We who sit in the United States take many things for granted. In fact, most of us admittedly, have developed attitudes of entitlement.  “We deserve for you to give to me” seems to be the attitude that is popular among the masses.  From the poorest among us to those who seem to have it all, we expect to be served perfectly well, significantly catered to as highly important with magnificent gifts that honor us. We are spoiled.

When this arrogant attitude enters our homes among “our own people”; real and lasting troubles begin. Arguments through the day are over who is taking out trash, picking up after themselves, making the beds, mowing the lawn and other chores.  We keep score.  We tally who is doing the least and the most and rank each other accordingly. We are spoiled. 

This entitlement attitude also includes those of us who attend church on any given Sunday, who critically judge what is done for us.  We expect the music to be delightful and full of energy—above merely “making a joyful noise unto the Lord”!  But it cannot be a “performance.”  Worship must come for the heart, we say, but who decides what is in our hearts? Most assuredly, we expect people to notice us and be glad we came.  We expect the sermon to be witty and entertaining but also meaningful so our hearts are stirred and we leave feeling good about God and the stuff God does.  We expect all humans to do what we “pay them” to be and do; and what we expect them do is for us.  We are spoiled.

We want life to be what we expect it to be.  But the real message of Jesus changes everything.  Believe Him or not, our lives will never be the same when we accept the realty of Jesus as the Savior of our sins and begin to live expectantly seeking Him daily as the Lord of our lives.  This attitude shift is serious and happens only by grace.  We cannot make it happen ourselves. 

God knows exactly what we need and gives Jesus, His Son as a gift.  Who we need is a Savior who wants and fully deserves to be Lord of our lives.  Jesus has done for us what we do not deserve and cannot possible provide for ourselves.  Jesus died for our sins and rose victoriously over death in resurrection power.  Only Jesus.

Paul has been given that same “resurrection power” to preach Jesus to God’s chosen.  Most will believe.  The spoiled will hold fast to their self-serving entitlement stance.

Acts 13, The Message

Don’t Take This Lightly

^13-14 From Paphos, Paul and company put out to sea, sailing on to Perga in Pamphylia. That’s where John called it quits and went back to Jerusalem. From Perga the rest of them traveled on to Antioch in Pisidia.

^14-15 On the Sabbath they went to the meeting place and took their places. After the reading of the Scriptures—God’s Law and the Prophets—the president of the meeting asked them, “Friends, do you have anything you want to say? A word of encouragement, perhaps?”

^16-20 Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said, “Fellow Israelites and friends of God, listen. God took a special interest in our ancestors, pulled our people who were beaten down in Egyptian exile to their feet, and led them out of there in grand style. He took good care of them for nearly forty years in that godforsaken wilderness and then, having wiped out seven enemies who stood in the way, gave them the land of Canaan for their very own—a span in all of about 450 years.

^20-22 “Up to the time of Samuel the prophet, God provided judges to lead them. But then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, out of the tribe of Benjamin. After Saul had ruled forty years, God removed him from office and put King David in his place, with this commendation: ‘I’ve searched the land and found this David, son of Jesse. He’s a man whose heart beats to my heart, a man who will do what I tell him.’

^23-25 “From out of David’s descendants God produced a Savior for Israel, Jesus, exactly as he promised—but only after John had thoroughly alerted the people to his arrival by preparing them for a total life-change. As John was finishing up his work, he said, ‘Did you think I was the One? No, I’m not the One. But the One you’ve been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I’m about to disappear.’

^26-29 “Dear brothers and sisters, children of Abraham, and friends of God, this message of salvation has been precisely targeted to you. The citizens and rulers in Jerusalem didn’t recognize who he was and condemned him to death. They couldn’t find a good reason, but demanded that Pilate execute him anyway. They did just what the prophets said they would do, but had no idea they were following to the letter the script of the prophets, even though those same prophets are read every Sabbath in their meeting places.

^29-31 “After they had done everything the prophets said they would do, they took him down from the cross and buried him. And then God raised him from death. There is no disputing that—he appeared over and over again many times and places to those who had known him well in the Galilean years, and these same people continue to give witness that he is alive.

^32-35 “And we’re here today bringing you good news: the Message that what God promised the fathers has come true for the children—for us! He raised Jesus, exactly as described in the second Psalm:

My Son! My very own Son!
Today I celebrate you!

“When he raised him from the dead, he did it for good—no going back to that rot and decay for him. That’s why Isaiah said, ‘I’ll give to all of you David’s guaranteed blessings.’ So also the psalmist’s prayer: ‘You’ll never let your Holy One see death’s rot and decay.’

^36-39 “David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now. But the One God raised up—no dust and ashes for him! I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised. He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

^40-41 “Don’t take this lightly. You don’t want the prophet’s revelation to describe you:

Watch out, cynics;
Look hard—watch your world fall to pieces.
I’m doing something right before your eyes
That you won’t believe, though it’s staring you in the face.”

^42-43 When the service was over, Paul and Barnabas were invited back to preach again the next Sabbath. As the meeting broke up, a good many Jews and converts to Judaism went along with Paul and Barnabas, who urged them in long conversations to stick with what they’d started, this living in and by God’s grace.

^44-45 When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God. Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.

^46-47 But Paul and Barnabas didn’t back down. Standing their ground they said, “It was required that God’s Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you’ve made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we’re on our way through it, following orders, doing what God commanded when he said,

I’ve set you up
    as light to all nations.
You’ll proclaim salvation
    to the four winds and seven seas!”

^48-49 When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God—they honored God’s Word by receiving that life. And this Message of salvation spread like wildfire all through the region.

^50-52 Some of the Jews convinced the most respected women and leading men of the town that their precious way of life was about to be destroyed. Alarmed, they turned on Paul and Barnabas and forced them to leave. Paul and Barnabas shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium, brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In obedience to the Holy Spirit, Paul and Barabas preach Jesus in the meeting places of the Jews first.  But as the prophets foretold, when they deliver the Good News of Jesus, the One promised, as the One who saved us from our sins, the entitled Jewish leaders became jealous and closed their hearts and minds to this “living in and by God’s grace.”  They are clung tightfisted to their self-serving, entitled ways and did not want to change.

This does not discourage Paul and Barnabas.  They did what the Holy Spirit told them to be and do.  When some refused Jesus, they merely “shrugged their shoulders” and moved on… “brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit.” 

Church leader friends, take this inside your hearts, the response of people to Jesus is between the Savior and those who accept Him—or not.  We cannot and should not force, coerce, trick, coax, or cajole people to come to Jesus.  It’s more a matter of holy, loving persuasion from hearts who have decided unreservedly to follow Jesus as Lord of our lives.  God’s spirit does the rest.

Be encouraged!  When we speak Truth in love for God and others, guided by His Holy Spirit living in and through us, people are more likely to see Jesus’ light emanating from us.  But if not, we move on, because there are millions who need to consider Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  Pray for those who refused. They may come around later. 

Don’t take this message lightly, preaches Paul, we’re telling you about a seriously Savior—graciously Lord who is the One who died and rose again because God “so loved us all”.  Jesus is our Hope of life eternal.  Jesus delivers all we have looking for and have needed all long.  We only need to believe, repent, and accept all He has to offer us freely and relentlessly.  Look nowhere else—you won’t find it.

Lord,

I believe.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls and restore the joy and peace of you in us and us in you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen