Get Close To The Lord

WORTHY OF ETERNAL LIFE #1

Acts 13:44-52
“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution
against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.”

In order to fully understand this passage we must recall the message that Paul has just preached to the Jews in the synagogue here at Antioch. He has just declared unto them that Jesus is the Christ and that through Him is the forgiveness of sins. vs. 38 - “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:”

He has further declared that justification is by faith and not of works. vs. 39 - “And by him all that believe are justified from all
things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Now as the Jews leave the synagogue the gentiles beg that Paul and Baranbas preach the same thing unto them the next Sabbath. vs. 42 - “And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.”

It is always interesting to notice the various ways in which the gospel message affects different people. We are given to understand that many of the Jews and religious proselytes believed and followed Paul and Barnabas. But there was another group who did not receive the truth and became very antagonistic. Now let us look at Vs. 44,45 - “And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to
hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.”

The people's interest was so great they thronged the synagogue in such numbers it aroused the envy and enmity of the unbelieving Jews. Remember that salvation had been of the Jew, whereas it was and is through faith in Christ as the Messiah. Now you can just mark it down that when we preach Christ and Him crucified and salvation in none other we will have opposition. It grieved them that so many were anxious to listen to these strange teachers who had come to their city. They could not accept peaceably the interest shown. They began
to contradict the things spoken and to even blaspheme.

Just mark it down, the Lord did not promise us an easy time of it here on this old earth.

Russell Stolp
Chaplain, CFO

Psalm 37:4 "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.