Many people want what they want, not necessarily what is good for them. They want the news that they want to hear. They want to eat what they like, not particularly what is good for them, which is why parents frequently have to urge their children to “eat their vegetables”. Once they become adults, many people only want to hear or do things that make them feel good about themselves, so they block out anything that they might disagree with or dislike, and they don’t want someone telling them otherwise. Unfortunately this often holds with things dealing with spiritual issues. Thankfully, though, there are some that won’t cater to that thinking, such as the Apostle Paul. In our Scripture for today we read of a sermon Paul gave, one that some might not have wanted to hear, but one that Paul knew they needed to hear.
As our Scripture opens, Paul and Barnabas are continuing on their missionary journey, and they have arrived in the city of Antioch of Pisidia, which is located in present day west-central Turkey. Paul had developed a pattern that he generally followed on his missionary journeys, and that was when he entered a city, he first searched out a local synagogue, if the city had one. If they did, he and his companions would attend the next Sabbath day services. Many synagogues had the custom of letting any guests speak and comment on a particular Scripture passage if they wished to. When given that opportunity, Paul immediately would speak up, selecting Scriptures that related to the Messiah, and he would proceed to speak on how Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled those prophecies, and how He is the Messiah, who died and rose again to bring salvation. Paul was given this opportunity in Antioch, and he definitely used it (vs. 15-16).
After giving a brief outline of the history of their people, Paul begins to speak about Jesus, and how the Pharisees and religious leaders, particularly in Jerusalem, condemned Him and had Him put to death, only for God to raise Him from the dead, where He was seen by many (vs. 26-31). Paul declared to this congregation in Antioch that Jesus is the promised Savior, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. He highlighted Jesus’ rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection, affirming that these events were foretold in Scripture.
Paul knew his Bible well, and was thus able to back up all of his statements about Jesus being the promised Messiah with Scripture. We read here quotes from Psalm 2:7 (vs. 33), and from Isaiah 55:3 (vs. 34), and also from Psalm 16:10 (vs. 35). Paul undoubtedly quoted from other Scriptures throughout this sermon that just aren’t recorded here. The apostle declared that it wasn’t David they were talking about in these Scriptures, as he died, was buried, and his body corrupted like everyone else’s. However, Jesus, being the divine Son of God, rose from the dead on the third day. Paul testified to them that the Law of Moses is unable to justify sinners, and that forgiveness of sins is only found in Jesus (vs. 38-39).
Similar messages preached in Judea by Peter and the other apostles brought anger and wrath from the Jewish religious leaders, and many of the believers there were being persecuted for their faith and preaching the message of Jesus. Furthermore, as we study the Book of Acts, it was recorded that these religious leaders sent their spies throughout the Mediterranean world to find by whom and where the Gospel of Jesus was being preached, and persecution followed. Fear of scorn, unpopularity, or persecution did not stop Paul and Barnabas, nor change their message.
Today, in some parts of the world, there is active persecution of Christians, and pastors or priests are severely attacked for preaching the Gospel. In other parts of the world, the opposition is much more subtle, with only verbal attacks, and decreased attendance at church for preaching a strong, Biblical message. When Paul came to Antioch, and entered the synagogue that Sabbath day, he did not look out at the congregation and wonder what the people would like to hear. He didn’t preach a “feel good” message, telling them how wonderful they are, and that they can accomplish anything they want if they only believe in themselves. He didn’t tell them that they didn’t need to worry, because everyone goes to heaven, that God would never send anyone to hell, or that it doesn’t matter what one believes, that every religious belief is valid, and that “all roads lead to heaven”. Nor did he preach some 1st century form of the “prosperity gospel”, that if they only give large sums of money to his ministry, God will hear and answer their prayers.
Paul did not preach what these folks wanted to hear. Instead, he preached what the congregation needed to hear. They needed to hear how Jesus saves us from our sins, how He died for us, rose again, and that if we place our faith and trust in Him, we will be saved. Far too many preachers prepare their messages, catering only to what they believe the congregation wants to hear, and not for what they need to hear. And too many people go out of their way to find a church where the message will specifically make them feel good about themselves. Neither Paul, Peter, or any of the other apostles made that mistake. They knew the message of Jesus and salvation through His Blood alone was not a popular one, but they never stopped preaching that.
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