THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

1 THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

Acts 13:13-43  Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.  (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.  (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.  (16)  Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.  (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.  (18)  And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.  (19)  And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.  (20)  And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.  (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.  (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.  (23)  Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:  (24)  When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.  (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.  (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.  (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.  (28)  And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.  (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.  (30)  But God raised him from the dead:  (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.  (32)  And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,  (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.  (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.  (35)  Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  (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:  (37)  But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.  (38)  Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:  (39)  And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.  (40)  Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;  (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.  (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.  (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.

              Paul and Barnabas had traveled to Antioch and on the Sabbath day they quietly took a seat among the worshippers in the synagogue.

              As strangers they were asked if they had a word for the people, “Paul stood up” and delivered such a “word” as they had never heard before.

              This first recorded address of the great Apostle Paul to the synagogue maybe entitled, “The Goodness of God.” Paul may have taken the pattern of it from that great address of Stephen's, which, must have been to him most memorable.

Paul deals with -

I.            THE GOODNESS OF GOD IS REVEALED IN CHOSING ISRAEL      (v 17)

              A.           They Were Chosen          

(Deuteronomy 7:6)  For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

                                                 

1.               God had been pleased,

i.                Through grace,

ii.               To make them His people,

iii.             Chosen, Not for the good in them,

iv.          But as the monuments of His mercy

            B.           They Were Delivered                                                (v 17)

1.               They were Strangers in the land of Egypt  .,

i.               “…with an high arm He, brought them out...”

ii.               He saved them from the house of bondage.

            C.           They Were Preserved                                               (v 18)

                        1.           His long-suffering patience bore with their murmurings and unbelief.

2.               Yet, as a people, they were kept from perishing

(Psalms 95:9-10)  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

(2 Peter 3:9)  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

D.              They Had A Place Prepared For Them                    (v 19)

1.               Nations were cast down and destroyed,

i.           That they might have a possession.

              E.           He Supplied Their Need.

1.                          He gave them Judges,

2.               He gave them a prophet;

3.               He gave them a King 

4.               Then He raised up David,                     (vv 20-22)

i.           A man after His own heart

5.               David was a type of Jesus Christ,

i.           A man raised up by God;

ii.          To do His will among the “people.”

II.           THE GOODNESS OF GOD                                                   (v 23)

A.              Revealed In His Son Jesus Christ.

1.           He was the rod out of the stem of Jesse,

2.           And the Branch out of his roots.

(Isaiah 11:1)  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

B.              He Was Heralded by John                                (vv  24- 25)

1.           As the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and fire

2.               Whose shoes he was not worthy to loose.

C.              He Was Condemned By The Rulers                 (vv 26-29)

1.      Paul makes it clear that Christ was slain by those who found “no cause of death in Him,”

D.              He Was Raised From The Dead                                (v 30)

III.         THERE WAS BITTER OPPOSITION                                 (v 45)

              A.           “The Jews were  filled with envy,

                             1.           We must be prepared for

                                           i.            The “contradiction and blasphemy”

                                           ii.           Of the self-righteous, religious sinners,

(Romans 6:23)  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

IV.         THERE WAS JOY AMONG THE GENTILES                   (v 48)

              A.           “They Were Glad And Glorified The Word Of The Lord”

(Romans 15:9-12)  And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.  10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.  11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12 And again, Isaiah saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

                        1.           They were glad to get hear His Word.

                             2.           The hungry, Gentiles are fed,

i.                While the self-satisfied Jews are sent empty away.

3.               To the poor the Gospel is preached with God honouring results. 

(John 5:40)  And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

V.           THERE WAS APPARENT DEFEAT          (v 50)

              A.           They Expelled, Them Out Of Their Coasts,"

                             1.           It is melancholy to think of “devout and honourable women”

                                           i.            Lending their influence to such an unholy and dishonourable cause. 

                        2.           They may cast out the servants of God,

i.                But they cannot cast out the seed of the Word that has been sown in the hearts of the people.

                             3.           No; the purpose of God in the lives. of His chosen and consecrated servants can never suffer defeat. 

(Romans 8:28)  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

VI.         THERE WAS GRACE, TRIUMPHANT                                (v 52)

              A.           "The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost"

                             1.           When the preachers were expelled from them

i.                God gave them a greater blessing infilling them with the Holy Ghost,

(Ephesians 1:13)  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,

Conclusion: We saw many who would listen with their ears, but not with their heart.  Others the Gentiles and some Jews, wanted to hear more and they not only listened with open ears, they listened with an open heart. 

              That is what God asks of us, to hear with our heart.  We pray from our heart, and we expect God to hear from His heart of compassion.  Yet, we want a one way street, God you listen good, I will listen when I have time.

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1 adapted from “Handfuls On Purpose” James Smith, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Series VIII, Pages 178-183