God Raised Him Up

For a special breakout Easter
message, if you would take your Bibles and turn to the book of
Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. And I’ll dial
you in a little more closely here in just a moment. It’s been
a privilege, really, in adult Sunday school to begin to just
go through a chapter a week. It kind of forces you to keep
pace and take a faster course through
a book, but it’s been fun as a group to go through the Book
of Acts. And you know that the first portion, the first 12 chapters
of the book of Acts, is really Peter’s ministry. That’s primarily
the focus, Peter and John and others. But then in chapter 13,
something really dramatic takes place. We have seen Paul on the
road to Damascus, come to meet Christ, but now the whole focus
of the book of Acts shifts back to Paul. And Luke turns his attention
here primarily to Paul for the remainder of this historical
document, the book of Acts. Its establishment, its growth,
its development is all captured there in this great book. But
the latter half is all about Paul, almost exclusively. Several weeks ago, and some of
you even commented about it today, Several weeks ago, we distributed
a link, a sermon from Voddie Bauckham, and I appealed to everyone
to watch it. And I think we all probably get
things like this from time to time. Somebody sends us an email
link. But in the case of this sermon, that’s the sermon that we heard
while we were all out at the Shepherds Conference. And I think
we came away those of us who were there with an awareness
that we had just witnessed something really amazing. And I heard many
exclaim that it was one of the best sermons they had ever heard.
So if you haven’t listened to it yet, this is just one more
encouragement to do so. The link is out there. I think
it’s even on various websites now, but there are several key
factors that make for a great sermon. First of all, is it biblical? Is it derived from Scripture,
and does it speak what the Scriptures speak? And then secondly, is
it appropriate to the audience? And I don’t mean that we dumb
it down or soften it at all, nothing goofy like that. What
I’m really talking about here is, does it address the situation
of the day? Or is the elephant in the room
completely ignored? And then thirdly, and not only
is it biblical, is it appropriate, but thirdly, is it delivered
with passion? And I’m sure that there are more
things that could be considered or articulated that make a great
sermon, but at least those three things have to be there. And
Votibachum’s sermon definitely hit all three. And so does the
Apostle Paul. in his first ever recorded sermon. I would suggest to you this morning
that we have before us in Acts chapter 13, arguably one of the
greatest sermons ever preached. It was indeed biblical, derived
from scripture. It was appropriate to the audience
before him, and it was passionately delivered. I’m not going to evaluate
Paul’s style, whether his cadence was varied or not, whether his
intonation was appropriate, whether he used alliteration or effectively
used illustrations in the course of his sermon. I’m not going
to examine any of that. When I say that this is one of
the greatest sermons ever, I’m talking about the content. And
given the context, this makes it even more powerful. When we
consider Paul’s audience here and the particular message that
he delivers, it’s one of the most exciting, most powerful
moments ever. In the passage before us, we
have one of what I would call scripture’s crown jewels. It’s
the longest, most complete sermon that Paul ever preached, at least
as far as what was recorded. In this particular sermon, we’re
not only introduced to Paul’s intense passion for the things
of Christ, but we’re brought right in and we’re seated right
in the front row, so to speak, for one of the great sermons
in the history of the church. But this message that Paul preaches
is not just a sublime message for his day, for his particular
audience that Saturday morning. It is the enduring message of
the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ
and his resurrection, good for any day and any people. We’ll begin slowly this morning.
If you would, if you’re in Acts 13, I want to read just a few
portions of this chapter. Look at verse one. And now there
were at Antioch in the church that was there prophets and teachers,
Barnabas and Simeon, who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene,
and Manan, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and
Saul, While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the
Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the
work for which I have called them. Then when they had fasted
and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”
This is Paul’s commissioning with he and Barnabas and others.
They’re being set out to preach the gospel. This is the first
missionary journey. And so Paul begins his ministry
really here. Up to this point, he’d been largely
in training. Jump down, if you would, to verse
13. Now Paul and his companions put
out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John
left them and returned to Jerusalem. But going on from Perga, they
arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day, they
went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading of the
law and the prophets, the synagogue officials sent to them, saying,
brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people,
say it.” That’s what you want as a pastor, right? Man, give
me the pulpit and the Bible and then an invitation to preach.
And that’s what Paul does. Paul stood up and motioning with
his hand said, men of Israel and you who fear God, listen,
the God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the
people great during their stay in the land of Egypt. And with
an uplifted arm, he led them out from it. For a period of
about 40 years, he put up with them in the wilderness when he
had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan. He distributed
their land as an inheritance, all of which took about 450 years. After these things, he gave them
judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and
God gave them Saul, the son of Kish. a man of the tribe of Benjamin
for 40 years. After he had removed him, he
raised up David to be their king, concerning whom he also testified
and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after
my own heart, who will do all my will. From the descendants
of this man, according to promise, God has brought forth to Israel
a savior. Jesus, after John had proclaimed
him before his coming, a baptism of repentance to all the people
of Israel. And while John was completing
his course, he kept saying, who do you suppose I am? I am not
he, but behold, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose
feet I am not worthy to untie. And so Paul’s first order of
business here, as he begins to preach, is to recount God’s incredible
faithfulness to the nation of Israel by literally coursing
through their history. This would have been thrilling
to any Jew, to hear somebody just recount all that God had
done, not the least of which He chose this people. The Jews loved that thought. Psalm 33, 12, the people whom
he has chosen for his own inheritance. They loved that thought. Israel
was chosen, selected by God himself. They were the chosen people. And there was no pride. There was to be no pride on Israel’s
part. He overwhelmingly blessed them.
Look at the passage in verse 17. He made them great. He made
them to grow and flourish even under captivity in Egypt. He exercised exceedingly great
measures of patience with this wayward and disobedient lot. He literally put up with them
for 40 years. He took the land, from hateful
heathen nations and redistributed it to all of Israel. He provided them leaders, judges
initially, and then they childishly clamored for a king in order
to be like the neighboring countries. God graciously provided that
too. First Saul and then David, who would be the head of the
promised lineage. fulfilled ultimately in Jesus
Christ. Well, this is a masterful sermon
thus far. These are Jews. He’s essentially
reciting all that God had done and provided through Christ,
rather ultimately culminating with Christ. And Paul has this
audience right where he wants them. Because he’s strung along
all these so many pearls for this one great point that he’s
preparing to make. But Paul is just getting warmed
up. The best is yet to come. He has
a point to make. And having only now mentioned
Jesus, he now moves to zero in on his purpose. Would you look
at verse 26? We’ll pick it up there in verse
26. Sons of Abraham’s family and those among you who fear
God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. For
those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, recognizing neither
him nor the utterances of the prophets, which are read every
Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning him and Though they found no ground for
putting him to death, they asked Pilate that he might be executed. When they had carried out all
that was written concerning him, they took him down from the cross
and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead.
And for many days he appeared to those who came up with him
from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now his witnesses
to the people. And we preach to you the good
news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled
this promise to our children, in that he raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the
second Psalm, you are my son, today I have begotten you. As
for the fact that he raised him up from the dead, no longer to
return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you
the holy and sure blessings of David. Therefore, he also says
in another psalm, you will not allow your holy one to undergo
decay. For David, after he had served
the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was
laid among his fathers and underwent decay. But he whom God raised
did not undergo decay. Therefore, let it be known to
you, brethren, that through him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed
to you. And through him, everyone who
believes is freed from all things from which you could not be freed
through the law of Moses. Therefore, take heed so that
the things spoken of in the prophets may not come upon you. Behold,
you scoffers, and marvel and perish. For I am accomplishing
a work in your days, a work which you will never believe, though
someone should describe it to you. If you would find your way
back to verse 26. I want to just talk about the
miracle of the resurrection to start with. Verse 26 is where
Paul really begins to delve into this great subject. And I want
you to notice how winsome Paul is here as he addresses his countrymen,
the Jews. Just like Peter and Stephen before
him, he says, to us, to us. This great message, which I’m
about to unfold to you, has been sent to us. And this is the greatest
news anyone could ever announce, salvation. to us. Paul has already set before them
the Savior, Jesus. In verse 23, a Savior has come
to save. A Savior has come bringing salvation. He continues his address to them,
continuing to outline God’s abundant goodness to them without missing
a beat. And he does so by expanding upon this great blessing that
God has given to Israel and the world, a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. And he is a special emissary
of this message is Paul. He is tasked with proclaiming
it far and wide to the Jew first and also to the Greeks. And so
here he stands as he identifies his listeners before the sons
of Abraham, the Jewish people themselves, in whose synagogue
he was by invitation, and he acknowledges that their Judaism
had influenced others as it was designed to do by God, that there
were many among them that feared God, that is, Gentile proselytes
to the Jewish religion, And so how fortuitous because he has
this very morning the opportunity to declare in their hearing the
wonderful message of the gospel. He says in verse 23 that God
had brought to Israel a savior. God is moving once again. As often as he can, Paul places
himself among his countrymen, within the circle of Israel.
And he does so again here in verse 26, Brethren, sons of Abraham. And he essentially says that
just as God has always provided for his people, whether in captivity
or deliverance from Egypt, or in the wandering of the wilderness,
or even when they settled into their own land through the provision
of judges and kings, God has provided. God has shown himself
faithful, but Paul here transitions to his main focus by saying that
God had once again provided for this nation by the sending of
the Savior, whose name is Jesus. And he justifies that in verse
27. Would you glance at that verse?
Watch what Paul does here in the most gracious manner. He
indicts them. Granted, he specifically indicts
the Jews living in Jerusalem, but there can be no doubt that
they represented the Jewish people everywhere. But he points out
to those Jews living in Jerusalem and says that even though their
own scriptures pointed to the Messiah and clearly identified
him, they simply did not recognize him. I want you to pause and
realize something. Here they are in church, well
synagogue, in the midst of their Sabbath worship on a Saturday. And verse 15 tells us that they
had just read from both the law and the prophets. And we have
to be realistic. They didn’t read the entirety
of the law and they didn’t read all the prophets. They probably
had, not unlike what we do, a reading schedule where they read a portion
of each every Sabbath. But those scriptures routinely
pointed to the coming Messiah. That, after all, was their hope
as a Jewish nation. But this people, by and large,
didn’t understand who Christ was. They had read about the
Messiah their entire lives, but when he suddenly presented himself
before them face to face in Jerusalem, Jewish rulers disregarded him. Paul says it this way in verse
27, their rulers recognizing neither him nor the utterances
of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath. They fulfilled
these by condemning him. Did you hear what he said? Worse
than merely disregarding him, ultimately they condemned Christ. In his second sermon recorded
for us in Acts chapter three, Peter likewise indicted his own
countrymen with essentially the same charge. Peter said it this
way, the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all
the prophets that his Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled. And you Jews fulfilled it. The
prophets foretold of a suffering servant. And now it had come
to pass and prophecy has been fulfilled as both Paul and Peter
declare. Jesus’ condemnation, his suffering,
his death were all in direct fulfillment of the scriptures.
And the Jews knew it. But Paul wants to focus on the
condemnation mentioned, and so he takes it up in verse 28. Glance
there if you would. And though they found no ground
for putting him to death, they asked Pilate that he be executed. They found no ground. The charges
were unjust. This is the very declaration
of Pilate as recorded in Luke 23, 22, where Pilate responds
a third time. to the cries to crucify Jesus,
why? What evil has this man done?
I have found in him no guilt demanding death. The Jewish leaders
had tried to pin numerous charges on Jesus, none of which they
were able to prove. And Peter likewise calls this
event to mind that Pilate had decided to release him. Matthew
records that Pilate begins to yield to the crowd’s demands.
And he went through this meaningless exercise, remember, of washing
his hands as a symbolic gesture that he was, in his own mind
anyway, innocent of this man’s blood. There was no ground for
putting him to death. So Jesus is condemned, he’s tried,
and then ultimately crucified. And Paul picks up the story there
in verse 29. Glance down at it, if you would,
when they had carried out all that was written concerning him.
It was prophesied, all of it was prophesied. When they had
carried out all that was written concerning him, they took him
down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. When Paul establishes
the time here by that opening clause, when they had carried
out all that was written concerning him. He points out that this
too, whether Christ’s beatings that he received, his agony,
his death, it was all a fulfillment of prophecy. Everything, including
his burial, was prophesied in scripture. As Peter declared
to his Jewish listeners in his first sermon, Jesus, the Nazarene,
delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.
No wonder the prophets knew what to say. Such foreknowledge was
clearly announced to the Jewish people through their prophets,
not the least of which was Isaiah 53. Just listen. Isaiah 53, three,
he was despised and forsaken of men. Yep. a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. And like one from whom men hide
their face, he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely
our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried, yet we
ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed
for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being
fell upon Him. And by His scourging, we are
healed. That practically describes in
vivid color the scene at the foot of the cross, doesn’t it?
In other words, when Paul declares that they had carried out all
that was written concerning him, he points to the fact that there
were numerous prophecies fulfilled just in his condemnation, in
his suffering, ultimately in his crucifixion. In their blind
zeal, the enemies of Christ were oblivious to the fact that they
were fulfilling biblical prophecy that they had at the core of
their worship. in listening to the prophets
every Saturday morning. Even the means of torture and
death, crucifixion, was discernible from the Old Testament law. He
who is hanged on a tree is accursed of God. Deuteronomy 21, in their
blind fury, they could not see that they were fulfilling biblical
prophecy. And so Paul now comes to the
point at hand. It’s the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, the greatest miracle that God has ever worked. Certainly
the most meaningful. And he tells us four things about
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. First of all, the resurrection
of Jesus Christ is a miracle that has been verified in history.
Would you look at verse 30? It says it so simply, but God
raised him from the dead. This is a stark statement of
fact by Paul. He offers little in the way of
lead up and virtually nothing afterwards. The account of Jesus’
resurrection, detailed in the verses that we heard read this
morning, Paul takes it all as a given. He knows that these hearers,
know of the resurrection of Christ. And so he restrains, pardon me,
he refrains from a lengthy account of Christ’s resurrection. Only
that God raised Jesus from the dead. Matter of fact, that’s
it. It’s stupendous, miraculous.
It’s a momentous occasion. The greatest in the history of
the world. And Paul sows it up in one simple sentence. God raised
him from the dead. But Paul’s words indicate here
that even though the Jews who were complicit with the Roman
authorities in condemning him and crucifying Christ, God’s
sovereign plan of redemption not only would not be thwarted
by such efforts, it would even be carried forward by them. In
biblical terms, what they meant for evil, God meant for good. The crucifixion of Christ did
not derail God’s plan. It fulfilled it. Paul writing
to the Romans in the fourth verse of his opening chapter says that
Christ Jesus was declared the Son of God with power by the
resurrection from the dead. So it’s here in verse 31 that
Paul issues forth proof of this astounding miracle. the resurrection
of Christ. And he just says that Jesus appeared
to those who came up with him from Galilee, from Jerusalem. These are your witnesses, this
rabble of fishermen? Yes, no doubt a reference to
his apostles. These are those about whom he
says are the very ones who are now his witnesses to the people. Beyond just being ardent admirers
of Jesus, these men were his most loyal followers, and now
they are his stalwart witnesses of his life, of his teaching,
of his resurrection, of his gospel. They were with him in Jerusalem.
Once risen, Jesus appeared on numerous occasions over the course
of 40 days. Acts 1-3 tells us that in the days leading up to
his ascension into heaven, they were gathered. And it tells us
that Jesus presented himself alive after his suffering to
many through many convincing proofs. Consider the testimony
of scripture in this regard. Just a brief overview that for
many days he appeared to his followers. When did this happen? He appeared to Mary first, the
very first one to see the risen Christ at the empty tomb. He then appeared to the rest
of the women, the female disciples of the Lord in Matthew 28. He
appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. At some
point along the way, Jesus also had to have appeared to Peter
because they returned to the apostles with that report. It’s
recorded in Luke 24. They said that the Lord has really
risen and has appeared to Simon. And they began to relate their
experiences on the road and how he was recognized by them in
the breaking of the bread. What a fantastic testimony. And
then he appeared to these same gathered disciples on this very
occasion. You want proof? Here’s proof. And Jesus comes in the room.
While they were telling these things, he himself stood in their
midst and said to them, peace be to you. The apostle John records
in chapter 20, verse 19, that he later appeared to 10 disciples
minus Thomas. It was evening on that day, the
first day of the week when the doors were shut, the disciples
were for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood in their
midst and said to them, peace be to you. And when he had said
this, he showed them both his hands and his side. The disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Eight days later, he appeared
to them again with Thomas present, John chapter 20. In John chapter
21, it records that amazing scene of Jesus appearing to the seven
wayward fishing disciples. Remember, they had quit the ministry
and gone fishing. And Jesus comes and restores
Peter and his band of fishermen to the ministry. Paul adds that
in 1 Corinthians, he appeared to more than 500 brethren at
one time. In that same passage, 1 Corinthians
15, Paul says that Jesus appeared, perhaps privately, to his brother
James, quite likely to lead him to saving faith. He had not believed
in Christ. Well, Jesus was on earth. And
then at the very end of Matthew’s gospel, he records yet another
of Christ’s appearances to his disciples. Matthew 28, 16, when
the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which
Jesus had designated, when they saw him, they worshiped him.
Then lastly, As witnesses to his ascension, he appeared to
them one last time, as recorded in Acts chapter one, gathering
them together. He instructed them, and he was
lifted up while they were looking on. Jesus revealed himself to his
witnesses. For many days he appeared to
those who had come up with him from Galilee. There were many
occasions. And through all these appearances,
Jesus established and appointed these followers as his witness
to the resurrection. Yes, I saw it. I saw the risen
Christ with my own two eyes. These are the very ones who,
as Paul says here, are now his witnesses to the people. They
would go forth and proclaim Christ’s resurrection and his gospel of
salvation by faith. So first of all, the resurrection
of Jesus Christ is a miracle that has been verified in history.
But secondly, Jesus’ resurrection is a miracle that is prophetically
fulfilled. We see this in verse 32 and 33. We preach to you the good news
of the promise made to the fathers. Paul continues here with his
own testimony about the Savior by announcing to them that he
is preaching good news. And this, as most of you know,
is the word euangelizo, from which we get our word evangelism. Paul is indeed evangelizing this
region. And now, by this very gathering,
he’s evangelizing this synagogue. He’s preaching the good news
of salvation by the Savior Jesus that he had already declared.
And he adds that after this, after all, it was a promise made
to the fathers, to the Jewish ancestors. Immediately, the Jews
would have thought of the Messiah, the great promise and hope of
the Jewish people. And so Paul says that God has
fulfilled this promise. He’s fulfilled this promise to
our children in that he raised up Jesus. Paul goes on to quote Psalm 27
here, you are my son today, I have begotten you. By the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, what he does there is interpret Psalm 27 to mean that
this promise, you are my son today, I have begotten you. This
promise pointed not to David’s birth, as most jews would have
interpreted it didn’t point to david’s birth it pointed to jesus
christ’s resurrection today i have begotten you and his resurrection
was the ultimate proof that jesus was indeed the son of god this
could not have been a reference to king david as we’ll see Because
Paul moves on to show in verses 34 and 35 that part of the fulfillment
of prophecy was that the Messiah would be immortal, that he would
no longer return to decay. So Paul, just as he’s already
interpreted correctly, Psalm 2, here in verse 35 he interprets
another psalm, Psalm 1610. You will not allow your Holy
One to undergo decay. Paul says plainly here that this
reference could not possibly be to King David because King
David died and he was buried like all other mere mortals but
not Christ. God raised Jesus up from the
dead no longer to return to decay A direct fulfillment of Psalm
1610, which he said of the Messiah, that God would not allow His
Holy One, His Messiah, to undergo decay. In other words, the Messiah
would be immortal God. He referred to Jesus Christ,
to His death, His burial, His resurrection. David, Paul points out, did his
job. In his day, Paul says in verses
36 and 37 that he served the purpose of God in his own generation. He was a good king. He was a
good leader of the Jewish people. But when that purpose was complete,
David died. He fell asleep, it says here. He died and was laid among his
fathers. He was buried. and he underwent decay. That
is, he was a mere mortal, dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Christ,
on the other hand, Paul testifies in verse 37, did not undergo
decay because God raised him. And unlike a life of earthly
service to God, such as David enjoyed, Christ’s ministry is
eternal. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
is a miracle that has fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. But thirdly,
not only is the resurrection of Christ a miracle that has
been verified in history and has fulfilled Old Testament prophecy,
but thirdly, it is marvelously applied to sinners’ greatest
need. Would you look at verses 38 and
39? Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren, that through
him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. And through him, everyone
who believes is freed from all things from which you could not
be freed through the law of Moses. Paul here declares the application
of Christ’s resurrection. And the Greek is very clear here.
It says that Paul was in the very act of proclaiming forgiveness
to the hearers. The forgiveness of sins is proclaimed
among you. Even as I’m speaking, says Paul. They were face to face were these
Jews and proselytes. They were face to face with the
greatest opportunity, the greatest sermon, the greatest news that
anyone would ever hear. And Paul’s purpose here by that
little word and in verse 39, it appears in our translations
as referring to multiple points. It really is one point. That through faith in Jesus Christ,
Everyone who believes we have what we could never enjoy strictly
by trying to live up to the law of Moses. We have forgiveness. We are freed. We are declared righteous by
believing in Christ by faith. And this freedom from sin, this
forgiveness is made available only in or through faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other avenue. His death is confirmed as accepted
by God, God the Father by means of Christ’s resurrection. We
have forgiveness of sins because of that. And since all people
have sinned and all people need desperately God’s righteousness,
this is what prohibits entrance into the kingdom of God and eternal
life. Because they have no righteousness
of their own, no human effort could ever meet God’s standard. And so without righteousness,
there’s no forgiveness. This is what Paul declares, that
God’s forgiveness and his righteousness are freely available to the sinner. just by faith in his son, the
Lord Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ, sent by
God willingly and obediently to die on the cross for the sin
of the world. He did so and was dead and buried,
but God, in order to verify his acceptance of that sacrifice,
raised him from the dead. And so that this faith in Jesus
is the only means It’s the only means that God has provided for
the forgiveness of sin, reconciling the sinner to God, which even
the strictest adherence to the law of Moses could never provide. The Jewish people for centuries
had made serious effort in attempting to save themselves by this adherence
to the law, following all the do’s and don’ts. People still
do that. They still try to do good enough
to please God, and it will never work. Merely attempting to live
according to the law will not save you. You’d have to keep the whole
law and keep it perfectly your entire life. We cannot do that, and so God,
by Christ’s has supplied the means of salvation. Romans 3.28
says that a man is justified by faith apart from the works
of the law. Paul eagerly abandoned such foolish
thinking himself as soon as he heard the gospel, that he might
save himself by law-keeping. He was ready to abandon that,
that I may be found in him not having a righteousness of my
own, derived by the law, but that which is through faith in
Christ. Paul lovingly calls others to
the righteousness which comes by faith. Galatians 2.16, a man
is not justified by the works of the law, but through faith
in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3.11, no one is justified
by the law before God. It is evident for the righteous
man shall live by faith. Justification by faith was the
very cry of the Reformation. It was a return to the good news
of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone, not by works. Moses’ law condemns sinners. It holds no hope for sinners. But faith in Christ does. Faith
in Christ justifies the sinner. It extends forgiveness. It provides
salvation. Christ’s resurrection is no mere
sterile doctrinal matter. It is the heart of our salvation.
God’s great plan of redemption is crowned with Christ’s resurrection
from the dead, and it assures us that our sins have been atoned,
paid for in full, that for those in Christ, for all who have placed
their faith in the resurrected Christ, there’s no condemnation,
only God’s righteousness and forgiveness. So the resurrection of Christ
is a miracle that is marvelously applied to sinners’ greatest
need. But I said that there were four
observations, and the fourth we find in the closing verses,
verses 40 and 41 of Paul’s sermon. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
is a miracle verified in history fulfilled in prophecy marvelously
applied, but it’s soberly enjoined to all. Verse 40 says, Therefore
take heed, so that the things spoken of in the prophets may
not come upon you. Behold, you scoffers, and marvel
and perish, for I am accomplishing a work in your days, a work which
you will never believe, though someone should describe it to
you. Here Paul draws to a close and he does what any good pastor
does even at the end of this, his very first sermon. He appeals
to his hearers not to be complacent, not to miss what it is that he
said, not to be dull of hearing, not to ignore this clear call
to salvation. He says simply take heed. Take note. Watch it. Be very careful here. And he
provides the immediate reason why so that the things spoken
of in the prophets may not come upon you.” Well, what is that?
He’s without doubt referring to some consequence or failure
to hear and heed God’s call. And it’s something that was so
commonplace that it was almost proverbial. The Jews would have
known this warning. Now, there were likely many places
in the Old Testament prophets that they could have thought
of possible reference to this verse. But Paul immediately cites
one particular warning, Habakkuk 1 5. As we close, would you turn there
for just a moment? If you find Matthew’s gospel,
go left about six books. Habakkuk. Now Habakkuk, he had some complaints. He had some complaints that he
thought he might bring up to God Almighty Himself. And he
does so in chapter one, verses two through four. How long, O
Lord, will I call for help and you will not hear? You know,
you and I would expect a lightning bolt right about that moment.
I cry out to you, violence, yet you do not save. Why do you make
me see iniquity and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction
and violence are before me and strife exists and contention
arises. Therefore the law is ignored
and justice is never upheld for the wicked surround the righteous.
Therefore justice comes out perverted. Well, now actually most of those
complaints could be articulated in the day in which we live,
right? careful how you express them to God. Habakkuk got away
with it, but Habakkuk, he was really bothered. And he felt
comfortable going before the Lord and making his appeal, God
do something. And God does answer Habakkuk. He’s not going to be thrilled
about the answer, ultimately, but here it comes, and this is
the verse that Paul quotes, Habakkuk 1.5, look, among the nations,
observe, be astonished, wonder, because I am doing something
in your days. You would not believe it if you
were told. Habakkuk’s case, about 600 BC, the moral and spiritual
climate was deplorable. It was unacceptable to Habakkuk,
righteous Habakkuk. Not a bad sentiment for a prophet,
but Habakkuk thought that perhaps God wasn’t paying attention. And God patiently assures Habakkuk
that he is very much in control of the situation and is indeed
preparing to move. As Paul’s point to the largely
Jewish audience before him that morning, was that the provision
of God meant that God was moving. Look! Observe! Do not miss this grand and divine
provision by God. In Habakkuk’s day, this was a
harbinger of a coming destruction of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar and
the Chaldeans. It was to be a measure of rebuke
to God’s people, a measure of judgment. In the case of Paul’s
day, it was not a warning of judgment. Yet, it was a warning
of opportunity not to be overlooked. The all too common tendency of
those who live so long in their sin that they become doubtful
and indifferent to the free offer of the gospel. Paul’s point here,
fourthly, is that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a miracle
that is soberly enjoined to all. The resurrection of Jesus is
a miracle of God, not only a demonstration of God’s power, it’s a clear
declaration that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that His
one sacrifice for the sin of the world was deemed and received
by God as acceptable to God Himself. Christ’s resurrection opens the
door to sinners like us to salvation. Salvation is forgiveness and
everlasting life, and it is offered in Jesus Christ alone. Would
you humble yourself before the resurrected Christ?