the wilderness for 40 years. When they finally got to Canaan they divided the land between all the tribes. Before they had kings, judges ruled over them for 450 years. They then had Saul as their very first king. He continues to tell them Old Testament stories until he jumps into the New Testament with the most resent stories of their history. The story of Jesus which they might of not heard yet.
We will continue this next time.
John 12:42-50
Verse forty-two gives you a feeling for the situation. There were Chief Rulers who believed on Jesus, but they were afraid to confess it because of the Pharisees. The Pharisees seemed to have the upper hand here. It was the fear of man. They might have not wanted to lose their spot in the synagogues. Maybe they were like Nicodemus who came at night to see Jesus.
Darby puts verse forty-three as, “for they loved glory from men rather than glory from God”. Maybe they were a little proud. We can see that happening today too. We all have that tendency to appreciate the praise of men and might try to get it at the expense of something right. The praise of God maybe the blessing that comes along the way, but it might be in the future.
Jesus was here to make God evident. He looked to make His Father the focus and not Himself. We believe on Jesus for salvation, but verse forty-four explains it differently. Salvation is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is the manifestation of a divine God - the Father.
We are in darkness, but He came to bring us out of it. He came as a light into the world. We feel sad about the deepening darkness. There is less and less about the Lord. It’s all being put aside. Light is associated with truth. Today people believe in feelings not truth.
God tells us that all judgment was given to the Son, but verse forty-seven says that He didn’t come to judge.He came as a Saviour.
John 3:17-19
The words they used to reject Him will later condemn them. His words, works, Himself (the light) and His Father were all rejected and condemn by the people.
Jesus was and is an faithful servant and responded in absolute obedience. Whoever saw Jesus had seen the Father. We should show Christ as well. We learn in Hebrews 1 about Jesus as the image of glory.
In chapter thirteen verse one we can sense that the Lord had complete knowledge that everything He had to say was said. But not all the work was done. He still had the cross ahead of Him. There are precious words at the end of this verse.
The Feast of Passover was at head. Christ is our passover and He knew here that His hour had come.
The end of chapter twelve seems like a summary of His life and all He stood for. One thing that seems to stand out is He was always rejected. When He endured the cross He also endured the rejection of an entire nation.
Hymn 11 - On Calvary”s cross, behold the One
Prayer