Acts 13 – Jesus Always Was

Today we are going to go through some pretty big concepts, it’s going to be a heavy and long session so I hope your ready. Today we are going to talk about who Jesus is, what it means to preach the gospel and what it means to be saved. So buckle up and let’s get started.

Acts 13 starts with our Paul coming back from Jerusalem and they were called prophets and teachers. They were commissioned by the Holy Spirit to go out and preach the gospel. The church supported this by laying hands on them and praying for them.

The first challenge is a witness encounter with a false prophet. A man named Segius Paulus who was a proconsul (Similar to today, a premier of a province) who wanted to hear what Paul and Barnabus had to say. However there was a problem, there was a man in their way who was a sorcerer, they refer to him as Bar-Jesus and as Elymas and he stands in their way. Paul “looked intently at him” (V9) and said some very politically incorrect thing to him:

- Full of all deceit and fraud
- Son of the devil
- Enemy of righteousness
- Cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord

Elymas was then blinded and the proconsul believed.

This type of thing is contrary to the current teaching of universal acceptance and relativism.

Paul and Barnabus then enter the synagogue at Antoich and there they begin the greatest missions trip in history. The timing here was about 46 AD and this missions trip continued for 22 years until Paul’s execution in 68 AD. During this time Paul really was living his best life now, the blessings of the Lord were pouring out all over him. In his owns words he wrote in about 56 AD after ten years of mission works for Christ this is what he wrote:

2 Corinthians 11:25-27

25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness

So what sort of gospel message did Paul teach? Here he was going to enter into a Jewish synagogue and tell people about Jesus. Was he going to tell them that Jesus would solve all their problems, make their life better, get them that new camel they have always wanted?

Paul starts of speaking to them about their own history, with a 5 minute old testament overview from Moses right through to their current day, showing them that Jesus was the messiah they had been waiting for.

This is a message specifically to the Jews. The Jews had been waiting thousands of years for the messiah and many were apprehensive about Jesus being the messiah. This was also over a decade since Jesus had left and as a result it meant that this was likely new information to many present.

Look what is missing from his preaching, something that today many people insert. This is the joy, peace, and happiness that Christ is supposed to bring. Isn’t that why you should come to Jesus?

To answer that let’s look at how Jesus Himself preached:

Luke 18:18-27

18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
Again what’s missing? The most important element…the good news, Jesus doesn’t even give it to the rich young ruler. He doesn’t even tell him that he the way the truth and the life. Why?

What was the promise of Jesus, what did he tell us about what we could expect from following Him?

Matthew 5:3-5,10-12
3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth… 10 …Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus never spoke of happiness the way it is often presented. Here are some current excerpts from some of the most current presentations of this teaching. This is one example from Lifeway Church in Houston, Texas and Joel Osteen, writer of the book, Living your Best Life Now:

“There are so many people who don’t expect anything good in life. They don’t expect to get breaks, they don’t expect to get promoted, they don’t expect anything positive. So I just try to get people to say, I believe if we expect God’s favor, if we declare it, if we thank him when we do see good things happening, then we’re going to see more of that.

A lot of psychological principles and even medical principles, you see them coming around to what the Bible said hundreds of years ago: a merry heart is good like a medicine. I’ve read many articles on how a positive attitude, laughing every day and being happy, does help people to recover and live longer.

The main reason I decided to write it was to help people enjoy their life and to realize God has a good plan. I wanted people to see that you can be happy today --- that you can bloom where you're planted and enjoy your life right now.”

As with any heresy there is an element of truth to it, God does want your happiness, He will make things right in the world again until then we live in a fallen broken world full of sin and hatred. Jesus knew what we would face and wanted to prepare us for this by telling of the persecution to come. There is only one way to find lasting happiness, this is by repent of your sin and putting your faith in Jesus Christ, this faith will be the source of your happiness. This happiness will not come from the carnal knowledge.

This sort of thinking came from the Campus Crusade for Christ, the leader Bill Bright invented the 4 spiritual laws that started with God has a wonderful plan for your life. (Quote from book)

This sort of thinking is rooted in what can God do for me? This is a man centered response, rather than a God centered response. Rather when a sinner has full knowledge that he has sinned against God, he will drop to his knees in repentance and come to the cross humble and broken. Then the sinner is in a position to receive the gift of grace from the cross. If you come to the cross with the attitude of giving Jesus a try to see if it will fix you marriage, finances, job or relationships this is demanding of God and putting yourself and your needs above God’s position.

The biggest proof for this not being a reasonable gospel message can be found in the current situations all around the world. Many people are living in poverty and deal with daily persecution even martyrdom. Are they living their best lives now? You judge for yourself:

Iran
Assyrian Christian Boy Beheaded – Assyrian International News Agency (AINA)
The AINA has reported that a 14-year-old Assyrian boy, Ayad Tariq, was beheaded by Muslim militants in Baqouba, Iraq, on October 21. Ayad was beginning his shift of maintaining an electrical generator when a group of disguised Muslim militants approached him and asked to see his identification. When the Muslims saw his identification and noted he was a "Christian," they (called him) a "dirty Christian sinner!" They then threw him to the ground, held down his arms and legs, shouting "Allah Akbar!" (God is great), and beheaded him. Pray God will comfort Ayad's family and friends, giving them the supernatural gift of peace that comes from forgiving our enemies.

Eritrea
Two Christians Tortured to Death - Compass Direct
On October 17, security police tortured two Christians to death, two days after arresting them for holding a religious service in a private home south of Asmara. The deaths came after officials detained a U.S. citizen and re-imprisoned a popular Christian singer who was hospitalized as a result of spending 29 months in a metal shipping container. Immanuel Andegergesh, 23, and Kibrom Firemichel, 30, died from torture wounds and severe dehydration in a military camp outside the town of Adi-Quala, eyewitnesses told Compass. Earlier this month, Eritrean authorities returned popular Christian singer Helen Berhane to military detention after she spent three days in Asmara’s Halibet Hospital for medical treatment. Berhane’s leg had been seriously damaged as a result of beatings she received while imprisoned in a metal shipping container since her arrest in May 2004. Pray the Holy Spirit will move in power to overcome the vicious and senseless attacks against Christians in Eritrea.

On October 16, 2006, Pastor Irianto Kongkoli was shot and killed by two masked gunmen. He was 42 years old.
The attack happened at 8:15 a.m. local time. That morning, Pastor Kongkoli was shopping for tile with his wife, Mrs. Rita Arianti Kopa, and five-year-old daughter, Galatea. The trio took the family van to a local hardware shop. Pastor Kongkoli was browsing the store’s yard when two masked men shot him in the head at a range of two meters. According to witnesses, one of the men was on a motorbike.
Following the attack, the masked men fled. Pastor Kongkoli’s wife heard the shots from inside the van and rushed to help her husband. Rita, who is a member of the East Palu police force, immediately took her husband to a hospital for aid. He died that same day.
Local police are following a lead on the two men suspected in Pastor Kongkoli’s murder
Pastor Kongkoli is survived by his wife, Rita, and three children. Rita is not seeking retaliation against her husband’s murders, but plans to let local authorities handle the case.
“It is God’s will,” she said. “He gives life and then He also takes life.”

So why would modern churches change the message? It all starts with marketing, in business we never let the engineers talk to customers; this is why we invented sales and marketing groups. They will outline the features and benefits of a particular product or service and hope to obtain you as a customer. The hope is that once you are in as a customer that you stay as a customer due to your company not sucking as bad as other companies. In business what is needed is a balanced or realistic view. One that tells people what to expect, that this will not solve all their problems, but will address many issues they face. The church today has done the sales and marketing pitch. They have taken the fruits of salvation, fruits that are real and used these as draw cards to build churches. Joy, peace, and happiness are real when a person is saved, your outlook on life will change. However the first step is the most important. Your life itself will likely change, you be met with persecution and difficulties. Just ask those people from the previous stories; their life will certainly did not change for the better. The simple act we take for granted of open worship of Christ will mean death for them and their family. Where is their promise of happiness? Does God not care about them? Of course he does. The sales pitch is a balanced view of the gospel, in this case leading with the fact that a person is a sinner.

Why did Jesus not give the gospel to the righteous young ruler? Because he would have come for the wrong reasons. He was looking for continued life enhancement, his life was already pretty easy and he thought he was a good person. Notice that Jesus doesn’t run after him, doesn’t offer up options, and doesn’t invite him to become a disciple so he could learn more, he lets him leave. This man was not ready for the gospel. Jesus likely could have said to him “All you have to do is let me into your heart and I will fix everything wrong in your life”. Instead he just let him leave because he wasn’t willing to take the first and most important step, the one that we so often miss when bringing the gospel to people. You must admit that you are a sinner and come to Christ with humble of spirit, asking for nothing other than His forgiveness. If you come asking, or worse demanding something, you have no humility and Christ will turn away from you.
Hear what Jesus had to say:

Matthew 9:13
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Many like to quote the first part, I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. However they don’t complete the verse.

Luke 13:2-5
1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”


Acts 3:18-20
18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before

Acts 17:29-31
29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Part of the problem is the current view of Jesus, the world view Him as a humble Galilean peasant, who looked like he should be at Woodstock and be driving a “73 Volkswagon Van with peace and flowers all over it. We have pictures of Jesus that have been produced showing him as a good looking European man with flowing hair, blue eyes and soft skin. More or less you get a picture in your head of someone who you could beat up, this is not someone who is worthy of worship, maybe a guy who you can share your feelings with, but worship a big wus?

This distorts and hides the true face of Jesus from us, yes He is that person. He preached peace, love and compassion. However a careful read of the gospels demonstrates that Jesus preached repentance, righteousness, and holiness. So what did Jesus look like? His earthly appearance from 30-33 AD is irrelevant, the only clues we have is from

Isaiah 53:2
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

So there was nothing special about His appearance when he was here with us, but what about when He comes again as promised?

Looking to Revelations 19:11-16 we see the following description:

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Now this is someone worthy of worship, a robe dipped in blood, I would presume not his own. He judges and makes war? Rule with an iron rod? What a contracting picture of Christ. What changed? How come Jesus is so much different here?

They add little bit to the gospel thinking that it will win souls to Christ; they have not faith in the gospel.

Was Jesus around from the beginning of time? What are the more common views of this?

Jehovah’s witnesses – Jesus is actually a created being, he was Michael the Archangel
Mormon’s – Jesus became the Son of God and became a God himself as a result of what he did on Earth.

What does the bible have to say? The first big thing is that it says that no one can see the face of God and live:

Exodus 33:20

20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”

How can this be when we look back and look in Genesis and Jacob clearly wrestled with God, not a in a spiritual way, but physically wrestled with him.

Genesis 32:24, 28-30

24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day… 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

OK, so you could argue, as some have the God changes, that he is progressively revealing Himself to us. This would mean that it was OK for Jacob to see God, but not OK for Moses. However this argument falls apart when we look at:

Daniel 3:23-25

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

This has been translated several different ways in various Bibles. In the NIV, NASB it will says like a son of the gods, the CEV says like a god. Either way the same applies, one looks at it from the perspective of the king stating this and since he was a Pagen it would be his inclination to refer to Him as a god (little g) and the KJV and others look at it from the logical who He would be. Both support the case the God remained the same.

Of course the best scriptural support for this lies in

Hebrews 13:8
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

So Jesus was around forever, he was there at the beginning in Genesis.

Why this is important is to establish that Jesus didn’t “change” anything when He came to Earth. He fulfilled the promise and confirmed God’s covenant as prophesied. God didn’t suddenly become “nice” where He was “mean” before. He always was and the character of God is the Character of Jesus, they are the same. So the wrath, punishment, and judgment of the Old Testament is also in the New. The reason we don’t see as much written is really a simple matter of time. The Old Testament spans thousands of years while the new, excluding Revelations, spans only about 30.

The reason it is important to establish that Jesus has been around since the beginning is to understand that God didn’t suddenly change all the rules when Jesus was made flesh on the earth. This was the fulfillment of prophesy and was always the plan, right from the beginning. The Old Testament points to the saviour to come, the New to the saviour who came. Jesus didn’t change the rules, take away the ten commandments or provide us with a “new” way of doing things, he fulfilled the plan.

Why is this so important to establish? Why does it matter? If people come to the cross with distorted views of the truth they will not have the correct gospel and will not find the salvation they desire, they will instead find themselves outside the kingdom of heaven. Rather than worshiping the God of the Bible, they will be worshiping a God they have created, one that they feel more comfortable with, one that fits their lifestyle better. This is a false god and worshiping such a god is worthless and will result in a path to Hell. Strong words, but they come right from Jesus:
Matthew 7:15-16

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits…

Just so there is no confusion, because many who preach the prosperity gospel will actually use this as weapons in support of their argument. Fruits are not material possessions, they are not good relationships or significant influence. Fruits of the spirit, something our children learned about this summer are found in Pauls letter to the Galatians:

Galatians 5:22-26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Speaking from my heart I can tell you that I do not want to be the one that is going to teach someone incorrectly, this is very serious because I will be called to give an account of all my teaching.

Now we can return to our book of Acts and pick up with Paul in the Synogogue. He finds that there is some major opposition to what he is presenting. The question is why? Shouldn’t he have been a little softer with his presentation? He seems as though he is rather harsh, look at what he does. They shake the dust from their sandals and move onto the gentiles, they accepted the message.

So what should we do in preaching the gospel to the lost. First don’t “sell” the gospel, God doesn’t need any help in changing the message to make it more palatable. Attempting to change it runs the risk of preaching a false gospel that will not lead to salvation but damnation. You must also have faith that the Holy Spirit can work in people the way it has been outlined in the Bible, not by softly treading and telling people what you think they want to hear but rather telling people the truth and bringing them humbly to the cross.

Perhaps at this point you’re questioning your own motivations for coming to Christ or haven’t made a decision yet. This may be the first time your hearing this type of message. Don’t put yourself at the center of the gospel rather God’s glory needs to be the center. Good news, it’s not to late if you are hearing this right now. There is still time, but you could die soon and you want to be sure that your going to heaven. The steps are repentance and faith, repentance of your sins, this means turning away from them. Put your trust in Jesus as saviour and Lord, Lord as the righteous judge of the Earth coming again, not as a humble peasant. Do this now, don’t wait. Read your Bible everyday, yes everyday and you can be happy and content in the fact that Jesus has you in his hand and will bring you one day into His kingdom. There is no magic prayer, this is a connection between you and God, do it today, don’t wait.