Preaching the Word of God

Acts 13:38-43

I.                   Different reactions to the preaching of the Word of God

a.      Sergius Paulus desired to hear the preaching

                                                  i.      An intelligent man –prudent 13:7

                                                 ii.      An interested man –desired to hear

                                               iii.      An impressed man—astonished 13:12

                                              iv.      An incredulous man—had heard but nothing changed

b.      Bar-jesus or Elymas interfered with the preaching

                                                  i.      He not only refused to believe but did all he could to hinder others from hearing 13:8

                                                 ii.      He wanted to turn people away from the faith

c.      The Jews refused to believe

                                                  i.      They left the meeting without saying anything 13:42

                                                 ii.      They got jealous that so many were hearing and believing the preaching 13:45

                                               iii.      They began to contradict or argue and to blaspheme or make fun of

                                              iv.      According to Paul they judged themselves unworthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ 13:46

d.      The Gentiles had a sincere desire to hear and they believed

                                                  i.      They wanted to hear it again 13:42

                                                 ii.      Paul encouraged them to continue hearing the preaching 13:43

                                               iii.      They heard the Word and believed 13:48

II.                 What was the message and Paul and Barnabas were preaching 13:16

a.      They showed how that Jesus was the promised Messiah from the Old Testament 13:32

b.      They built their entire message not on logic but on the Word of God 13:17-26

c.      They preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus 13:28-30 BUT GOD

d.      They preached the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ 13:38

e.      They preached justification or that the wicked sinner could be made pure by believing in Jesus 13:39

f.       They preached that it was not the law or their good works but rather the grace of God through faith that saved 13:39

III.              What was the result of their preaching

a.      The religious crowd was angry and jealous 13:45

                                                  i.      They counted on their heritage to get them to God

                                                 ii.      They counted on their goodness and morality to get them to God

b.      Some heard, were glad, and believed 13:48

c.      Everyone began to hear the Word of God 13:49

d.      The religious crowd stirred up persecution and got them kicked out of their neighborhood 13:50

e.      God’s men were filled with joy, the Holy Spirit and continued on to the next town to preach the same truths 13:52

f.       They shook the dust off of their feet towards those that had refused to hear—a sort of curse that Jesus had given them 13:51

                                                  i.      It is a crisis decision when you hear the gospel – you must decide Luke 9:5

                                                 ii.      When they refused to hear it was their decision and God’s men moved on to those who would hear and believe