Our scripture again is taken from the 13th chapter of the book of Acts and we'll read verse 48 although we'll reference a broader context but we'll be looking at verse 48 of Acts chapter 13 and when the Gentiles heard this they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. May God richly bless both the reading and the hearing of his holy word. As we continue to look at the work of the apostles here in the book of Acts we see a continuation of a theme and that is the preeminent activity of the apostles was to take the word of God to the people. This proclamation of God's word extends to those who are unsaved that they would be brought to salvation. It includes both Jews and Gentiles and I would suggest that it is the primary focal activity of the church that until the Lord returns the one thing that we can never get away from and continue to be church is the proclamation of the word that is the life substance of the church it's what those who have been brought to salvation it's what we depend on and what we need and those who are lost it's what they need to not be lost anymore the proclamation of the word. In essence what Jesus gives in the great commission as the assignment of the church is one that will remain our task until the Lord returns. We see it in the book of Acts that the word of the Lord continues to spread. In fact it says in the very next verse that it continues to spread and that's what's taking place until the Lord returns the word of the Lord will continue to spread and primarily by the word of the Lord it is speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ takes in what God has required of us it reminds us of our failures but it also reminds us of the saving grace of God and that is what saves the people. But here's I really want to focus on verse 48 but to give it a broader sense of context we see a few things here that are helpful outside of verse 48 to really drive home the impact and the importance of what we see in verse 48 that we have already made it clear that the task of the church until the Lord returns is the proclamation of the word of the Lord and primarily it's not do's and don'ts it's what has been given in the gospel. It is the proclamation that Jesus is the promised prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament scriptures that he is the righteousness of God received by faith and in believing in him he who was crucified for our sins raised by the power of God on the third day he is our mediator he is our soon returning savior we know that and that is what we proclaim we proclaim that Jesus lived he died he rose he is reigning and he is returning that's what we preach and they continue to preach it and you say well isn't that just what the world needs and the answer is yes that is what the world needs and what the church is to be engaged in until the Lord returns is proclaiming that message we do not build kingdoms we do not build industries we preach the name of Jesus we don't build we are not intonation building we preach about a kingdom that is already come and it is already victorious we are preaching Jesus that's what we are assigned to do that's what we are supposed to do that's what the world needs we are engaged individually in a lot of things but the church as the church is all about the gospel if it's not all about the gospel it ain't church that's pretty simple right but what happens when the world gets when the word when the church gets the word out and we see that that people are drawn and driven they are drawn to it and they are driven from it and so we'll see that as the word goes forth before we get to verse 48 we'll notice that when we do this good thing that the world needs which is the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ everyone doesn't like it verses 45 and 50 interesting response on the part of the religious leaders of the time in verse 45 in fact Luke does something that you don't ordinarily see done in scriptures oftentimes we are we will read of the acts of an individual but seldom are we given insight into the motive of the act but in verse 45 we see a motive ascribed to the actions of the religious leaders in verse 44 it says the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord but when the Jews saw the crowds they were filled with jealousy that is the motive what are they jealous of we were not really told but possibly because we know that included in the synagogue worships or worship services there were God theorists God theorists who were Gentiles who had been brought to a knowledge of the God of the Jews but they were not circumcised and because they were not circumcised they were not considered as full members of the covenant community that kind of gave the Jews the upper hand because although they allowed you in which was to your benefit you were blessed because they allowed you in you were never considered to be equal with them so therefore it gave them superiority the message of the cross tells us that we are all equal before God maybe that's why they were jealous maybe they were jealous because they they now no longer were able to parcel out the scriptures according as as they wanted they could no longer find justification for their prejudice against the Gentiles and still claim to be the people of God maybe they were jealous because more people were going to hear that these these men preach then they were coming to the synagogues we don't know why they were jealous but we know they were jealous because they are jealous we are told that what they do because of their jealousy is they therefore they began to contradict what the what was spoken by the apostle reviling him their jealousy attempted cause them to attempt to stifle by contradicting so they contradicted what Paul said publicly probably trying to to make him look small and then it was because and then they began reviling him but not only do we see that the Jews they were because they were jealous tried to stifle Paul by contradicting him we see in verse 50 how how what happens when the word of God goes out we see in the first place that some people get upset because if crisis could clearly preach then it changes the order of things but looking verse 50 again and we are told that the word of Lord spreads continues spread throughout the region in verse 49 but in verse 50 it says but the Jews incited and I love this the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas they stirred up and boy I'll tell you we we need women but but we know that a stirred up woman can stir up a whole lot more right when the word of God goes forth there are some people that are not happy and it's really spiritual warfare we'll talk a little bit about spiritual warfare from a different vantage point tonight but it's really spiritual warfare the word of God goes forth institutions that are claiming to be religious are in trouble when the word of God goes forth as it ought to go forth then then some some ingrained religious institutions become troubled because they can no longer stand as they stand that's perhaps one of the reasons the Jews were jealous they couldn't do a lot of stuff if if the disciples were right if if Paul and Barnabas if their message was right they couldn't parcel out in in portion what of the word that they wanted to get to those filthy Gentiles and still have access to all of their money they was a lot of stuff that had to change if these folks don't shut up because we are told that in verse 44 that the whole city came out nobody's supposed to come out like that unless they come through us if we if we are the gatekeepers then they can get in but if we're no longer the gatekeepers then who let them in and so what they try to do is contradict the contradict Paul tried to make him look bad and then so when they couldn't get it done don't you love the way they act they they just put it in the ear of some women and these are not just women that gossip around the the well these are women who gossip in high places and then they stir up the women and it follows you see the trend if the important women are going to be pointed against Paul guess who else is going to be against them it's the men that are associated with the high-standing women that's the way Luke expresses it here that it's women of high standing that have been and women have been victimized because they they can be used in a lot of helpful ways but they've been victimized by bad religion politician salesman all that are they they love to pray on Satan that's where he begins that's what we see in Genesis he went to the woman not they said well because she's weak no not just because she's weak because she's influential if you want to get it out of him get it as woman she's it's not because she's weak it's primarily because she's strong yes and so therefore the Jews are not dumb and doesn't it seem to follow it doesn't it makes sense that if there are agents of Satan that they're taking the playbook of Satan to try to hinder and stop the spread of the gospel so they do they take a page out of the playbook of Satan and they go to these women stir up these devout women of high standing who obviously have influence in the leading men among the leading men of the city and then these men are the ones that legislate persecution against Paul and Barnabas interesting isn't it brothers and sisters that's what we'll have to deal with until the Lord returns the word of the Lord will go forth and the word of the Lord as it goes forth will be problematic for ingrained institutions institutions religious institutions that have a different understanding of the word and when that happens then there will be an effort to incite others to stifle the word from going forth so therefore let me just briefly look at three things from verse 48 that we need to be mindful of and that'll take us home number one understand that God appoints individuals to eternal life as all of this is going on we have an eternal God in the heavens who has appointed individuals to eternal life that's what verse 48 tells us that as many as we're appointed unto eternal life and and so that's interesting because it puts eternal life out there not as something that we have earned not something that we have discovered but eternal life is first and foremost something that has been appointed and who is it that appoints individuals to eternal life it is God it is God who has chosen us in Christ since before the foundation of the world but I just find it very intriguing this whole idea that God appoints individuals for eternal life let's look at it this way let's look at it just for the sake of argument as two great big old boards that got one big board one big board with everybody's name on it everybody's name is on that board and on the top of that board it says hellbound so if you were to ask if you were entering into that that that board room and you saw that big board and you said well what's what's all those names that's the name of everyone who is hellbound and on the other board there's no other name there's no names because everybody is on the board that says hellbound that's where we begin that's where the human race begins in Adam everyone is hellbound and so God from even before the foundation of the world God appoints some who are already on the list of hellbound to be heavenbound God makes that determination it's so we don't and that's one of the arguments that people have against the doctrine of election they say well if God has already chosen who's going to be saved then why do we even need to evangelize because everybody starts off on the list that says hellbound God has appointed who gets off the list but don't get it twisted the elect started as hellbound the elect deserve hell and therefore they were on the hellbound list the father has already determined who it is that he will take off the list and so the father has appointed some who are on the hellbound list to be saved and so what we see in this verse is first off God appoints individuals to be taken off the hellbound list onto the eternal life list it's it's in his mind it's in his heart since before the foundation of the world but those that he chooses to appoint to eternal life began eternally condemned that's why Paul could say we have already passed over from life unto death or from death unto life we were in darkness says Peter but we've been brought into the marvelous light Paul says that we were dead in trespasses and sins but the mercies of God have brought us into a new position so here's where we begin God appoints individuals to eternal life we the people that he appoints to eternal life were deservedly on the hellbound list right and we see them acting out in verse 45 and verse 50 is folk like that that he put that he appointed unto eternal life and and here's the thing about it that nothing that happens in verse 45 or verse 40 or 50 will stop those that God has appointed unto eternal life from picking up the prize or gift of eternal life we need to see that you see we we need to know that God has appointed individuals unto eternal life and we have enemies out there that are trying to keep the word from going forth but here's the good news God has appointed individuals for eternal life and there's nothing that takes place in verse 45 or in verse 50 or in any other area of the world that can keep what God has appointed from taking place here's the second thing God appoints the means by which individuals are brought to eternal life God appoints individuals for eternal life but he appoints and he also appoints the means by which they are brought into eternal life verse 48 says it says and when the Gentiles hurt this they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed well the means by which they received the gift of eternal life is the proclamation of the word and believing that word God has appointed individuals for eternal life and he is appointed the means by which we would be transferred from eternal damnation to eternal life and the means by which he has that he has appointed to bring us from death unto life is the word that is proclaimed brothers and sisters we do not go from eternal damnation to eternal life by some kind of by some kind of internal combustion there is nothing nothing you you don't just all of a sudden just start loving the Lord the ordinary way that God takes people off the condemned list into the eternal life list is through the proclamation of his word we are told by Paul that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God you're not gonna get it just by quiet time you will not become a believer just because you got you know you looked at your hands in your hands look new and you know you looked at your feet and they did too no that's not how you become you you don't go from death unto eternal life by moral transformation you become you become a citizen of the kingdom of heaven by believing in the word that is priest that's why the enemy doesn't want the word to go forth God has appointed individuals to eternal life and God appoints the means by which they are brought to eternal life and the question is raised by Paul and Roman she says well how can they believe on him that they have not heard therefore in sense preachers see how can they believe what they have not heard there must be a word and we are told in verse 48 that they heard the word of God and they glorified in it the same word that the Jews heard in verse 45 and became jealous the same word that caused people to try to insight the devout women so that they could stir up their leading men to bring persecution for what purpose to silence the word brothers and sisters we live in interesting and strange times because we live in interesting and strange times there is a lot of stuff that's taking place in the world that the church thinks well we we need to really be concerned and we do need to be concerned about a number of things and then but one of the things that people are anticipating that will happen to the church is that we're going to we're going to experience persecution may I just make this observation this one man's opinion I don't see enough commitment to the cause of the gospel to make a single demon in hell concerned about the state of the church in fact I see where the there will probably be all kinds of financial support that we could imagine from the pit of hell to keep the church doing what it is presently doing on a wide scale basis the devil is not concerned about us singing and holding hands and singing kumbaya the devil is not concerned about us having our churches look like starbucks the devil is not concerned about that devil's not concerned because we are culturally relevant boy he loves that he loves nothing more than the devil loves to hear from a church is a good old political debate oh boy let him debate I'll give him all kinds of stuff they debate do whatever just didn't they tell us from the beginning in acts didn't they tell the apostles they say y'all can do whatever you want to do just don't preach in the name of Jesus
have dances have your dance liturgy do do that didn't fact have three of them have a seniors have a have a youth one and have a teeny-bopper one just do it whatever you do don't preach Jesus all that stuff but don't preach Jesus because those that god has appointed for eternal life he's appointed one means by which they are to be brought from death unto life and that is the preaching of the gospel not the politicizing but the preaching of the word god has appointed that and if that can be stopped then that's always going to cause trouble as long as that goes out that's going to be trouble for individuals but when it because they know Satan knows that that if the word of god goes out that he everybody knows that he hates sins and so nobody you don't hide that don't hide that but but nobody they don't know that he forgives sinners hide that everybody knows they ought to do better don't hide that they don't know they can't do better hide that god has appointed individuals from death unto life and he's appointed the means by which we are brought from death unto life and means by which we are brought from death to life is the proclamation of the word many the word went out and people glorified and as many as were appointed by god for eternal life believed the word they believed the word and that was their transfer from condemnation to consolation or that brings us to a third and final consideration here god appoints individuals to eternal life god appoints the means by which individuals will be brought to eternal life which is the proclamation of the word but thirdly god assigns individuals to deliver the word that will bring eternal life god appoints individuals for life god appoints the means by which they are brought to life but god assigns individuals to deliver that word that's what Peter makes clear in verses 46 and 47 you see when when the Jewish leaders become jealous because of the word that's being preached by Peter and and Barnabas or a Paul and Barnabas excuse me then Paul says this in verse 45 it says or yeah beginning in verse 45 it says but when the Jews saw the crowds they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul reviling him and Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly it was necessary that the word of god be spoken first to you since you thrusted aside and you judge for yourself unworthy of eternal life behold we are turning to the Gentiles for so the Lord has commanded us god has assigned his redeemed people to be a one trick pony in a multi-need world he has told the world that is broken and so many different places he's given us one single message to declare his word in his generation he has commanded us to do these things and so therefore because god is the one that that gives the assignment brothers and sisters the implication for that is that those who are members of the body of Christ ought to be committed to that assignment being carried out it means that we must pray for we must support to whatever degree we can the word going out because the only thing that changes the world is the word but it also means that those who have been given the task can't be distracted or discouraged I find it interesting that we see in verse 45 when the Jews because of their jealousy contradict Paul Paul is emboldened then we find that when in verse 50 when they when they incite these devout women who therefore influence the leading men and they bring up persecution against Paul and Barnabas notice what it says in verse 51 but they shook off the dust from their feet against them in other words they did what Jesus says when they receive you then find you are received if not then shake the dust off your feet and that's not just saying you know what it's not it's not the same thing as Jay Z shaken the you dust taking the dust off your shoulders it's a different thing it's actually a statement of judgment it's to say the word has been here let the dust that I leave testified to the fact you didn't want it
shake the dust from your feet and go on when they shake the dust off their feet then they go we are told in verse 52 that they go on to the next place and notice this they are not filled with remorse not whining not wondering they have shaken the dust off their feet because it's clear that we have delivered the word of God here and these folks don't want it therefore confident and comforted they leave having shaken the dust off their feet and they are filled with joy and with the holy spirit
they're not happy but they're filled with joy filled with the joy of the spirit brothers and sisters here's the assignment that we've been given preach the word of God to a dying generation don't preach self-help preach the cross which teaches that there's nothing else that can help do not massage the contemporary psyche and mind do not affirm do not become don't allow yourself to be co-opted by the political movements that are expedient nobody's going to take your church away from you until we keep preaching Jesus then we'll get some people upset but you know what they don't don't get sidetracked I know we have some issues that we are dealing with in our culture but trust me the only people that are upset are the only form of the church that people are upset with are the form of the church that puts its nose where it shouldn't be and I'm kind of tired of them too brothers and sisters because my business my my bakery might be in trouble because I choose not to bake again that has nothing to do with the cause of the church Jesus did not shed his blood so we could bake cakes Jesus has shed his blood because the Father has appointed people on the condemned list to eternal life and the way that they get off that list is by the proclamation of his word and he has assigned us to preach his word brothers and sisters if we're serious about saving lives and souls let us get serious about the word that we proclaim and here's what we discover nothing outside and nothing inside can stop God from delivering on what he appointed he has appointed individuals for eternal life and even if he has to overthrow churches to get them he will get someone even if it's rocks to cry out his word because the means by which he has determined individuals to be brought to eternal life is the means of his preached word the word that centers on his crucified risen and ascended son brothers and sisters here's what I would suggest that if the word that we preach is not dripping with the blood and if that blood is not screaming of the grace of God if the word that we preach causes individuals to look within and wonder and not look outward in wonder then we have not preached Jesus we've not preached him until men are left saying I'm a sinner undone woe unto me Lord I am not worthy woe unto me but what you have mercy because the God the word that God uses to bring sinners unto salvation brings them low makes them hungry makes them desperate and then shows them the only thing that can satisfy blessed are the poor and spirit and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of God and the only thing that can create that hunger and the only thing that can create that mourning of spirit is the proclamation of God's word it shows us the height of his his holiness in his law and the depth and the breath of his grace in the gospel God has appointed individuals for eternal life and he's appointed the means by which they would be brought to eternal life and he's given us the assignment of delivering the word folk aren't going to like it but deliver the word because in it the power of God is made clear amen