The Antioch Address, Acts 13:13-31

 

What's the Gettysburg Address, and the Antioch Address have in common?

Well, for one, they were short. Both can be read in about five minutes.

President Lincoln only said about 272 words. The Apostle Paul said about the same, in the original text. However, in the NKJV, about 608; still easily read in about 5 minutes.

So then, why on earth do preachers talk so long? Good question, let's talk about that on another day.

For now, let's go back to around AD 48; about 15 years after Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. That's about 1,976 years ago, or, perhaps we should say, 98 score and 16 years ago.

Paul and Barnabas had just finished preaching from coast to coast across the island of Cyprus. Now, they launch out to sail from Paphos to Perga. That’s about 175 miles. Depending on the winds and weather, they were on the water for a full day, or even two.

¹³ Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. 

Notice, Paul is mentioned first. Up to this point he was mentioned last, but now and throughout the rest of the book of Acts, the last becomes first, and the spotlight will follow Paul.

Not because Paul was better, but because of God’s Divine design and calling, and wisdom.

If everything were penned, that Jesus did through the founding fathers of the Church, the whole world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

However, just because it's not recorded or written, doesn't mean God doesn't see it, or that it’s less important.

God sees, and hears, everything. Not just them, but you.

Someday, you might be surprised to find that He had a book written about all the times you talked about Him. Malachi 3:16, Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.

Jesus said, “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew. 12:37.

That’s awesome, or, awful, depending on the words of your mouth.

We’re not told why John returned to Jerusalem. We’ll see in a couple chapters that Paul’s not too happy about it. But don’t throw John under the bus, remember he’s also known as John Mark; the man the Lord chose to write, the Gospel of Mark.

¹⁴ But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.

After they hit shore, they headed another 100 miles inland to Antioch.

Chapter 13 starts and ends in two different Antiochs. One of Syria, the other of Pisidia.

Then, as was their custom they went to Church. They found a synagogue, went in and respectfully sat down.

 ¹⁵ 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.”

After a customary reading from the law and the prophets, they extended a customary courtesy to Paul and party and asked if they had anything to share.

¹⁶ Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: 

Can you see Paul politely nodding his head to his countrymen, those of Israel, gathered up front in the best seats in the house, arms folded, looking down their noses.

Then, imagine him lifting his eyes to those standing way in the back, pressing in as close as they dare, straining to see, and hear, those not of Israel, but those who believe in the God of Israel...  to those Paul looks in the eye and smiles.

Then, he begins his first recorded address:

¹⁷ 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. 

He starts with a HIStory of their nation.

How God knew them and grew them in the womb of bondage, and then, by His strong arm He brought them out of bondage, to liberty.

Like another address, 161 years ago, or should I say, eight score and one year ago; November 19, 1863, beside a Pennsylvania field called Gettysburg, a humble man spoke these words:

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...

Both men spoke of their founding fathers, both acknowledged God’s Providence in the foundation of their nation, delivering them to freedom, and that all are created equal.

¹⁸ Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. 

Speaking of their wandering in the wilderness with Moses.

¹⁹ And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

Recalling the conquest of the Promise Land with Joshua.

²⁰ “After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

Twelve judges in all: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson.

 ²¹ And afterward they asked for a king; so 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 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 My will.’ 

Paul didn’t sugar coat their HIStory, the freedom didn’t come easily or instantly or freely, it took years of battles and wars, without and within.

But all the while God’s hand was with them. Putting up with them, fighting for them, and providing to them, judges, prophets and kings.  

Remember that humble man beside that Gettysburg field? He didn’t sugar coat anything either. He too acknowledged wars without and within and said:

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war...

²³ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus— 

From David’s Seed, according to the promise, to Abraham, that all nations of the earth would be blessed.

After laying a Scripturally sound and historically accurate foundation, Paul reveals that the trajectory of their nation points straight to this Man called Jesus, that God raised up as Savior, Messiah and Lord.

²⁴ after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

Paul doesn’t stop with just people in the past, he fast forwards to a well-known, modern-day prophet, John the Baptist, who preached repentance, preparing the way of the Lord.

 ²⁵ 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 loose.’

There was a rule regarding protocol of rabbis. They were not to be so arrogant as to order a student, a disciple, to loosen their sandal. If they said, “Take off my shoes, rub my feet, wash my feet.” The student could respectfully decline.

John the Baptist humbly said he wasn’t even worthy to loosen the sandals of Jesus.

Jesus showed what humility really means and loosened the sandals of his disciples and washed their feet.

That humble man in Gettysburg, had something to say about that as well.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

We are responsible to respect and honor the Godly legacy of those who’ve gone before us and build upon that legacy for those who come after us.

²⁶ “Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. 

To you, Jew and gentile alike, to all created equal, in the image of the Almighty,  to you this salvation has been sent.

²⁷ For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.

They were so blinded by hate for one Man, that they couldn’t even see that they were fulfilling the very Scriptures they read, about how the Messiah would come and be killed.

 ²⁸ And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. 

Paul is calling out the sin of their rulers.

That’s the kind of talk that got John the Baptist beheaded, what got Stephen, stoned; and got the apostles thrown in prison.  

This is no longer easy to agree with Scripture and HIStory. This is modern day, current event, hard to believe, un-politically correct, stuff you’re not supposed to talk about.

The Church must be willing to speak the Truth, in Love, even when, especially when it’s hard.

So, do not listen to anyone who says Christians should shut up, sit down, be nice. That’s not Christianity that’s apathy, that’s being lukewarm, and that makes Jesus want to puke. Revelation 3:16; emeó: to vomit.

²⁹ Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

³⁰ But God raised Him from the dead.

I know it’s impossible.

This is not only politically incorrect, it’s unbelievable, it’s impossible, it’s exactly what God likes to do. The impossible. It’s His nature. It’s what God likes to talk about.

We should too. 

The hurricane is coming.

Let’s pray it fizzles.

No, it’s not going to fizzle. The meteorologists said so, and the weather man is always right.

I pray it fizzles.

They can see it. It’s huge. It’s already formed.

I’m still praying it fizzles.

The water temperatures are up. It’s coming. You’re nuts.

Maybe so. Doesn’t matter. I pray it fizzles.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t prepare. I’ll pray and preprayer. Walking in faith, not foolishness, or fear. Preparing, all while praying for it to fizzle, for no damage to person or property.

That’s our job.

Leave the results to God.

 ³¹ He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.

Now, God knows we’re slow of heart to believe, so He gave many infallible proofs of His resurrection, to many eyewitnesses, at different times and places and one time to 500 at the same time.

To this very day He still provides irrefutable proofs.

His Word that has survived the test of time, even though they’ve tried to burn it, ban it, wipe it off the face of the globe. It remains and will always remain. It holds more authenticated articles in antiquity than any other ancient writing.

He provided undeniable proof with every sunrise, every sunset, all of creation cries of a Creator. All the heavens, day after day, declare His glory, so all are without excuse. Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:19-20.

Then there’s the innumerable multitude of people whose lives have been forever changed. The inward knowing that nothing or no one could ever change, even upon threat of death.

Which is what happened over and over so often that the Greek word for witness, martus, is where we get our word, martyr.

Are you willing to be a witness for Christ? Even if it means, martyr?

 But God doesn’t want us to die for Him, He died for us.

He wants us to live for Him. He told us: I've come that you may have Life, and Life abundantly. John 10:10.

Oh, and our friend, standing beside that blood-soaked Gettysburg field had something to say about living:

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

President Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863

Let’s pray.

Oh Lord, our God, how great Thou art.

Thank You for giving us a HIStory to tell and a present to live.

Yet, here we stand before the bloody field of a great civil war.

The foundations of Your Church and America, have been laid in the blood of Your martyrs, with the Chief Cornerstone being Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

We ask that by Your strong hand You deliver US from bondage to freedom.

Lord, help us to dedicate our lives, with high resolve and devotion, to be Your witnesses, even if that means martyrdom.

The cause is just, to die, yet more, to live, to fight, fight, fight, for Your Truth to be known, so not one drop of Your blood, or that of Your saints, will have been shed in vain.

We commit this day to set our hand to the unfinished work, until we see You face to face and hear You say, “Well done.”

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.