R.C. Sproul (0:00)

When Paul preaches the Gospel, he doesn't say, let me tell you how you can have a wonderful personal relationship with Jesus. The Gospel has to do with a proclamation of what happened really in history, in the person and work of Jesus.

Nathan W. Bingham (0:19)

The Gospel, we must get it right. We don't want to compromise. So when we read a sermon in the New Testament, we should pay attention. Welcome to the Sunday edition of Renewing youg Mind, where each week we feature the preaching ministry of RC Sproul, the founder of Ligonier Ministries. The apostle Paul wrote much of the New Testament, but in addition to writing letters, he preached. And today, from the Book of Acts, you'll hear his first recorded sermon. This series we're in right now is focusing on key moments in the ministry of Paul as they're found in Acts. But if you'd like to study all of Acts with RC Sproul as your guide, don't forget that you can request his commentary when you give a donation in support of renewing your mind@renewingyourmind.org before midnight tonight. So what did Paul preach? Here's Dr. Sproul.

R.C. Sproul (1:14)

Now. When Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga and Pamphylia, and John, parting from them, returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch and Pisidia and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. And then Paul stood up and motioning with his hand, said, men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people, Israel, chose our fathers and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt. And with an uplifted arm he brought them out of it. And now for a time of about 40 years, he put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he distributed their land to them by allotment. After that he gave them judges for about 450 years until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they asked for a king. So God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. And for 40 years. And when he had removed him, he raised up for them David, his king, to whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all of my will. And from this Man's seed, according to the promise God raised up for Israel, a savior, Jesus, after John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, who do you think I am? I am not he. But behold, there comes one after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to lose. Here in chapter 13, we have the first record anywhere in the New Testament of a sermon preached by the Apostle Paul. And before we look at the content of that sermon, we see a few words of transition from where we left off before in chapter 13, where Paul and Barnabas had had such a remarkable ministry on the island of Cyprus. And now Luke tells us in chapter 13 that when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. Now, these few words seem to be almost insignificant in just giving us a little bit of geography and itinerary to prepare us for the sermon. But I suggest to you that between the lines here, there's some very weighty things that are being reported to us that we need to notice before we look at that sermon. First, we are told that they set sail from the western boundary, the port of Paphos in Cyprus, which was a city known for its shrine to the pagan goddess Venus, celebrated through temple prostitution, and crossed the ocean then into Asia Minor to what is now Turkey, where they landed on the coast at Perga, which was another pagan center, where there was the devotion to the goddess Diana, not to the degree that was found in the great temple of Ephesus that we'll learn of later. But then from Perga they went inland to Pisidium Antioch. But in the meantime, we get this little footnote that when Paul and Barnabas began to set sail to Asia Minor, John Mark left and went back to Jerusalem. Now, Luke doesn't tell us why he left, but in the ancient world we are told that the inland route from Perga to Pisidium Antioch went between mountains and was notorious as a haven for highway bandits and robbers. And so it was exceedingly dangerous to make that journey overland through this place that was surrounded with the caravan robbers and so on. In fact, some have speculated that when Paul gives his biographical teaching in chapter 11 of 2 Corinthians, remember when he defends his honor against the charges of his opponents who are carping against his ministry. And Paul says, wait a minute. If you wanna talk like a fool, I'll speak like a fool. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they followers of so and so? So am I. And then he goes on and tells them, I've been endangered daily in my ministry. I've been in peril in the city, peril on the highway. I've been in peril in the water. And he goes and he elaborates on all of these places where his ministry was taking place, in perilous territories and situations. And some even suggest this was one of them that he had in mind. So maybe that's why John Mark went, but we don't know. But in any case, Paul and Barnabas arrive in Antioch, and they go to the synagogue as the custom, on the Sabbath day. And they sat down, and after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogues sent to them, saying, men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say so. Evidently, Paul's renown as a rabbinic scholar had already gone before him to these Jewish outposts in Asia Minor, so that he was probably not unknown by name when he shows up on the Sabbath day as a guest in the synagogue. Hey, this is Saul of Tarsus. This is the main student of Gamaliel. A rabbi with those credentials is automatically given an invitation to address the congregation, just as Jesus had been given when, when he came back to Capernaum to speak in the synagogue. And so Saul takes advantage of this invitation. And we read that he stood up and he motioned with his hand and he said, men of Israel and you who fear God. Because the group contained not only the pure Jews, but also the God fearers from the Gentile community who were there. And he raises his hand and he says to them, listen. And I say that to you. Now listen to what the apostle says. He gives a capsule summation of the history of redemption, beginning with the patriarchs. Men of Israel, you who fear God. Listen. The God of this people, Israel, chose our fathers. He starts with the doctrine that every other minister flees from the doctrine of election. The God of this people chose our fathers and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt. That's a euphemism, they dwelt in Egypt as slaves. Then he goes on and he says, and with a high arm or an uplifted arm, God exalted this people. He now calls attention to the liberation of those slaves through the Exodus. And then he goes on to say, and for a time of about 40 years, he put up with their ways in the wilderness. That's a one sentence summary of the Wilderness wanderings in which these liberated people dispute, did nothing but murmur and complain and wish that they could go back to Egypt, back to the leeks and the garlics and the onions where they had it so good. And Paul uses the language from medicine. Here he talks about God being a nurse who has to help a child who is incapable of taking care of itself. And so now God has to nurse these people through 40 years in their wilderness. And then he gives to them, as he says, the seven nations in the lands of Canaan, distributed their land to them by allotment. Here we have the whole book of Joshua and Numbers in one sentence. And after that he gave them judges for about 450 years until Samuel. So let's recapitulate. We start with the patriarch, the promise to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, then out to Joseph. And then they're sent down into Egypt. And when they're in Egypt, they become enslaved. They cry out, and God hears the groans of his people and sends Moses down there to lead them in the Exodus. And then as he tenderly cares for them through the wilderness journey, he then prepares them for the conquest of Canaan through Joshua, and then the distribution of the land through the Book of Numbers to the tribes. And then we're told for about 450 years, the Jewish people are ruled by charismatic leaders who are not elected, they're not reigning by royal dynasty. But God raises up these individuals, anoints them with his holy spirit to rescue God's people in times of trouble. Like Gideon, like Samson, like Deborah. These are the judges who ruled over Israel. And at this time, he Israel was a loosely federated group of individual tribes. But they're not satisfied. The God delivers them time after time after time. They want to be like everybody else. They want to be like the other nations of the world. They want to have a king. And so they clamor for a king during the ministry of Samuel. And you know what happens? God says to them, you want a king? Are you sure? You know what the king's going to do? He's going to put a tax on your property, a tax on your income, a tax on your horses, a tax on everything else he can find, a tax. Then he's going to take your sons and put them in his army and deploy them all over the place. Then he's going to confiscate your property for the general coffers. So that's what kings do. Is that what you want? But you know, God is the kind of God who hears and answers prayers. You got to Be careful what you ask for. You might get it. And this case said, okay, the people have rejected me as their king, and they want a king like the nations. So Samuel gets you up, find him a king, and he directs them to Saul. And here the text says that Saul the Benjaminite, becomes king for 40 years. 40 years of madness at the beginning of the monarchy. Now, nowhere in the Old Testament do we hear how long Saul reigned in Israel. Here in the New Testament, we were told it's 40 years. And that's the exact number that's given to us by Josephus in his Jewish history. But in any case, everything in this sermon that begins with the promise to Abraham and the Fathers and now comes down to Saul is pointing to one significant thing, and this is what we need to understand. What Paul is doing in this sermon is bringing his readers up to, to date with respect to David. Listen to what he says about David. God gave them Saul, and when he had removed him, he raised up for them David as king, to whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all of my will. One of the things I love about the Scriptures is that the heroes and heroines of the Bible are profiled for us, warts and all. We know that before David ascended to the throne, he was ruthless and brutal in the wilderness, leading his troops in raids against the Philistines and others, and against Saul's troops. And we know that after he became king, as brilliant as he was, as talented as he was, he was the shepherd king, he was the poet king, and so on, nevertheless, he became the chief of sinners with a scandalous episode with Bathsheba. But in spite of his sin, in spite of his shortcomings, God saw something in David that nobody else could see. He could see beneath his armor, into his heart. And he said of David, I will give them a king who is a man after my own heart. I'm not just going to give them a king who's big in stature and handsome and qualified as a warrior. I'm not just going to choose somebody who's a great administrator. I'm not choosing David because of his talent. I'm choosing him because he's a man after my own heart. Christian. What God loves are believers who don't just give a casual interest in the things of God, who don't just show up on church once a month, twice a month, for public worship. But then the rest of the time, they spin their wheels. They're not really body and soul throwing themselves into the things of God. David would not be satisfied with anything less than the heart of God, not just his word, not just his house. I want to know the heart of God. That should be what inflames our own souls. This is what Jesus has in mind in the Beatitudes when he says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Those are the people who are people after God's own heart. Do you want his heart? And that's what made David stand out from all the rest, so that God could speak of him as the apple of his eye. And then comes this portion of the text from this man's seed, according to the promise God raised up for Israel, a savior, Jesus. After John had first preached before his coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And John was finishing his course, he said, who do you think I am? I'm not he. But behold, there comes one after me, the sandals whose feet I'm not worthy to loose. This is how Paul preached the gospel. And Paul drives his words. He drives his message. First of all, the first major point is David and reminds the Jewish people, when they're looking back at the golden age of Israel, that God had made a covenant with with David, that God had promised him a kingdom that would last forever through David's greater son, who would also be David's Lord. I remember many years ago, 35 years ago, I taught a course on Romans back in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hour and 45 minutes every Sunday night. And we went for over a year. And we went verse by verse, word for word, line upon line, precept upon precept. And I labored with our people in the church over Paul's teaching to the Romans on the gospel of justification by faith alone. And after I was about past chapter six, the session asked me to come down to Fort Lauderdale and visit the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which at that time was involved in explosive growth because of this new program called Evangelism Explosion, where the laity was mobilized to go out and give the gospel to people in the neighborhood. And clergy came to these conferences. And I went as a student, and I went and I listened to this canned presentation of the gospel. And I said, now this is hokey. It's too simple. They would go out and they'd talk to lay people and they'd give them this outline of the gospel. And I was seeing people get converted all over the place. They had asked people certain questions. You know, if you come to the place and you're thinking where you know for sure that when you die you're going to go to heaven, what would you say if somebody said that to you? And I knew that if I said that to somebody and they said to me, well, I don't believe there is a heaven. I say, well, let me give you 35 arguments for the existence of heaven. Instead these laymen would say, well, suppose there is one. Do you think you'd go there? And that was the end of the discussion. Because all they wanted to find out from that question is where those people were in their thinking. And then came the big so called diagnostic question. If you were to die tonight and stood before God and God said to you, why should I let you into my heaven? What would you say? I asked my son when he was 5 or 6 years old that question. I said, son, if you were to die tonight and you saw God and God said, why should I let you into my heaven, what would you say? And he looked at me like that was the stupidest question he ever heard. He said, because I'm dead. And there I realized that he was getting his theology not from his father, but from the neighborhood and from the newspaper. Because in our culture the belief is justification by death alone. All you have to do to go to heaven is to die. I watched this and I came back to Cincinnati. And the next Sunday night we had our class and I decided to ask everybody in that class those two questions. So I went around the room and asked everyone, 150 people, if they stood before God, what would they say? And 80% of them gave a works righteousness answer. 80% of them said something like this, well, God, I tried to live a good life, or I went to church, or I went to Sunday school, or I gave my goods to the church. Everything except putting their trust in Christ and in Christ alone. I was almost in despair. I've just spent almost a year explaining the gospel to these people and they didn't get it because I was under the impression that all we had to do was educate people into the kingdom. Doesn't work like that. See, what had happened is that I was going through all these details along the way. I never stopped and gave him the big picture, the big question, and bring them face to face with the essence of the gospel itself. And that's what Paul does. He spends just a few minutes going all over the Old Testament thing, but then he drives the point to Christ. And if I would say to you, what is Paul's version of the gospel? Let me tell you, when Paul preaches the Gospel. He doesn't say, let me tell you who changed my life. Let me tell you how you can have a wonderful personal relationship with Jesus. Here's where he starts every time he preaches the gospel that Christ was born according to the Scripture and being the seed of David. The Gospel has to do with a proclamation of what happened really in history, in the person and work of Jesus. And he takes them from David fast forwards to John the Baptist, who in the early church was more famous then Jesus because he renewed the whole office of prophecy and he reminds them of the testimony of John. He said, don't get confused. God promised the Messiah through the seed of Jesus and it wasn't John the Baptist. By John's own testimony, he said, why are you asking me who I am? I'm not He. The one who comes after me is before me. He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. In antiquity, the lowest task of a menial slave was to untie and loosen the sandals of the noble and of the gentry. What a humiliating task. John said, I'm not even worthy to help Jesus with his sandals because the Gospel is Jesus.