Acts
One of the most surprising converts to the gospel was the Apostle Paul. Once an enemy of God’s Son, he became the chief worshipper of that Son. Once an enemy of Christ’s church, he became the chief missionary of His church. And his mission was to be a light for the Gentiles, that he might bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
And just as the light of Bethlehem’s star reached the east, the light of Paul’s gospel message would reach the uttermost parts of the earth. We’ve been looking at Paul’s first missionary journey in Acts 13. This Sunday, Paul and Barnabas find themselves in southern Galatia in a city called Antioch of Pisidia. As was his custom, he went to the synagogue there on the Sabbath. The rulers of the synagogue give Paul an open invitation to bring a word of encouragement to the people. In our sermon this morning, which comes from Acts 13:13-43, we’ll see that Paul exhorts the people to remember God’s faithfulness to his people. He calls them to recognize the ultimate gift of God’s faithfulness, which was the gift of His Son. Finally, he will call them to respond to God’s faithfulness by looking to Jesus to save them.
As we prepare for our first Advent worship service, we’ll be celebrating Christ’s incarnation as we sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Joy to the World,” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” We’ll also celebrate the sacrament of baptism, which will remind us further of God’s faithfulness to save.
Sermon Information
Text: Acts 13:13-43
Title: A Word of Encouragement
Outline:
1. We Must Remember God's Faithfulness
2. We Must Recognize God's Faithfulness
3. We Must Respond to God's Faithfulness