It's a long reading, so let's stand up on our God in His Word by doing so, hear the Word of God. While you're standing, there is a gold Honda Accord, Florida Plate, XBU 97J. It sounds like art. I don't know what our license number is. But anyway, the lights are on. Okay, Acts chapter 13. Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, Caldnighter, Lucius of Cyrene, Manean, who had been brought up with Herod and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "'Set apart from me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them they sent them away. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Solution and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they had reached Salamay, they began to proclaim the Word of God in the synagogue of the Jews. And when they had gone through the whole island, all the way to Papus, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar Jesus, who was with the Pro-Council, Sergius, Paulus, and Intelligent Man. This man, Stumman Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the Word of God. But alamus, the magician, was opposing them seeking to turn the Pro-Council away from the faith. Saul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him and said, "'You who are full of all the seed and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?' And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon you and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time. Immediately a mist and a darkness fell on him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. Then the Pro-Council believed what he saw, when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord. Paul and his companions put out the seed from Papus and came to Perga in Pemphilia. But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pesidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day, they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the synagogue official sent to them saying, "'Reather if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.' So Paul stood in motion with his hand, said, "'Men of Israel, you who fear God, listen, the God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt. And with an uplifted arm, he led them out from it. For a period of about 40 years, he put up with them in the wilderness, and when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, and he distributed their land as an inheritance. All of this took about 450 years. After these things, God gave them judges until Samuel the prophet, and then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul for 40 years. And after God removed him, he raised up David to be their king. From the offspring of this man David, God has brought forth to Israel a savior, Jesus. Now after John the Baptist had proclaimed his coming, a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel, and while John was completing his course, he kept saying, "'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.' But one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.' The Paul says, brethren, sons of Abram's family, and those among you who fear God, to us, the word of this salvation is sent out. For those who live in Jerusalem and their ruler, recognizing neither Jesus nor the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these scriptures by condemning him, and though they found no ground for putting him to death, they asked Pilate that he be executed. And when they had carried out all that was written concerning Jesus, they took him down from the cross, laid him in a tomb, but God raised him from the dead. For many days, he appeared to those who came with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now his witnesses to the people, and we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that he raised up Jesus, verse 38. Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren, that through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the law of Moses. Now, as Paul and Barnabas, verse 42, we're going out, the people kept begging, that these things might be spoken to them again, the next Sabbath. And when the meeting of the synagogue had broken out many of the Jews, followed Paul and Barnabas, just speaking to them, we're urging them to continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath, nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God, but when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming me. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first, since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentile. For thus, the Lord is commanded. I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles that you should bring salvation to the end of the earth. Now, when the Gentiles heard this, they were rejoicing, glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life, believe the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region, but the Jews aroused devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district. The Paul and Barnabas shook the dust of the off their feet and protest against them, and the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Amen. Be seated, please. Perhaps you've heard the story of the man who was sent to Africa to sell shoes. Three months later, he cabled back and said, I'm, I'm catching the next boat out of here. This is the worst assignment possible. Why didn't somebody tell me before you sent me that nobody here wears shoes? They sent his replacement three months he cabled back and he said, send me every pair of shoes you can possibly lay your hands on. This is the greatest land of opportunity I've ever witnessed. Why didn't somebody tell me before I came that nobody here has shoes? There is a person who looks at those who don't attend church, at those who are outside the faith and they look at them all and they say, you know, none of them get it. None of them have shoes. None of them are Christians. None of them know Christ. None of them bow the need to Christ. You know, they're all going to hell on a hand vested. They don't sense even having friends or interacting with them or caring about them because none of them are Christians. But there's another person who looks at the same people and they say, what? None of them know the good news of the grace of God. So many of them don't get it. The fields are white under harvest. The opportunities are incredible. There are so many people that have no clue what they're missing. Now, what makes you like the latter person and not the former person? What is it that makes a person care about all those people out there? Not just the people in your circle, in your office, in your neighborhood, but all those people out there. What makes somebody care? I want to suggest it's this, that you have tasted grace, and that grace has found its way so deeply into your heart and your life that you're not the same. You're so overwhelmed. And I guess that's what I want to ask this morning, just how impacted by grace are you? Just how much are you taken with the grace of God for you? Yesterday we had a wedding, two-thirty in the afternoon. When the wedding was over, it got into a conversation with a couple and they said to me, they don't go to Seven Rivers. As far as I know, they don't go to church. They looked at me and they said, Seven Rivers has a reputation and because of that, we're going to ask something. They said, we have a 10-year-old boy and he needs a home. Doesn't have parents? Doesn't have a place. They've never had discipline, love, structure, or direction in his life. He's a wonderful kid. Doesn't have anybody. Will somebody in your church take him? Take him? No, what do you think my answer was? We'll have to see. Just how taken by grace somebody is. You see, it's a church full of folks taken by grace that would do something like that. You see, it's a people who realized that once they were orphans, they didn't have love. They didn't have structure. They didn't have God. But I've experienced his gracious adoption. You see, it's out of a church like that that people emerge that care. Even at great cost. There really is a 10-year-old boy who wants to know just how taken with grace. We are at this church. Take your sermon outline. It seems like every week we read a different chapter of Acts. The gospel is going somewhere it's never been before. And so the question before us this morning is, how does grace affect the church in such a way that it cares about the world? And the first thing I want you to note in your sermon outline is a grace produces mission. What's going to be the first church that sees the whole world and says we have what they need? What's going to be the first church to do that? It's not going to be the church in Jerusalem, is it? Now the Bible tells us it's a church in Antioch. It's the Antioch church that first, because so far the gospel is progressing just like Jesus said it would. He said, you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem. Judea Samaria for the outermost parts of the earth. So we saw that the Jews began to spread out. Persecution drove them out from Jerusalem, Judea. Out of there, Philip went to the Samaritans. Last week we read about how the gospel actually went to the city of Antioch, the capital of Syria, a cosmopolitan city filled with Asians and filled with North Africans and Greeks and Romans. And the gospel took hold there. But it's still been restricted to the Syrian and Palestinian mainland. Nobody yet has said, hey, this will export. This is for the whole world. We're just one little tiny part. The whole world needs it. Somebody's going to have to get on a boat, go across the water to what to them would have been the most exotic barbarian for half places of the earth. And take that gospel there because it will work there. What was the first church that did that? What's the first church that said the gospel compels us to go? It was the church of Antioch. And I want to give you three reasons. Got it? Point number one. Grace compels us to mission. It compels us to go. Three reasons it was this church. First note their diversity. Look at verse one of this chapter. Tell us who the leader, the prophets and teachers and the Antioch church were. It says the first was Barnabas. Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. And then it says the next leader was a man named Simeon who was called Niger. What did that tell us about Simeon? That he was, he's black. He's a black African. So we have a Cypriot Jew, a black African. The third leader was called Lucius of Cyrene. Cyrene would have been considered a part of North Africa. He's probably what we would call someone of an Arab persuasion. So we've got a Cypriot Jew. We have a black African. We have a North African. In Arab, we have Manayan who was brought up with who. That means he is the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch. This is the Herod that killed John the Baptist. This is the Herod that presided over the trial of Jesus. His brother is in the leadership of the Antioch church. Here's somebody who was raised in the court in aristocratic upbringing. And finally, we have Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of the church, who is radically converted, who is in a sense a seminary professor. He's a rabbi of high, high training and learning. This is the makeup of the Antiochan church. Is it any wonder that it's this group of people that realizes the gospel can go into any culture, any people, any race, anywhere in the world, and have a powerful impact? Second, it's not just their diversity, it's their doxology. What do we learn about this church that drives them to mission? They are a what church? They're a worshiping church. When these people worship, what does the Bible say? They're fasting, they're praying, and they're ministering to God. It doesn't say it's a special missions conference or where they've got a building campaign. So they're fasting. It presents it to us as if it's the matter of the normal regular course of life in that church that many people are fasting to seek the face of God. They're fasting. They're ministering to God. They're praying. I want you to understand that doxology worship produces mission. You see, when you worship and you see God in all his glory and all his honor, there should always be an idea that comes in the side door. I can't hog this for myself. I'm the recipient of the grace and glory of God. The blinders have been taken off my eyes. I see God for who he is. I can't keep this for myself. There's something about worshiping and coming into God's presence that makes one half to turn and run out and again, go get somebody else. So you'll come and be a worshiper too. There's almost not a week that I don't stand in front here and worship with you as a congregation. And I am often thinking as I look around the room, I can't believe so-and-so is not here. I can't believe so-and-so is not here. I can't believe so-and-so is not here. It's not because I'm going to call them up that week and say, we had church. Where were you? No, it would be like I'd want to say to them, God came. We met with God the other day. You missed it. It was awesome. You missed it. Don't do that. It's too precious. God comes, don't you? I don't know. What would you do it? That was better than meeting with God. It's something about worship that makes you go and care. So it was their diversity, it was their doxology, and there's a third point that's not in your sermon outline, but we're going to say it anyway. It was their selflessness of this anti-occurge. The Holy Spirit impresses on them that somebody needs to go. Somebody's got to go. So if God tells most churches that they're supposed to care about the world, who do they send? They usually find somebody they think they can do without. Now that doesn't mean they're not proud of them and all that. But in other words, the compulsion of most churches is to take care of themselves. But the anti-occurge sends who? They send the best preacher they've got. They send the best teacher and encourager they've got. The best two leaders they have are the ones they pick and they send under the direction of the Holy Spirit. And there aren't many places that'll do that. Most churches would say what? Who's going to preach to us? Who's going to take care of us? Who's going to tend to our funerals? Who's going to look after our needs? We've got to keep our own church strong. That's the most important thing. Listen, there's a lot of people around here who need Jesus. We can't be sending the people to the other side of the earth. You know, people here need Jesus just as much. Let's keep our church strong. That's our primary passion. But it wasn't the passion of the Church of Amphioc. They have been so infected by grace that they took the best leaders they had and they said, you guys go. Now, what will compel a people to act stealthlessly? Great. Only great. I read this week of a man who, for Christmas, was given a car by his brother. Fanking brand new car. He had to park out in front of his office. He came out late in the day and he saw kind of the street kid I am the car. And the kid was making his way around it. I mean, he just, like you wouldn't even touch it. It's too pristine. And the kid said, Mr. It's a beautiful car. And he said, thank you. He said, where did you get it? He said, my brother. He gave it to me. He gave it to me for Christmas. I mean, your brother just gave it to you? Did he owe you? He said, no. He gave it to me out of the love of his heart, praying clear. I don't know all the things. He just gave it to me. And the little boy's eyes got this big. And he said, wow. I wish I, what do you think he said? No, that's not what he said. He didn't say I wish I had a brother like that. He said, I wish I could be a brother like that. I wish I could be a brother like that. When we read about the church at Antioch, we might say, well, I wish we could be a church like that. It doesn't exist for our own self-preservation. The only way you'll ever be a church like that. The only way you'll ever be a Christian like that is when you realize you have a brother like that. You're older brother, you're paid for your salvation, free and clear. Grace produces mission. Second, Grace produces intensity. Paul and Barnabas go to the island of Papus and make their way across where they meet a very intelligent Roman government official named Sergius Paulus. And he's very interested in the word of God. Listen, this is fascinating, folks. We have the idea that people out there in the world don't want this. Listen, they don't have shoes out there. They need the grace of God. And he goes across this island. He's a very intelligent man. And they begin to give the word of God to him and what happened? There's opposition. This guy has a magician who is sort of his court sorcerer. And he objects. His name is Bar Jesus. That means son of Jesus. And when he's objecting, Paul rises up. And you know what he says to him? You are not the son of Jesus. You are the son of the devil. You are a son of the devil. You are a master of deceit and trickery. And Paul calls down curses on him and blindness descends and falls over this man. And it's such a powerful moment that the Pro-Council surrenders his life to Christ and becomes a Christian. Now, here's the question. Is this the way we're supposed to deal with people who don't want to become Christian? And you're always afraid that there's always some literalist in every crowd that you speak to. You know, somebody is going to go up there and say, this reign is a curse on God on you and your house because you will not believe. You know, somebody is going to go up there and pull their whip out and lash somebody else and say, I am the anointed, you know, prophet of God that declare unto you. Listen, I don't think that's a good idea. But what is Paul doing? The answer is because he's battling for a man's soul. It's a matter of life and death, isn't it? The tone changes a little bit when you met, when you realized it's a matter of life and death. And Grace produces intensity. Fred Frank's is a commander in the Gulf War. Tom Plancy wrote a book about Fred Frank's leadership in that war. He's the first United States commander allowed to go back into action after having a leg amputated. His leg was blown off in Vietnam. And he's allowed to go back as an amputee and lead troops, again, first one. Fred Frank's one of his part of the learning of the Vietnam experiences is that in war, you try to make the fight as unfair as possible. You try to marshal every advantage, every resource, and pour it on your enemy in a concentrated attack so that the battle ends rapidly and quickly. And the other side has no chance. This isn't about being fair. In the NFL, you can win games 21 to 20. In the NCAA tournament, you can win an overtime. But in war, you don't want to win 30,000 to 29,000. Because those 29,000 come home in bags. You want to win 30,000 to nothing in war. Because it's a matter of life and death. It's a life or death deal with the gospel. Maybe somebody's going to listen to this tape who's not a Christian. Maybe somebody here is not a Christian. And you'll wonder, like Christians, get a little pushy. You wonder why they're always kind of interjecting Jesus into places and do this stuff, you know. And sometimes they just make it uncomfortable. And sometimes they seem to just really want to push their stuff on you. Well, you know what, we are insensitive and we don't do this thing very good. And we don't know how to communicate it very smoothly or like we ought to. But the bottom line is grace makes you just a little bit more intense, doesn't it? It's hard to see your friends drinking instant coffee and thinking it's the real deal when they could be having Starbucks. It's hard to see your friends eating a hearty hamburger and thinking they're in heaven when they could be having prime rib. It's hard to see your friends thinking life is cool when they're headed for a Christless eternity damn to hell when they could have Jesus. It's a life or death deal. Last night on TV there was a story of an airliner that crashed off of a LaGuardia Airport, tumbled over on takeoff and fell into the water. And they told a first person account of the baggage handler who saw this happen. He took off in his baggage cart all the way out to the end of the runway. And he was the first one there. And when he arrived of course it was just absolute carnage and mayhem. There was the plane was broken into many pieces. It was jet fuel everywhere. It was on fire. It was zero degrees. There were people staggering out of the water and shock and stunned. And he's rescuing people and rescuing people. He dives in the water and he hears a woman crying and he's swimming towards her but he can't make any progress. His boots are filled with water and his clothes are and he's trying to make his way towards her when the whole plane blows up. And however many years it's been now later he wept on this TV show just saying, I saw her. I saw her face. I heard her cry for help and I couldn't get to her. I wanted to. And I lived to this day with that. Friends, when it's a life or death field there's just a little more intensity isn't it? There's folks out there without shoes. I just want to get to. Grace, Grace, mission and intensity third. I want you to see Paul's proclamation of grace. The first thing I want you to see under that third point is the gospel case. There's a case for the gospel. Paul and Barnabas make their way to the mainland all the way to the Pesidian Antioch into the Jewish synagogue on this Sabbath day where believe it or not they actually ask Paul would you like to say something? I don't think he ever in his life said no thanks. And there he begins to preach and the first thing you'd see if you looked at verse 17 and scrolled down I just want you to see he makes a case for the gospel. He moves right on through the Old Testament and shows how God is always at work saving his people all the way up to it leading up to Jesus. Then he shows the greatest prophet they ever had John the Baptist said Jesus was the one. And then he shows them how the life and death and work of Jesus his resurrection was all prophesied in the scripture and it's all come true. I just want you to see that he makes a case for Christianity. Listen you talk to your friends about Christ. You don't say to them listen you guys just have to take this on faith. You just have to believe it. I mean it's an irrational I realize who can really believe all these Bible stories but you just got to buy it. You just got to go for it. It's a matter of I think don't forget your head you got to you got to have it in your heart. The heart is more important than the head. I say if I hear that one more time I will projectile vomit you know. We have this mentality the heart is more important than the head listen the head the head guides the heart. Christianity is a matter of the mind it's a matter of truth. Raise any question bring any objection and the Bible will slay them all. Don't ever say to somebody well don't try to figure out your head just believe it in your heart. Fall lonely. Now grapple it grapple with it in your head because you don't say to somebody come to Christ because it makes your life better. Come to Christ because it'll feel good. Come to Christ you just have to do it and you'll later on we'll all see when we get to heaven how it really could have been. No come to Christ because it is what it's true because it's true. It's reasonable it's rational it's irrefutable and it's true. There are people as long as you wander out there and say well you know you need Jesus you know come come you'll make your life better. People don't want to come to Christ anymore than the mouse wants to come to the cat. The real God is awesome. We don't want to come to him but the truth tells us compels us to go. I want you to see that Paul's case for Christianity second I want you to see what what's the core of the gospel. Taste for the gospel the core of the gospel is this God save God does it all. It's the most important thing I'm going to say right now it's the most important thing anybody ever says when they stand up and try to explain the grace of God is that it's about God. Look at verse 17 on and you'll see that every verb God's the subject of it. It's as the God chose our fathers God made the people great God led them out of Egypt. God put up within the wilderness God destroyed the nations of Canaan. God gave them judges God raised up David God said Jesus God did it God did it God did it God did it. We do what we contribute what? Not a nothing God did it. You read Paul's sermon and you know what's missing. He never says a word about Jesus teaching. He doesn't say a word about Jesus principles. He doesn't say anything about Jesus philosophy of life. He says that Christianity isn't not about isn't about what Jesus taught. It's about what Jesus did for us. Christianity is not a say listen are you listening this is the most important thing that we need to hear because every other world religion goes this way. Why are you hard on the Mormons and the Christian scientists and all these other groups? I mean why why don't you accept the fact that there's many ways to God because there aren't many ways to God. And any group that teaches that you can get to God by following the teachings of their founder, their guru, their their holy person. If you follow their principles, then you can make your way to God is damning you to hell because you can't do it. They're offering you a life of ultimate frustration and separation from God. And what Paul stands up, the Apostle Paul stands up and he preaches, he doesn't say a thing about Jesus teaching because Jesus didn't come to be a teacher and example for us to follow. He came to be a savior to do for us on the cross that we could not do ourselves. A couple came up after the service last night and they about tackled me a front they said you just drove a stake into the heart of Christian sign. Because world religion after world religion teaches and many of them will accept Jesus and they'll say Jesus is an exalted teacher too. Follow his principles follow his teachings and go find your way to being right with God friends you can't do it you can't follow the teachings of Jesus today. You won't make it to the end of today right with God. We don't need a teacher and example we need a savior and only Jesus is that. That's the core of the gospel. And the third point there is the claim of the gospel is this, throw yourself on Jesus Christ and you'll receive forgiveness for your sins. How do I swage my guilt pastor what do I do with my sins stop trying to save yourself as the answer stop thinking that all your moral life all your church going all you're being a good person. Impresses God stop trying to save yourself stop trying to fill the void in your life with with career and with money and with relationship and with sexuality stop it stop trying to take care of yourself. Throw yourself on the on Christ. You've the only one who can do for you what your soul really needs and that is reconciled you to God. So papers this week were filled with the news again of someone great dying here's to you Joe to manage you. Greatest baseball player perhaps ever an American icon that transcended his sport. I'm going to be honest with you every time I saw the man personally in person or in the news. I always saw somebody abjectly unhappy. It was confirmed by his brother at his own funeral eulogy his brother said of him he you know he did this great he did that great he did that great but his brother said he had an aching void in his life. He never had anybody to share his life with and there are people who are captains of industry the top of their sport. They've got this they've got that they've they have an aching void because they've never been reconciled to God and there's a lot of those people going to church trying to make themselves acceptable to God. Jesus didn't give you a pathway to follow come be like me and you'll be acceptable to God. Jesus did for you what you couldn't do for yourself so the gospel says stop trying throw yourself on the mercy of God. And the righteousness of God is transferred to you and your sin and corruption is given to Christ and you can find yourself right with God. Friend of mine was meeting with a friend for coffee and she told her story she told about how she began in college having grown up as an atheist to search all over the world for God trying every religion trying every philosophy. He said what she didn't realize was that she wasn't so much looking for God as God was looking for her finally when she finished her story he said to her why aren't you a Christian she said I just don't measure up. When you're a preacher and you hear that it's like having you heard anything I've ever said of course you don't measure up you don't measure up and you never ever will. That's why you need the righteousness of Christ and then go he said her eyes open her light went on and she said that's it isn't it I'll never do it myself I'll never be good enough will. She prayed right in Starbucks and said Jesus please give me your righteousness so that in your eyes I will be your righteous perfect daughter with whom you are well please brothers and sisters I say you you will not care for the world. When you do that you will not care for the fact that your neighbor your kids coach your doctor your butcher your brother and sister don't have shoes until you realize the grace of God for you how much are you taking with grace how much are you taking with the fact that that you are on death row and you've actually been set free. That happened in Chicago didn't it couple weeks ago was it 10 20 years in prison and suddenly a class at Northwestern I think investigated and found that this man hadn't committed the crime. I saw a picture in the paper of this man I think he has an IQ between 1500 just in the open armed embrace of the people who had fought for his freedom. The gospel says that you're on death row but unlike that story you deserve to be there and you are set free but unlike that story you are set free because somebody who loves you the only one who could dies in your place but unlike that story where the man is set free probably to live in poverty the rest of his life. You are not only set free you are brought to the castle of the king and you are made his son or his daughter because all the inheritance and all the riches and all the privilege of Christ are given to you that the gospel.