BOOK
BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com
BIBLE
STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday September 25, 2016
PAUL’S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY
(Barnabas and Saul are sent out by the HOLY
SPIRIT)
Acts 13:1-3
In Acts
13:1-3 we see that the church at Antioch of Syria had become the base of
operations for Barnabas, Saul (the Apostle Paul), and other missionaries. And,
even though the Church at Jerusalem was still the mother Church of the
Christian movement, the missionary branch of the Church became the church at
Antioch.
Here in the opening lines of this chapter,
Luke gives us a vivid description of the background diversity of the leading
men in the Church at Antioch. First of all, we see Barnabas, a Jew from the
island of Cyprus, who had become known as “the enabling encourager” by those in
the early Christian Church. He played a major role in persuading the Mother
Church at Jerusalem to accept the Apostle Paul into their confidence after his
conversion on the road to Damascus.
Then we see Simeon, who was also a Jew, but
was called by his Latin nickname “Niger”, because of his dark complexion. This
Latin name may also indicate to us, as to how he moved in Roman circles. He was
most likely very well known to the local Gentile converts around Palestine.
Then there is Lucius, who was from Cyrene,
a country in northern Africa. And there was also Manaen, a man with royal
clout, who had been raised with Herod Antipas, the king who had John the
Baptist beheaded during the time of CHRIST’s earthly ministry. Manaen had
become a disciple of JESUS’ after Herod’s shameful treatment of CHRIST during
HIS trials at Jerusalem.
And finally, there is Saul, a Jew who had been trained for Rabbinical
work by the institutions of men, and then, was converted by CHRIST that
faithful day on the road to Damascus (Acts chapter 9). He would later become
the face of the Christian movement in its infancy, and the author of 13 books
in the New Testament.
As these faithful men were praying and
fasting one day, the HOLY SPIRIT, as HE often gave directives to GOD’s leaders
in those days, came to them, and instructed that they separate Barnabas and
Saul for a special task that GOD had called them to do. It was to be the first
of Paul’s, now famous, “Missionary Journeys”, and it would include a circuit
through the province of Asia Minor, and a voyage to Barnabas’ homeland, of the
island of Cyprus. Cyprus was a Roman province, famous for its copper mines, and
shipbuilding industry, and it was only fitting that Barnabas might first want
to preach JESUS to his own people in his own hometown.
THE
JOURNEY BEGINS
Acts
13:4-12
And so, taking up at verse 4, we see Barnabas and Saul, under the
influence of the HOLY SPIRIT, set sail and go down, first, to the seaport known
as Seleucia, and from there, they sailed to Barnabas’ home country, the island
of Cyprus. Upon their arrival in Cyprus, they first visit the town of Salamis
where they went into the Jewish synagogues to preach JESUS, taking young John
Mark with them to assist them.
From there the men worked their way across
the island preaching from town to town until they reached Paphos where they met
a Jewish sorcerer who called himself, Bar-Jesus, which means “son of Jesus” in
the Hebrew (“Elymas” in the Greek). Elymas had endeared himself to Sergius
Paulus, the governor of the island, and had obtained considerable influence
over him at that time.
The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to meet
with him because he wanted to hear the new Gospel that they were teaching on
the island. However, Elymas interfered, in an effort to turn away the
governor’s interest in the Christian Faith, and urged him to pay no heed to
what Barnabas and Saul were teaching.
Then Saul, who was coming to be known as
“Paul” at this time, became filled with the HOLY SPIRIT and looked Elymas in
the eyes and said, “You “son of the devil”, full of every sort of trickery and
villainy, enemy of all that is good, will you never stop perverting the true
ways of the LORD? And now the LORD has laid HIS hand of punishment upon you,
and you will be stricken awhile with blindness” (Vs.10-11) (NLT).
Instantly a mist and darkness fell upon
Elymas, and he began wandering around begging someone to take his hand and lead
him. The governor was very impressed when he saw what had happened to Elymas,
and he was even more impressed about what he had learned that day from Barnabas
and Paul, about the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
PAUL
PREACHES IN ANTIOCH AND PISIDIA
Acts
13:13-43
This passage
contains the Apostle Paul’s longest recorded sermon (Vs.16-43). He and Barnabas
and their crew had now left Paphos and set sail for Pamphylia, first landing in
the port town of Perga. At this point they were getting ready to climb to about
3600 feet above sea level, over the Taurus Mountains, on one of the most
dangerous roads in Asia Minor. It was a road that was filled with robbers and
bandits. In fact, it was so dangerous that young John Mark, Barnabas’ cousin,
decided that he wasn’t going any farther, and he decided to return home, much
to the dismay of the Apostle Paul.
Paul and Barnabas, however, decided to
stick it out, putting their lives on the line, to continue to spread the
Gospel. They boldly start their journey traveling inland, making their first
stop at Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath, they went into the synagogue and,
after the reading of the Scriptures (the books of Moses and from the books of
the Prophets), those in charge of the services asked if anyone wanted to come
and give words of encouragement. Paul then stood up, lifted his hands to quiet
the assembly, and proceeded to deliver his longest sermon that is recorded in
the New Testament Scripture (Vs.13-16).
Paul took advantage of this opportunity to
remind the Church of the fulfillments of Old Testament scripture, as it
concerns the MESSIAH, that is CHRIST JESUS. He begins by reminding the Church
of how, over a 450 year period, GOD had delivered Israel out of bondage in
Egypt, put up with them for forty years of disobedience and complaining in the
wilderness, and destroyed seven nations in Canaan, before giving the land to
them as an inheritance (Vs.17-19).
After that time, GOD had also given the
Israelites Judges to protect their spiritual and physical well-being until the
time of Samuel the prophet, the last judge of Israel. And despite this
protection from GOD, the people still desired to have kings to rule over them
like the pagan nations around them, instead of being satisfied with the LORD
GOD of Israel, WHO had delivered them from such ruthless kings of the world.
And so, as a result of their demands through Samuel, GOD gave them Saul, the
son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, and he let him reign over Israel for forty
years (Vs.20-21).
After GOD removed Saul from the throne, HE
replaced him with David, whom GOD said, was a man after HIS OWN heart, and a
man who would do everything that GOD wanted him to do. And it was one of David’s
descendants, JESUS, WHO became GOD’s promised SAVIOR of Israel. It is HE of
WHOM John the Baptist preached and expressed the need that everyone in Israel
should turn from their sins and turn to GOD for baptism, first by water, and
then later, by the HOLY SPIRIT (Vs.22-26).
Paul goes on to tell the Church of how when
JESUS came, neither they, nor their leaders, the Pharisees, recognized HIM,
because they themselves, were already too far away from practicing and living
by GOD’s glorious standards. GOD’s Ways had, over time, become strange and
unfamiliar to them, and had in many ways, been replaced by their own rules and
regulations.
And so the people of Israel unwittingly fulfilled
their roles in biblical prophecies by rejecting and unjustly crucifying JESUS,
GOD’s only begotten SON. However, also in line with fulfillment of scriptures,
GOD raised HIS SON from the dead, and afterwards, HE appeared to several
witnesses, from Galilee to Jerusalem (Vs.27-31).
Paul and Barnabas then explains to the
assembly just what the second Psalm is talking about concerning JESUS where it
says, “YOU are MY SON. Today I have become YOUR FATHER”. GOD had promised to
raise JESUS from the dead into eternal life, and would not allow HIM to rot in
the grave. This was not a reference to David, but rather, it was a reference to
JESUS.
In JESUS, there is forgiveness of sin, and
everyone who believes in HIM is freed from guilt, and declared right with GOD.
This is something that Jewish law could never do. And as Paul and Barnabas left
the synagogue that day, the people invited them back to speak on the following
Sabbath.
This three point sermon that was preached
by Paul is outlined by three occurrences; the anticipation and preparation of
CHRIST’s first advent (Vs.16-25), the rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection
of JESUS (vs.26-37), and, Paul’s application and appeal to the people (Vs.38-41).
It is a sermon that appealed to both the Jews and the Gentiles who desired to
follow CHRIST out of Judaism and the world, and into Christianity.
PAUL
TURNS TO THE GENTILES
Acts
13:44-52
On the
Sabbath following Paul’s sermon the entire city came to hear them preach the
Word of the LORD, and when the Jewish leaders saw how large the crowd was, they
became green with envy. At that point they immediately began to slander Paul
and Barnabas, and they argued against whatever they said.
Paul and Barnabas both knew how important
and necessary it was for the Gospel to be preached, and so they ignored the
strong ravings of the Jewish leaders, and they boldly continued their teachings
to the Gentiles, as well as to those Jews who were still willing to listen.
They fully understood their roles of being “a light to the whole world”, and
they were willing to risk their lives to accomplish their goal, a task that was
assigned to them, by JESUS the CHRIST HIMSELF.
After reminding the assembly of the words
of the prophet Isaiah, which he received from GOD some 700 years earlier, where
GOD says, “I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the
farthest corners of the earth”, the Gentiles were very glad and thanked GOD for
the wonderful message that they had received from Paul and Barnabas.
Sadly, instead of the Jewish leaders being
glad to hear the good news of the salvation of the Gentiles, they begin to
appeal to the influential religious women of the Church, and the civic
leadership of Antioch, stirring up a mob against Paul and Barnabas, and ran
them out of town. Paul and Barnabas then shook the dust of Antioch off their
feet, and moved on to the next city, which was Iconium, and the believers in
Antioch were no less filled with joy, and with the HOLY SPIRIT, despite the
Pharisees opposition to the LORD’s agenda.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
No comments:
Post a Comment