“The First Missionary Journey: Plans, Problems, Perseverance, and Prospering (Acts 13:4-52)” | 5/29/22
Acts 13:4-52 | 5/29/22 | Will DuVal
A young boy was playing in the woods when he stumbled upon a little cocoon on a twig, so he took it home to watch the chrysalis’ transformation. Soon, a tiny opening began to form, but a few days later, the butterfly still hadn’t emerged. Two whole WEEKS went by and the boy was getting worried; according to Google, most butterflies hatch within 10-14 days. So he decided to help the struggling butterfly, and cut the cocoon open himself. But just as he pulled out his pocket knife, his father walked in the room and stopped him. He said, “If you do nothing, you’re right; it is possible that the butterfly is too weak to break free, and it may die. But if you CUT him free, you ensure his death. You see, the process of emancipating itself from the cocoon is a vital part of the butterfly’s development, to strengthen the muscles in its wings, in preparation for flight. If it’s not yet strong enough to break free, then it’s not yet strong enough to fly, and it will soon die anyway.”
God’s DESIGN of a butterfly’s growth necessarily entails DIFFICULTY. And only by DIGGING DEEP to overcome that obstacle is the butterfly able to successfully DEVELOP.
And the lesson of the butterfly IS the lesson of Acts ch13 for us this morning as well: When we follow God’s PLAN we will encounter PROBLEMS, but if we PERSEVERE we will PROSPER. [Repeat…Main Idea…]
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And we will see that pattern, that 4-fold progression unfold in 4 different SCENES in our Scripture text for this morning, from which we will extrapolate 4 different APPLICATIONS for our own lives today.
4 movements - plan, problem, perseverance, prospering - that cycle occurs 4 times - in Paphos, in Perga, in Pisidian Antioch, and in the “whole region” - from which we’re gonna glean 4 lessons.
Context: Last week, ch13 opened in vv1-3 with the leaders of the church in Syrian Antioch praying and receiving word from the Holy Spirit to “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So the church prayed over them and sent them out, on the first EVER missionary journey. And we pick the story up in ch13, v4:
Would you stand with me, as you’re able… Acts ch13, v4
“So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:
“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and 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 David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,
“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
This is the word of the Lord… Let’s pray…
#1 - Paul and Barnabas set sail from Seleucia for the island of CYPRUS. And they arrive in the town of SALAMIS, on the east coast, but you can scratch that out in your bulletins and write in “PAPHOS” instead, because that’s where the real ACTION happens, in vv4-12. In PAPHOS, on the west coast, after they’ve “traveled through the whole island… proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.”
But when they come to PAPHOS, we read “they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.”
And that description really tells us everything we need to know about him. He’s already got 3 strikes against him: He’s a MAGICIAN; a sorcerer, strictly prohibited by Scripture - Dt. 18:10 in the OT; Gal 5:20 in the NT.
And yet he should’ve KNOWN better, because he’s JEWISH, at least culturally, if not religiously. Because Luke tells us he’s a FALSE prophet; strike #2 - ALSO condemned - Dt. 18:20 in the OT; Matt 7:15 in the New.
And thirdly, his name is “Bar-Jesus”; “son of Jesus”. Now, you may recall that back in Acts 11:19, persecution scattered the Christians in Jerusalem as far as Cyprus, so perhaps this guy has heard the RUMORS about this Jesus, in whose name powerful miracles were being performed, and he figured calling himself “son of Jesus” was good for business. But of course Jesus HAD no children, sorry Dan Brown; so this is BLASPHEMY. He’s a blasphemous, phony OCCULTIST.
But he was WITH, v7, “the proconsul, [the Roman governor of the province] Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.”
But v8: “Elymas [notice: Luke won’t even REPEAT the ridiculous assertion that he’s the “son of Jesus”; he just calls him “magician” instead] Elymas opposed them.”
So now God’s PLAN is beginning to take shape, as is the PROBLEM standing in the way; God’s PLAN is the gospel conversion of this proconsul - remember, God had PROMISED Saul back in Acts 9, at Saul’s OWN conversion, that he would be God’s “chosen instrument… to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings…”, RULERS, people in high places, with influence. And this is Saul’s first chance.
But unfortunately, as “intelligent” as Sergius Paulus was, in his desperate search for the truth, he’s begun to be swayed by this false prophet, Elymas. Whose dabbling in the occult had perhaps actually afforded him some real power - dark, demonic power - but power nonetheless. So he’s managed to win the ear of the proconsul, who he is “seeking to turn… away from the faith”; Elymas knows that would completely destroy his business, if the governor came to real faith in the REAL Jesus.
So what does Saul do? V9: “filled with the Holy Spirit, Saul looked intently at him and said…” ...Elymas, God loves you. Is that what he says? “Jesus LOVES you.” That may be how you’d EXPECT someone “filled with the Holy Spirit” to respond to opposition, but it’s NOT. Not when that opposition is standing between the GOSPEL and someone who desperately needs to HEAR and RECEIVE the gospel!
If someone’s suffering from a life-threatening illness, and you’ve got the only cure, but as you’re going to administer it TO them, someone ELSE tries to PREVENT you from helping and saving that person’s life, that is NO time to be polite!
Paul says, ““You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy…”
Interestingly, this is the very first time he’s ever called PAUL. Before he was Saul; named after Israel’s first king, who was the biggest, strongest guy in town; the kind of king the Israelites wanted, like all the other nations - a TOUGH guy. But you know what PAUL means? It means “small”, “humble”. God’s saying - “Saul: it’s not gonna be YOUR size or stature, YOUR wisdom and wit; your rhetoric or religious pedigree that will make you the most important missionary of all time; it’s gonna be your SMALL-ness. Your humble RELIANCE on ME, and MY strength, MY power flowing through you.”
And being filled with THAT power - the Spirit’s power - here, in the face of gospel opposition, means CONTENDING for the gospel. “Struggling in opposition”. There’s a time and season for everything: a time for peace, and a time for WAR (Ecc 3:8). And when demonic forces are at work - this guy’s into dark magic; he’s a “son of the devil”, who is trying to stop at ALL costs this influential ruler from hearing the good news about Jesus - that’s a time for WAR!
And yet, ironically and redemptively, in a way only God can, the Lord USES Elymas’ opposition not only to punish him - “immediately” he’s struck BLIND in v11 - but his chastisement then becomes the very thing that prompts the proconsul to BELIEVE in the power of the gospel.
So what’s the practical application, the takeaway for you and me?
When the gospel is opposed, we are called to oppose right BACK. Counter-opposition.
Now, notice I didn’t say “When YOU’RE opposed.” I’ve got a neighbor who doesn’t like me. Not sure why. I’ve tried to talk to him; seems to just make it WORSE. And it takes everything IN me not to go up to him and tell him off. But Jesus said, “Love your enemies.”
But then we’ve got another neighbor, two houses the OTHER direction. And she fancies herself a loving, tolerant person; they’ve got the Secular Creed sign, proudly planted in the front yard: “In this house we believe… Black Lives Matter. Women’s rights are human rights. Science is real. Love is love.” In other words, “we believe in CRT, abortion, evolution, and the LGBTQ agenda”. Which is fine; she’s lost; we pray for her.
The problem is, her 20 year old daughter who still lives at home knocked on our door a while back and asked if she could attend CHURCH with us, because she desperately wants SOMETHING to believe in. So we started giving her rides, answering her questions, sharing the gospel with her. And a few weeks later, we got a call from mom that “Gabi will no longer be attending church with you.” Because of course “tolerance” has its limits - this woman is IN-tolerant of the gospel. “Gabi keeps asking me, “What if it’s TRUE, Mom, and we’re SINNERS, and we need Jesus or we could go to HELL?!” - please stop filling my daughter’s head with such ideas.
Friends - in THAT kind of a situation, when someone is directly opposing gospel ministry, as believers, we must stand firm and stand UP, and contend for the faith. That doesn’t necessarily mean calling mom a “daughter of the devil”, but we did tell her that if Gabi has real questions, we’re not gonna stop her from asking us and we’re not gonna shy away from telling her the TRUTH, GOD’S truth.
So when the gospel is opposed, we need to oppose that opposition.
#2 - In Perga: (vv13-14)
V13: “Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia”. This is the shortest of the four sections, just a verse and a half. But we get all 4 movements in the redemptive progression once again: plan, problem, perseverance and prospering.
God’s Plan is for gospel alliance between the apostles. Missions is never EASY, but it is exponentially EASI-ER in the context of community. It’s a lot harder to stand for Christ when you’re standing alone. We need the encouragement that comes from fellowship with other believers.
But the PROBLEM here is one of gospel abandonment, in v13, specifically, by John Mark. v5 informed us that John Mark had accompanied Paul and Barnabas on the journey “to assist them”. But now, he DESERTS them.
Now, I should clarify that Mark did NOT abandon the GOSPEL itself, and become a heretic; rather, he abandoned the MINISTRY of the gospel, the WORK of missions to which he’d been called and sent by the Holy Spirit.
And while we don’t know much about the circumstances of Mark’s departure, we DO know that later in ch15, Paul will DISTRUST Mark because of it. So clearly Mark didn’t leave on good terms. We ALSO know that Mark was cousins with Barnabas who was FROM Cyprus, so it’s possible that Mark had family connections on the island that made traveling there appealing to him, but continuing on FROM there to Asia Minor LESS appealing. Because keep in mind, here is a PICTURE of modern-day Cyprus… looks like a pretty sweet spot to serve as a missionary to ME!... now compare that to pictures of modern-day PERGA… And you begin to see why Mark was getting homesick in Perga? Mark came from a privileged upbringing; perhaps he just wasn’t cut out for ROUGHING it through the mountains of Pisidia. Add to that the fact that many scholars think Paul contracted malaria while he was here in Perga (see Gal 4:13). So between leaving family, leaving paradise, treacherous mountains, terrible malaria - it was all too much for Mark, and he tapped out.
But what did Paul and Barnabas do? They abided, persevered, pressed on.
And flipping AHEAD to ch15, we’re gonna see how God will redemptively use even Mark’s abandonment to actually ADVANCE the spread of the gospel. Paul and Barnabas are gonna disagree over who to bring with them on their SECOND missionary journey - Barnabas is ready to forgive his cousin Mark and give him a second chance; Paul still hasn’t let it GO yet - so they will actually SPLIT UP, and Barnabas takes MARK and heads WEST back to Cyprus, while Paul teams up with SILAS and heads NORTH, through Cilicia.
So God will use even their argument over Mark’s abandonment to accomplish the ADVANCEMENT of the gospel! (And years later, Paul and Mark will make up. In fact, in some of Paul’s very last words, 2 Timothy ch4, he asks Timothy to “Get Mark and bring him [to me], for he is very useful to me for ministry.” And we know Mark would go on to author the Gospel account that bears his name as well. Redemption.)
But for the moment, here in Acts 13, Mark looks like a wimpy traitor. And yet Paul and the others, while undoubtedly discouraged, stay the course. And that’s the takeaway, for us:
When the gospel is forsaken, we persist.
It always hurts when someone leaves the church, but one of the HARDEST for me had to be the couple who left a few months into Covid, because (like MANY folks) they had used quarantine as an opportunity to check out other churches’ livestream worship services. And they finally sent me a letter, months later, after dodging my calls, to let me know they were leaving cuz this other church just had much better PRODUCTION value than West Hills; a more polished product. They assured me it had nothing to do with my teaching; they appreciated that we were still teaching the word, staying true to the gospel. But I guess for them, the glitz and the glamor had become more important than the GOSPEL. I appreciated their honesty!
But that really takes the wind out of your sails, as a pastor. When folks who’ve been members of the church for DECADES prove that after ALL THOSE YEARS, their faith is still that SHALLOW. Maybe like Mark they didn’t forsake the gospel altogether; as far as I know, their new church preaches the gospel too. But I’m NOT sure that church is calling them to the kind of self-sacrificial gospel MINISTRY that we see from Paul and Barnabas here. There’s a world of difference between a “What can I get out of this” church, and a “What can I SACRIFICE to serve JESUS and those He’s called me to reach with the GOSPEL” kind of church. We want to be the LATTER, the SECOND type of church.
When others forsake the gospel ministry that Christ has called us to, we will persist.
So, #3 - Paul and Barnabas press on to Antioch in Pisidia (vv14-48). Not to be confused with Antioch in SYRIA, their sending church out East.
And in v14, they’re in the synagogue there on the Sabbath, and they get invited by the Jewish leaders to share a “word of encouragement” with the congregation. A bold move that backfires on them. Because Paul proceeds to launch into one of the longest and most gospel-saturated sermons in all of the book of Acts. And God’s PLAN throughout it is clear: to offer a rationale, a reason, a biblical PROOF, for accepting the truth of the gospel message, that Jesus is Lord and Savior. And because Paul is preaching to fellow Jews, who accept the authority of the OT as God’s word, that’s where he takes them to PROVE that Jesus was and is God’s promised Messiah. He essentially retells an abridged version of their entire joint history as a people, as recorded in the OT:
*V17: “God chose our fathers” - the patriarchs, Genesis 11-50 - and “made the people great while in Egypt”.
*Then “he led them OUT of Egypt” - Exodus 1-15.
*Then, v18: he had to “put UP with them for forty years in the wilderness” - that’s Exodus ch16 thru the end of Deuteronomy.
*v19: “And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance… and gave them judges” - that’s the books of Joshua, and Judges…
*v21: “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul” - the book of 1 Samuel…
*v22: then “he raised up David to be their king” - 2nd Samuel…
But once he gets to DAVID, Paul knows that’s his hook, his IN. He doesn’t need to keep rehearsing the last 1,000 years of the Divided Monarchy, and Israel’s decline into wickedness and apostasy, the warnings of the prophets and the exiles of both Israel and Judah. Paul skips ALL that, and he makes a BEELINE for the cross. Charles Spurgeon once reportedly said that his strategy in preaching any passage of Scripture, was to read the text for the morning, and then make a BEELINE for the CROSS. What’s the clearest, simplest way I can preach the GOSPEL from this passage of Scripture? That was PAUL’s approach too, by the way: “I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). So he hits them with the gospel, in…
V23: “Of this man [DAVID]'s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.”
V27: But the Jews in Jerusalem “didn’t recognize him nor understand the prophecies ABOUT him, so ironically they fulfilled them by condemning Jesus.” They CRUCIFIED him.
But v30: “God raised him from the dead”. In fulfillment of ALL these OT prophecies: Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 55:3, Psalm 16:10.
Then Paul concludes, as EVERY gospel presentation should, with an invitation, and a warning: v38: “Let it be known to you… that through this man [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” He says: the LAW can’t save you; it can only show you your sinfulness and your NEED for a Savior. Who has now COME - it’s JESUS! - and he died and was raised for your sins - trust in Him and you will be SAVED!
But Paul ENDS with a warning in v40: “Beware, lest what is said in the Prophets should prove true of you… ” And he quotes Habakkuk 1:5, about scoffers who DON’T believe, and who therefore “PERISH”.
See, Paul is already anticipating the PROBLEM that will arise just a week later, on the next Sabbath, when these same leaders who invited Paul to preach the previous Saturday get JEALOUS when they see the whole CITY turn up to hear him for part 2 of the sermon. His congregation is bigger than theirs. So in v45, they “began to contradict him… reviling him.” They REJECT him, AND his gospel message.
But once again, Paul and Barnabas don’t pull out when God’s plan encounters PROBLEMS; they persevere. Specifically, they offer a gospel rebuttal in vv46-47: ““It was necessary that we preach to you first, So THAT you could reject the gospel and we could therefore turn to the Gentiles”, in fulfillment of Isaiah 49:6.
ALL of this was prophesied; it’s ALL part of God’s plan, even your REJECTION of the gospel!
And now God is USING it to “REACH” the Gentiles with the gospel instead; v48: “when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”
Practical application, for you and me?
When the gospel is rejected, we WARN people.
Sadly, many of us may only work up the courage to share the gospel with someone - not just strike up a nice conversation with them, and smile and “show them Christ’s love through my actions”, not just invite them to church, not just pray for them - those are all great things, but we’re ALSO called to evangelize, to share the all-important, exclusively-saving “good news” about JESUS with people - “you’re a sinner in need of a Savior; trust in JESUS!” - we may only do THAT… what, once or twice a MONTH… a YEAR?! And when we DO, sometimes we get so PROUD of ourselves, for actually evangelizing, that we’re not even all that concerned with how the person RESPONDS. When they say, “Thanks for sharing that with me; I’m still not sold on the whole Jesus thing, but I guess I can keep thinking on it”, we may too quickly reply, “Sure, just let me know if you wanna talk more,” instead of WARNING them: “Sure, you can keep thinking on it. But don’t think TOO long. Cuz none of us is guaranteed our next breath around here, and you REALLY don’t want to go and face God without knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior. Also, you were CREATED for relationship with Him, so every day you sit around pondering it, delaying it, is a wasted day.”
Friends, When the gospel is rejected, we need to warn people.
Lastly, and quickly #4 - In the “whole region” (vv49-52)
God’s Plan: gospel promulgation; v49: “the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.”
The Problem: gospel persecution; v50: “But the Jews… stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.”
And their Perseverance resulted in gospel proliferation; v51: “But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium” instead.
Where the gospel PROSPERED.
Because When the gospel is persecuted, we persevere.
Will WE, West Hills?
Will we oppose, when the gospel is opposed?
Will we abide, when the gospel is abandoned?
Will we rebut and WARN, when the gospel is rejected?
And will we persevere, when the gospel is persecuted?
May it be true of US, Church, with GOD’S help, in God’s strength.