Acts “The Mission of Paul in Cyprus, Galatia, and Pamphylia” - Part 9 Acts 13:25 – 15:33

Good morning church. We are currently working our way through the book of Acts. We’ve been examining Paul’s sermon to the Galatians in chapter 13. Paul preached the gospel to people in the Galatian town of Pisidian Antioch. In verses 16-22 Paul reminded his listeners of God’s promise to bring the Messiah through the line of Abraham and King David. In verse 23 He told them that God fulfilled His promise by bringing Jesus who had been descended from Abraham and David. In verse 24 Paul told them that John the Baptist had come to prepare the people for Jesus’ arrival. Last Sunday we spent a good 50 minutes or so talking about how John prepared the way. John preached that the kingdom was coming along with its King and he preached repentance and then he baptized the repentant in the Jordan.

This morning we will pick up at verse 25 and continue to look at what Paul said about John the Baptist. Take your Bibles and turn to Acts 13:25. Pray.

Verse 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

Commentary Towards the end of John’s ministry scribes and Pharisees came to question him. Thinking that he might be the Messiah they asked John who he was. John told them that he was not the Messiah and that he was so much lower than the One to come that he wasn’t even worthy to perform the lowest act of service for Him which was to untie His sandals. Look at what else John the Baptist said in John 3:25-30 (turn there).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

An argument developed between a Jewish inquisitor and the disciples of John the Baptist. There was confusion over the respective merits of Jesus and John. If both were baptizing, whose baptism was valid? By popular acclaim Jesus’ influence was growing and John’s was waning. John’s interrogators felt that their friend and teacher had been eclipsed by Jesus’ sudden popularity, and they wanted an explanation and so they came to him. Look at how John responded look at what he said to them. 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.

The first thing John does is he highlights God’s sovereignty over the granting of ministry opportunities. It’s as if John is saying, “The reason why Jesus has a ministry, a growing ministry, and people to baptize, is because God granted it.” We can look at it in the form of a Q/A.

Question Why is Jesus baptizing more people than you?

Answer God granted it.

Look at what John said next.

28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’

He said, “You were there when I said I am not the Messiah and that I had been sent before him. You were there when I said that I was the one who came crying in the wilderness and to pave the way making His paths straight.” Look at 29.

29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.

The Scriptures often refer to Jesus as the bridegroom and the church as His bride. That is what John is doing here. John is saying, “Jesus is the bridegroom and the bride belongs to Him and God is sending His bride to Him.” This is why people are gathering to Him. He continues,

The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.

John says, “The friend of the bridegroom”. Who stands to the left of the groom during a wedding ceremony? Who sits to the left of the groom at the head table? The best man! John says, “I’m his best man”. He says “as the best man I stand and listen to bridegroom speak and give His new covenant nuptials.” And he says, “I rejoice greatly at the sound of His voice.” John was given to Elizabeth and Zechariah and to the world for the purpose of preparing the people for the coming of the Lord and for identifying Him when He came. John was about 30 years old when Jesus emerged as the Messiah.

John had spent his childhood years, his teenage years, and his young adult years waiting with eager anticipation for the incredible moment when Jesus would come. 30 years. Do you think that he was excited when heaven opened up to him in a new way and the Father brought the Son before his very eyes and then he heard the Son speak? John said, “I rejoice greatly at the sound of His voice.”

All those years of growing up and praying and preparing and then preaching and baptizing and then boom, there He stood up to His waste in the River Jordan, the Son of God, the Messiah. John, without a doubt, knew who Jesus was because a voice boomed from the sky saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” And John watched the Holy Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and come to rest upon Jesus.

He then says, “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete”. John’s greatest joy was to see the people leave his care and leadership and then go and gather before the groom who is Jesus Christ. John’s joy became complete when He heard that Jesus’ ministry was surpassing his. Why, because it was supposed to. Jesus is the Groom and the bride belongs to Him. Look at verse 30. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. John tells his interrogators, “It’s gotta be this way. Jesus must increase. He must become the center of attention. He must surpass me in every way. He must be raised up and I must be brought low. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

I’ll end with this. There is an incredible principal truth here in the text. It is simple and yet profound. It is as follows. Joy comes to us when we decrease and the Lord increases. When John learned that the Lord was increasing and that he was decreasing his joy became complete. The world teaches us the opposite. It says that when we increase so will our joy and happiness and so on. But that is a lie. If it were true than why are there so many big wigs without joy? The world tells us to increase and to make a name for ourselves. It tells us to shoot for the stars and to climb to the top. It tells us to work hard to make a name for ourselves. It tells us that unless you do so you will become no body. You know what? I’m OK with being a nobody in this world. Let me tell you why. There is no future in it. This world is going to pass away. What matters to you and I is Christ.

He must increase, but we must decrease. Our mission is to raise His banner high until He returns. He must increase, but we must decrease. If your joy seems fleeting maybe the reason why is because you’ve been trying to increase yourself rather than the Lord. You will never find and secure joy through increasing yourself and pursuing your own glory. Don’t believe the world, don’t believe your flesh, don’t believe the devil and the demons, don’t believe the prosperity preachers! Believe the testimony of John the Baptist and the very Word of God which makes it clear that joy comes to us when we decrease and the Lord increases. Joy comes to us when we make less of ourselves and more of Jesus. Let’s look at what Paul said in verses 26-28.

Verse 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

Commentary Here we see Paul again address both groups in the room, Jews and half-Jews, and then he says in effect, “John the Baptist was sent to us to proclaim the message of salvation.” Paul then anticipated and answered two questions that might have arisen in the minds of his hearers, a technique he employed frequently in his writings. We see him use this tactic throughout the book of Romans and a couple of times in 1 Corinthians and Galatians.

The first question was one the Jewish people have wrestled with from apostolic times to now:

If Jesus is Messiah, why did the Jewish leaders fail to recognize Him as such?

Paul gives the reason. He says that the religious leaders were blind because they did not “recognize” Jesus and they were ignorant because they “did not understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath.” Simply put, Paul said that the religious leaders or rulers were blind and ignorant. They had not eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive.

MacArthur wrote, “Those who are ignorant of the written Word will inevitably be ignorant of the living Word. Ignorance had become a way of life for them, as they substituted ritualism for the Truth.” Paul then answered a second question that would have arisen:

If we failed to recognize and receive Messiah does that nullify God’s plan?

At the end of verse 27 and in 28 Paul says absolutely not! He told them that their blindness and ignorance lead them to condemn Jesus which didn’t screw up God’s plans but fulfilled God’s plans which were uttered through the prophets. In verse 28 he then gave them further proof that God’s plans had not been nullified. When the religious leaders handed Jesus over to Pilate, he found that Jesus had committed no crimes worthy of death. Pilate attempted to release Jesus. But the people cried crucify Him, crucify Him. Since Jesus was found innocent, why didn’t the religious leaders and crowds relent? Because they hated Jesus. Jesus was handed over to Pilate out of pure hatred. This hatred and heinous act fulfilled prophesy and God’s plans as well. Which prophetic passages did Paul have in mind here? How about Psalm 64:4, Isaiah 53:3, and Luke 18:32-33 for starters?

 Hatred Psalm 64:4 More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause.

 Rejection Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men.

 Handed Over Luke 18:32-33 (Summary of Isaiah 53) 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him.

Summary of Paul’s sermon so far.

 God promised Abraham that He would bless the world through Abraham’s offspring (Jesus).  God carried His Abrahamic promise through the other patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, and the judges.  God rose up a king after His own heart, David, who was descended from Abraham, and promised him that the Messiah would come through his bloodline.  God confirmed and announced the fulfillment of His Abrahamic and Davidic promises through John the Baptist who announced the coming and arrival of Israel’s Messiah.  God sent Jesus, the Messiah, as confirmed by John the Baptist.  Israel was blind and ignorant and then rejected and killed their Messiah.  Israel did not nullify God’s plans by killing their Messiah but rather fulfilled them according to the Scriptures.

This summary covers verses 16-28. In an effort to further prove that Israel did nullify God’s plans, Paul will begin to expound on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Up till now in the book of Acts the resurrection has been the key note of the apostles preaching (Acts 2:24; 2:32: 3:26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40). Paul will take up this mantle just as Peter and John had done previously. Look at verse 29.

Verse 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

Commentary After the death of Jesus which fulfilled things that were written of Him, officials had the body of Jesus removed from the cross and put into tomb. Do you see how Paul is presenting the gospel here? He’s covered 3 gospel components so far.

 He’s talked about the life of Jesus by pointing to the ministry of John the Baptist.  He’s talked about the death of Jesus at the hands of the rulers and Pilate on a tree or cross.  And here in verse 29 we see Paul present the burial of Jesus in a tomb.

Two explicit prophesies were to be fulfilled through the burial of Jesus Christ.

1. Jesus Christ was to be buried in a rich man’s tomb according to Isaiah 53:9.

The entire chapter of Isaiah 53 is devoted to the death of Christ. It says He was despised and rejected, truly a man of sorrows (v. 3). He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (v. 4). He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities (v. 5). He was taken from prison into judgment (v. 8). Verse 9 says, "His grave was assigned to be with wicked men, yet [He was] with a rich man in his death". That unusual prophecy would be difficult to understand apart from the scenario of Christ's burial. He was supposed to have been buried with criminals, but instead was buried in a rich man's tomb.

2. Jesus predicted that He would be buried for 3 days according to Matthew 12:40.

Jesus said, "Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth". Jesus predicted that there would be three days between His death and resurrection-- that He would be in the earth for three days.

Look at verse 30 to see how Paul brought up the 4th gospel component.

Verse 30 But God raised him from the dead.

Commentary There it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the 4th gospel component and key note of all apostolic preaching. Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ so important? Let me try to convey its importance by illustrating what it provides for us in extremely practical terms.

a. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides us PROOF OF SALVATION.

The Resurrection validated the claims of Jesus and provided ultimate credibility to His person. Because the Resurrection offers such proof, we can believe His message; moreover, we can belong to the Master.

b. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides us with POWER OVER SIN.

Paul lamented that a man, minus the power of God, has no hope of living in spiritual victory. Indeed, power over sin in our own strength is assuredly an exercise in futility. But the Resurrection power of Jesus Christ—the new life He provided to believers— enables us to live in victory over the enslaving power of sinful flesh as we reckon ourselves to be alive unto God through Jesus Christ. For the believer, power over sin is a bona fide possibility that is effectual by faith.

c. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides us with PURPOSE FOR SERVING.

Think about it—because of our resurrection life in Christ we are connected with the Lord. By His Spirit He indwells us. We are partakers of His divine nature. In the words of Alfred Ackley, “I serve a risen Savior. He’s in the world today. I know that He is living whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy. I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him, He is always near!” The Resurrection means that Christ is with me and will never leave me. It means that I have a context and purpose for my life which is to love God by obeying Him and to love others by serving them just as Christ served others. The resurrection makes this purpose for serving possible. It empowers it.

d. The resurrection of Jesus Christ provides us with the PROMISE OF SECURITY.

Based upon the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, we who trust in Him will rise too. God assures us of this by His teaching on firstfruits. The earliest ripened fruit, vegetable, or grain serves as a harbinger of the main harvest to follow. Christ arose and provided the sure hope that—in Him—we can all have confident hope of a glorified eternal body. That is a promise of security! Eternal security!

The Apostle Paul made a statement about the resurrection that really drives its importance down deep. Over a short amount of time factions had arose in the church. You had the Judaizes who claimed that all true Christians must be circumcised. Paul told them to go emasculate themselves. If Paul were to address today those who preach baptism as necessary for salvation he would probably tell them to go drown themselves. Paul wasn’t very tolerant. Not towards false teachers. You also had a group that rejected the resurrection. They were like the Sadducees with the exception that they were in the church. Paul said this to them in 1 Corinthians 15:12-22.

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Boiled down: If Christ had not been raised from the dead then our preaching is in vain, our faith is futile, and we are to be pitied above all other people. In other words, we are the biggest fools in the world. Look back at Acts 13:30. What does it say? 30 But God raised him from the dead. That is the truth church. That is our hope church. That is our future church. And that is what empowers us right now to love and obey God and to love and serve others. Amen.

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