Sermon Idea: God’s superior power is the church’s comforting assurance for its mission and ministry.
Introduction: As many of you know, we recently had the privilege of hosting Paul Washer to inaugurate the Jack Russell sermons, and what a wonderful job he did. While he was here, he was gracious enough to sit with the pastoral staff over lunch to talk about life and ministry. The last question I asked him was what he was most encouraged by as he thought about the church, church planting, and efforts to fulfill the great commission.
In response, he simply said, “You may think this answer cynical, but it’s not. What I am encouraged by is the superior power of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
His point was that, given the spiritual battle in which the church finds itself and the gravity of the task before us—the great commission—little can be made of our ideas, initiatives, and efforts, but much should be made about the superior power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we think about making disciples in a lost and dying world, where sinful wickedness is rampant, errant religions blind many, and powers actively oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ, what comfort and assurances can our church have for our mission and ministry?
The answer to the question lies in the superior power of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have said that the theme of Acts is about the continual reign of the risen Lord Jesus, who works by the Holy Spirit to spread the Word, build the church, and bear witness to the Kingdom of God.
That’s what we have seen thus far in our study of Acts. The risen Jesus lives and reigns, and actively acts by his Spirit and through his Word. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas are about to set out on their first major missionary journey, and they immediately face darkness and opposition.
God will demonstrate superior power by the presence of his Spirit, the preaching of his Word, and by his divine providence over salvation.
Acts 13 serves as a reminder for us as we gather on the Lord’s Day and as we minister in various ways throughout the week. In the midst of ministries’ trials and difficulties, our God is still superior, and our Lord Jesus is a superior Savior.
It also serves as a reminder for your individual Christian life. As you face temptation, fight sin, pursue change, and go through suffering, you worship a powerful God, have a superior Savior Jesus Christ, and are indwelt by the very presence and power of God, the Holy Spirit.
God’s superior power is the church’s comforting assurance for its mission and ministry. The same holds true for your Christian life.
Let’s keep these things in mind as we see from Acts 13…
- The empowering presence of the Spirit
- The power of God’s Word preached
- The Providence of God in Salvation
I.) The empowering presence of the Spirit (Acts 13:4-12)
The work of the Holy Spirit in sending Paul and Barnabas is how Luke summarizes the beginning of their first missionary journey. The church in Antioch commissioned them, but it was the Holy Spirit, through the church, that sent them. As we will see in a few moments, believing in God’s call by His Spirit is valuable in persevering in ministry.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. (Ac 13:4–5)
Now, notice that the primary missionary task that they commit themselves to is the proclamation of the Word of God. No matter where you go or where you do ministry, some things remain the same. As one recent book on mission states, “Wherever we send missionaries, the nature of God, man, sin, Christ, and ministry do not change….The power in ministry here and missions abroad is found, by the ordination of God in gospel preaching alone.”
We should expect things to go smoothly, right? Paul and Barnabas are sent by the Spirit, commissioned by a local church, and are preaching the Word of God.
Any ministry worth doing will come with opposition. Paul and Barnabas face opposition right from the start.
6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. (Ac 13:6–8)
So we have two men who are interested in the ministry of Paul and Barnabas, but for very different reasons. Sergius Paulus is a Gentile and, as Proconsul, is a governing official in the area. He wants to hear the Word of God. Bar-Jesus, also known as Elymas, is a magician and Jewish false prophet who, and listen to this, opposes Paul and Barnabas and seeks to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
You can bet where good and faithful ministry is being done, the enemy will send troops to oppose that work. The gospel is too good and is too powerful a message for the enemy to leave the gospel to spread unopposed. This very well may be true in your own life. God may bring people close to you who seem to have receptive hearts to the gospel of grace, but you should not be surprised when you learn of opposing voices seeking their ear.
Before we see how Paul responds and the power with which he does so, I want to ask you this. Would we know about Paul and Barnabas and their missionary efforts if, at the first sign of opposition, they took it as a sign to quit? “It’s hard, and we’re opposed. God must not be in it.”
Beloved, difficulty and even opposition may not be a sign that you are outside of God’s will for you. It may not mean that you’re being called elsewhere. Difficulty and opposition may mean you’re exactly where God wants you, that you are doing meaningful ministry, and that you should persevere.
How do we do that? How do we persevere in the face of opposition and in the midst of difficult circumstances? We remember that the Spirit who called you is the same Spirit who will empower and sustain you.
The work of the Spirit is prominent in this chapter, with references to the Spirit bookending the chapter and a reference to the Spirit filling Paul in the middle.
In verse 4, we read, “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit…”
In verse 9, it says that Paul was “filled with the Holy Spirit…”
And lastly in verse 52, “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
The superior power of God for ministry, our Christian life, marriage, and parenting is the power of the Holy Spirit.
When faced with opposition, Paul did not respond in his own strength, but in the power of the Spirit who filled him. That is why he had the boldness to speak the truth to the false prophet.
9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? (Ac 13:9–10)
When it comes to false teaching and errors of eternal consequence, we should follow the example of Jesus and Paul, not be afraid to rebuke them honestly.
God’s superior power over those who oppose him is seen also in the blinding of the false prophet and the salvation of Sergius Paulus.
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. (Ac 13:11–12)
The conversion of Sergius, a high-profile Gentile, is a sign of things to come. Paul and Barnabas will soon turn their attention to the Gentiles and will bear much fruit as they do so.
The empowering presence of the Spirit is what is needed for any servant of the Lord, pastor, missionary, or otherwise. This is how we should pray for one another, especially those tasked with shepherding the flock and ministering the Word of God. Pray that we would be filled with the Spirit and empowered by him for this important task.
Why not pray for your spouse, children, and friends to be empowered by the Spirit as they seek to be faithful on their own Christian walks?
As Paul and Barnabas continue their missionary journey, we also see the power of God’s Word as it is preached. Look with me beginning in verse 13.
II.) The power of God’s Word preached (Acts 13:13-43)
Paul and Barnabas continue on, but their other companion returns to Jerusalem. As we’ll see later in Acts, Paul was hurt by his leaving and became hesitant to take him on any more mission trips. Early in his ministry, Paul had a trusted companion leave him
After arriving in Antioch in Pisidia, they visited the local synagogue and invited Paul and Barnabas to speak a word of encouragement. What follows is a robust and model sermon that echoes much of what Peter preached in Acts 2. One of the reasons we have this sermon recorded, I think, is for us to see the continuity between Peter’s gospel preaching and Paul’s.
To make this large section of Scripture easier for us, I want to give you the outline of Paul’s sermon, and then we’ll focus on the verses that most support Paul’s point.
Paul’s primary point is that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah in fulfillment of the Scriptures, who, although he was rejected and crucified, has been raised from the dead. It is now through this man, this risen Lord Jesus, in whom forgiveness of sins can be found.
He first reminds those listening that God elected Israel to be his people and delivered them out of Egypt. He then makes mention of their forty years wandering in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. He reminds them of the time of the judges and of Samuel’s prophetic calling.
All of this is background for Paul’s mention of God’s rejection of Saul as King and the covenant God made with King David.
21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. (Ac 13:21–23)
Everything else Paul says in this sermon is rooted in this point: the plan of God through his people, Israel, is to provide a promised Savior, who is Jesus the Christ.
God provided John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord, but Israel still rejected Jesus. They rejected him to the point of putting him to death on a cross, but all of this was in fulfillment of the Scripture and God’s sovereign will.
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. 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. (Ac 13:27–29)
What Paul does next is theologically interpret the resurrection of Jesus by weaving together numerous Old Testament passages: Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 55:3, and Psalm 16:10.
All of this is to show that the death of Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s plan, and the resurrection of Jesus was in fulfillment of the Scripture.
30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written… (Ac 13:30–33)
Jesus is the begotten Son of the Father (Psalm 2:7) who receives all the blessings and promises of David as the resurrected king (Isaiah 55:3), becasue as the Holy One, Jesus could not remain in the grave (Psalm 16:10).
The climax of Paul’s sermon is his call to respond to this gospel message about God’s salvation through the crucified and risen Lord Jesus. Look at verse 38.
38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses (Ac 13:38–39)
Here is the call! All who believe in Jesus are forgiven of their sins and freed (justified) from everything which the law of Moses could not free us from. Through faith in Jesus, we are justified, declared right before God, which could never have been achieved by our own works of righteousness.
The invitation is then followed by a warning not to be like the scoffers in Habakuk’s day who would not believe the great work God would do in their midst.
This Christ-centered, biblically saturated preaching is the means through which God calls people to saving faith in Jesus Christ. One of the great assurances we can have in ministry is that the superior power of God works through the preaching of the Word.
When Paul speaks of the salvation of the church in Thessalonica, he describes it as a call through the gospel.
God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. (2 Th 2:13–15)
As Paul reflects on the gospel in Romans, he says it is the power of God for salvation.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Ro 1:16)
No doubt, this is why Paul was determined to only preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor. 2:2)
Beloved, as we gather on the Lord’s Day and regularly for ministry, let’s remember the superior power of God in the Word of God. It is the Word and the gospel revealed there that God uses to change dead hearts, sanctify the saints, and make us more like Jesus Christ.
This seems to be what has happened to some of those following Paul and Barnabas. That is why Paul can urge them to “continue in the grace of God.” (Acts 13:43)
Friends, let us use the means that God has promised his superior power. May we be a Bible-saturated, gospel-centered, Christ-exalting people who make disciples who come to love the glory of Jesus Christ as it radiates on every page of Holy Scripture.
In his final address to the Pastor’s College in London, Charles Haddon Spurgeon spoke of the Bible’s power and why sermons should be full of the Bible.
“Sermons should be full of Bible; sweetened, strengthened, sanctified with Bible essence. The kind of sermons that people need to hear are outgrowths of Scripture. If they do not love to hear them, there is all the more reason they should be preaced to them. The gospel has the singular faculty of creating a taste for itself. Bible hearers, when the hear indeed, come to be Bible lovers.”
God’s superior power is the church’s comforting assurance for its mission and ministry. That is evident in the empowering presence of the Spirit, as well as the power of God’s Word preached. We can now turn to our last encouragement, the providence of God in salvation.
Let’s look at the text beginning in verse 46.
III.) The providence of God in salvation (Acts 13:44-52)
46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
48 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 (Ac 13:44–48)
As Paul teaches the Word, he explains why the gospel was preached first in Jewish synagogues. Israel was meant to be a light for the nations. May rejected Jesus as the Christ, although some did not.
What I want to show you as we conclude is that God’s providential grace in salvation is a balm of comfort to anyone in ministry. Listen to verse 48, “and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48)
This is as clear a statement about God’s electing grace and predestination in salvation as you’ll find in the New Testament. Those who believed were those whom God had appointed to eternal life. Their faith was the evidence of their election.
Paul says something very similar about the church in Thessalonica.
4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. (1 Th 1:4–5)
Why am I saying that that is a balm and comfort for ministry? How is God’s superior power through providence over salvation an assurance for its mission and ministry?
It teaches us that salvation is from the Lord, that his people will be called through the gospel, that we are responsible only for sharing the gospel, not for saving people through it, and that God will protect forever those who are his.
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one. (Jn 10:25–30)
(Use John 10:25-30 to share the gospel clearly and call for a response to repent and believe)
Nathaniel R. Martin 