Briefer.
Ricky, when we talked several weeks back about this, he said, oh, one thing, you get 30 minutes. Yep, you know me. Watch out, there's a toxic dump right under your chair right there. Oh man.
He said you get 30 minutes, and I laughed out loud. How much time do I get, Ricky? 30 minutes? 30 minutes. Stick to it.
On behalf of the Wilkins family, thank you all. Those of you that know what we've been walking through over the last several months, but in particular this last month, thank you all so much for praying for us. A common question that we're asked is, how are Scotty and Melody doing with the loss of their little one? And I can say this, If I look in you in the eye with all honesty, they're doing better right now than they've done at least in a year. The Lord has got them through this.
And if the phrase is true, ain't mama happy, ain't no one happy, I think if you're a parent, if your children aren't happy, you're not happy. And they're doing well. So the Wilkins family right now are doing well out in Tucson. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for the words of encouragement that came in a long list during that time, just to Lisa and I, much less us knowing the number of you reaching out to Scotty and Melody.
Thank you. Thank you. There's individuals in this room, if I look at you, I'm sorry if I'm done, you may come to mind. This may feel like a family moment to visitors. I don't want it to only feel like a family moment.
I want you, I want you to know this is a family. That family is one in Christ, and you're in that family with us. So thank you. Thank you.
If you would turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 13, And if you would stand with me, please, as I read God's Word.
I'm actually going to begin in chapter 14, verse 24, and we're going to read through chapter 13, verse 12. It'll help a little bit to put this in context.
But the word of God increased and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a member of the court of Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
And when they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues to the Jews, and they had John to assist them. 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. He was the proconsul— sorry, he was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence who had summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician, for that is the meaning of his name, opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, 'You son of the devil!
You enemy of all unrighteousness, full of all deceit and villainy! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 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 a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Let's pray together.
Father, my prayer for anyone present that has not believed in Christ, my prayer is that you would show them mercy and save them.
Let them see Jesus. And believe, believe in Jesus.
I pray for our gathering as a whole, God. I pray that we would leave here changed, affected, yes, but changed by your word. What a great hope that we have that your word is living and active and at work right now through the power of the Spirit. Change us to be more like you. Like Christ.
Jesus, be exalted in the preaching of your word. Amen. Amen. You may be seated.
6 · Historical account of the London Blitz and Churchill's famous 'never give in' speech used to illustrate the human instinct to persevere under relentless attack
The Blitz, from the German term Blitzkrieg, meaning lightning war, was the sustained campaign of aerial bombing attacks on British towns and cities carried out by the German Air Force from September 1940 until May 1941. The Blitz began on September 7th, Black Saturday, when the German bombers attacked London, leaving 430 dead and 1,600 injured. London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. London experienced regular attacks —excuse me—regular attacks. And on the 10th and the 11th of May 1940 was hit by its biggest raid.
German bombers dropped 711 tons of high explosives and 2,393 incendiaries. 1,436 civilians were killed. These raids ceased for about a year. And a half.
While London was bombed more heavily and more often than anywhere else in Britain, the Blitz was an attack on the whole country, very few areas left untouched by the air war. 5 months later, October 29th, while the war in Germany, war with Germany raged on Prime Minister Churchill spoke to the boys of Harrow School, a boys' boarding school that he had attended when he was about 13 years old. And in his speech, Churchill famously told those boys, "But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period of 10 months, this is the lesson." 'Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
Never give in.' Churchill's words.
7 · Theological problem statement: unlike Churchill's exhortation, human beings under sustained suffering are actually prone to give in rather than persevere
Here's our problem.
Things can punch us in the mouth in life, and we actually find ourselves able to do the opposite. We are tempted to give in. Things can be so bad at times, we're tempted to give in when we face the unrelenting attack, the devastation of grief mounting. Sorrow after sorrow, persistent pain, failure after failure, loss after loss, fear upon fear, anxiety upon anxiety. It seems too difficult.
We might just give in. We might just yield.
8 · Thesis statement of the sermon: God's work of salvation and Christ-exaltation through the local church is unyielding and unstoppable
The cross of grace. Everyone present. The text today preaches to our souls an encouragement that no other encouragement can preach. I've summarized what's in the text in this very long, Puritan-in-length big idea: the unyielding work of God is the salvation of his people and our exaltation of Jesus through the local church. And nothing— I'm actually reiterating the first statement— nothing is going to stop it.
It's the unyielding work of God. If you know your Bibles a little bit, you know one thing about the Lord: He will not stop. He will do what He said He would do. His work, His will is unyielding.
And yet His desire is that His people would exalt Christ. So He's at work, and He's at work working in us so that we would exalt Jesus. But that we would also do that together as his local church. And the great joy that we have is nothing is going to stop him. Never.
9 · Exposition of the Holy Spirit's directive in verse 2 and announcement of the sermon's three-part structure
Verse 2 of what we just read, if you would look there with me.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I've called them. So we're gonna camp around those words of God's unyielding work and look at 3 points, and I'm gonna move as quick as I can. Number 1, God's work through the local church. The second one's gonna be God's work opposed. And the third one is going to be God's work unyielding.
God's work through the local church. His work being opposed. And God's work unyielding.
10 · Transition to first major section with verse reference and thematic label
Let's look together at the first one, verses 1-5. I've summarized it under this brief description and a point: God's work through the local church.
11 · Exegesis identifying the Holy Spirit as the agent initiating mission and the local church at Antioch as the instrument
God's work in the local church. The Holy Spirit is the one initiating the mission. You can see that in that verse 2. The Holy Spirit said. He's on the scene and He's the one initiating and empowering this mission.
He does this in and through the local church. It opened with, "And there were in the church at Antioch." In a sense, that would be like the Lord saying, "At work at Cross of Grace." It's mentioning a local church on the face of the planet, one dot in one place. The word starts with this local church. And the Holy Spirit speaks in their gathering those words that we heard.
12 · Supporting theological claim from a contemporary source reinforcing the local church as God's primary instrument for mission
Recently, Derek Overstreet, the lead pastor in Tucson, said this as he preached through Matthew 28: When God invades the world with the glory of Christ, He does this through the local church.
And it's clear again in our text that God is at work glorifying Jesus and doing so through his local church. He speaks, but he speaks through the local church.
13 · Exposition of the Antioch church's character—dependence on God through prayer and fasting, obedience in sending—with application to Cross of Grace
Let's consider some things about the nature and the character of this church in Antioch. And as I go through this, I want you to consider the nature and the character of Cross of Grace as well. One thing about this church in Antioch is it was dependent on God and obedient to God.
Verse 2 and then verse 3, dependent on God. They were praying and fasting, and then they were obedient. After they prayed and fasted, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. They were dependent on God. They're obedient to the Lord.
They worshiped, they prayed, they fasted, and they obeyed, and they sent out church planters. And all of this is how God's work is evident and experienced in this church.
14 · Personal testimony of conversion under Chuck Mosley's preaching, illustrating the Holy Spirit's work through faithful preaching in the local church
I've had the joy of being in this church. When I started, when I was about 17, 16 or 17 years old, sitting in a neighborhood nearby, Chuck Mosley preached the gospel to a group of young people. And I was sitting in the room, and it was as if no one else was in the room, and the Spirit of the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "You, you need a Savior." I grew up in the church.
I had heard that a million times, not just in the church. Talk to my mom. My mom would have said often to me, "Be sure your sins will find you out." And Chuck, that night, filled with the Spirit, simply looked across the room, seemingly only at me, and said, "You need to repent and believe in Christ."
15 · Extended illustration of Chuck Mosley's decades-long faithful service, showing continuity of God's work through the local church across generations
This church has done this since then, as long as I know. This church has been this. They've prayed, they've fasted, they've sent church planters.
This has gone on for decades. But Chuck, you personally, this was you. You prayed with us. You labored with us. You lamented with us.
You came alongside of us in suffering. You also came alongside of us and rejoiced with us. I remember Chuck holding Lauren's little girl body with her little, like we do baptisms around here, but we also do baby dedications. We'll let you figure that out with your pastors. And Chuck held little bitty Lauren in his big basketball hands.
You've been there for our family. But you've been there for this church from the beginning. This has been you from the beginning. At least that I'm aware of since the '80s, but after what I heard in the slides a minute ago, for 60 years with Paul, you guys have known each other? Amazing.
You guys are old.
16 · Theological claim celebrating Chuck Mosley's ongoing dependence on God and obedience to His call even in retirement years
Chuck, this was you, but you know what? The joy for us right now is this is you. At Chuck's age, I'm hoping to retire. I don't have a penny, but I hope to retire. And at this age, Chuck says, call me up.
This is you, Chuck. You again have cast yourself desperately dependent on the Lord and obedient to God's call again. Again, again you've done this.
17 · Exposition of verses 4-5 identifying God as the sender of the mission, the missionary journey as geographically traceable, and the gospel as the message carried
But if we drill down just a little bit more in verses 4 and 5, if you would look there with me, being sent out by the Spirit, and 5, and when they had arrived that God's work through the local church is sending out men, called men. They're dependent on the Lord, they're obedient to the Lord, but also they're sent out by God.
God gives them the mission. And maybe a way I could illustrate this is something you have in the back of your Bibles, if you've got a Bible with you. If you're using your phone, you're gonna miss the joy of having these maps in the back that you never look at. Look at the map. On the back of your Bible if you've got one.
Look there. Go to the one that's titled "The Mission Journeys of Paul." The one we're talking about right now is the first mission journey of Paul. You can look down there at the legend. It's probably going to be a solid line, maybe a blue line. They were sent by God, and so at that point in Antioch, the first mission of Paul starts, and you can mark it on a map.
He gives them a mission. You can mark it on a map, and that line begins to be drawn as the Gospel advances through and in and around the Mediterranean and then onto the island of Cyprus. And then they proclaim the Word of God. So God sends them, He puts them on a mission. It's His mission, but He gives them the mission in the Word of God, the good news of Jesus.
They're going to deliver at times help and provision for the churches, but they're going to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ. He gives them The message, the word of the Lord in this text equals the good news of Christ who has come to save sinners.
18 · Transition from first point (God's work through the church) to second point (God's work opposed), with tonal signal that this section addresses conflict
Now we've looked at God's gospel work in and through the local church. Now let's see God's work in number 2. God's work is opposed.
God's work is opposed. This is not a happy point, by the way, in the text.
19 · Exposition distinguishing the biblical magician from benign modern magic, identifying the opponent as an occult practitioner engaged in spiritual warfare
Look in verses 8 6 and 8 through 8 is an amazing story that's kind of scary, funny, but if you understand the original language, it's dark, actually. God's work is opposed by a false prophet that's there in the text, a magician of the darkest kind. In fact, if you look at the word, this word of magician, this is not like our dear friend Matthew Dwinnells who can do some pretty neat magic, you know, they do a little card trick here and there, funny guy who loves Jesus, by the way.
This is radically different magician. It's the darkest kind that casts spells and incantations and connected, that are directly connected likely, to the occult.
20 · Exposition identifying three levels of opposition: personal (to Sergius), corporate (to the apostles), and ultimate (to Jesus Himself through satanic agency)
Verse 7, God's work is opposed at a personal level. He was with the proconsul. It's almost as if wherever the proconsul goes, this guy's right there with him.
The man desires to hear the word of God, the proconsul. Sergius desires to hear the word of God, and the false prophet will not have it with him personally.
And also verse 8, God's work is not only opposed personally, but it's opposed at the corporate level. The magician opposes the disciples. He opposes them. The false prophet confronts the evangelists directly, being against them in all their efforts to proclaim this message of Jesus. He will not have it because he is of his son.
He is a son of the devil. Verse 8, Jesus himself is opposed by Satan and his representatives. You son of the devil. Satan seeks to turn the governor away from the faith. These are really, really bad things that he's doing.
His actions are confrontational in nature, and they're satanic in their direction, in their direct opposition to Jesus, and not simply to come alongside, water down the message of Jesus like, hey, you can keep doing this. It is literally saying no, no, no to this Jesus they're speaking of, which is Jesus's number one priority— excuse me, it's Satan's number one priority anyway, is to come against the message of Jesus.
21 · Biblical-theological survey tracing Satan's consistent pattern of opposing God's Word from Genesis through the Gospels
Come against the message of God. Genesis 3:1, "Did God actually say?" is the first time we hear Satan speak, and then from then on we get to know his dark nature. Matthew 16:23, Jesus calls out Peter.
Peter says, "I will not let you go to the cross," essentially, and Jesus turns around and rebukes that framework of thinking that Peter has now begun to believe and says, "Get behind me, Satan. You don't know You don't know the things of God. Also in John 8:43-44, He calls out the scribes and Pharisees, and He refers to them, and I'll read the words.
Why do you not understand what I say? Jesus says to the scribes and Pharisees. It is because you cannot bear to hear My word. You are of your father the devil.
22 · Theological claim applying the pattern of satanic opposition to contemporary experience, both public and personal
The message of Jesus will be under attack, and there's no easier way around this.
You can see it in the public discourse. You can feel it personally as you begin to speak about Christ. There's opposition directly against it. The language is forceful, and the satanic message is turn away from faith in Jesus, the Promised One of Israel, the Messiah, the promised Savior. Turn away.
23 · Transition to the climactic third point with thematic summary and hopeful tonal shift
Now we've looked at God's work that's being carried out through the local church and it's carried out in this local church. We've looked only briefly at God's work that's being opposed. But the glorious hope is now that we have seen— we see that here in verses 9-12— God's work is unyielding. God's work is unyielding.
24 · Exposition showing God's unyielding work empowering Paul and defeating the opposition before Paul even speaks
The unyielding work of the Holy Spirit empowers the Apostle Saul who is now Paul the apostle to the Gentiles.
And this unyielding work of God puts away evil that we hear right away in verses 9 through 10. God disposes of the opposition to His work, and He moves in power against Satan and his representatives. And in a divine sense, it is a sense where God raises His voice and declares, never, never, never, never. The unyielding to the opposition work of God. God stands up His man Saul and announces in Holy Scripture who is called Paul.
And before we hear Paul utter a word, God is on the move already, filling this man. Nothing will stop His work of salvation in Jesus Christ, and it will go to the ends of the earth through the man that He has called to preach the good news of Jesus to those who need to hear it.
25 · Verse-by-verse exposition of verses 9-11 culminating in the observation that the judgment is temporary, not final—the magician is left alive
Verse 9, the Holy Spirit fills Paul to stand down Satan. Verse 10, God judges the magician and, and not the other way around. Verse 11, God blinds the false prophet in utter darkness.
But you know what verse 11 has? A surprise.
Look at verse 11 with me if you would. Verse 11, if I can find it. It's in the New Testament, right? I have a ribbon and a page marker, and I still didn't find it. Verse 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.
He's left alive.
26 · Theological claim connecting the temporary judgment of Elymas to the pattern of God's mercy toward Peter and Saul—both opponents who were spared and saved
This demon-possessed, likely, worker of Satan is left alive.
Use your sanctified imagination for a moment.
Is not Peter still alive?
Wasn't he the one the Lord rebuked? Is not Saul, still alive. He was a persecutor of the church, and his own description was, "I stood in witness against them unto their death." He sought to make sure Christians were murdered unjustly, and he's alive.
Possibly this man is blinded now so that later he might see. Do you know who would understand this? Paul, who was blinded for a time so that he would see. There's nothing but undeserved grace in this text for those two words. The opposition might one day believe in Jesus.
27 · Application extracting the pastoral implication: God's pattern is to judge temporarily while leaving open the door to salvation
So do you want application? Maybe here's like the application on this one. God at times spares the worst sinners, judging them now but not finally, afflicting them now but only temporarily, calling them to repent and believe in Jesus. Both are accomplished. The unyielding work of God does put away evil, and the unyielding work of God does save.
28 · Exposition of verse 12 celebrating the proconsul's conversion and connecting it to the biblical theme of heaven rejoicing over repentance
Verse 12, "When Sergius saw what had happened, he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. The good news of Jesus Christ preached in power had taken hold of him." And the opening words in verse 12, "The proconsul believed." Use that sanctified imagination again to hear all of heaven cheering as this one sinner repents. Scripture describes heaven erupting in joy, rejoicing at one sinner repenting. And right now in this text, at the very moment evil is put aside, the Gospel mission moves forward, one man is saved, and all of heaven rejoices.
29 · Theological claim emphasizing the sovereign perfection and timing of God's saving work—no delays, no contingencies, no Plan B
God's work in salvation is not delayed either on this mission trip.
It's not deterred. It's not put on hold. It's perfectly timed. There is no divine anxiety, no slowing down, No speeding up. It will not be rescheduled.
God's unrelenting work of salvation is delivered faithfully on the sinner being saved. There is no hiccup. There is no bump in the road. There are no skid marks. There is no backpedaling.
There is no rethinking or going back to the drawing board. God does not have a Plan B. God's unyielding work of salvation is the only plan. And is divinely carried out in absolute perfection.
30 · Evangelistic application substituting the listener's name for Sergius, proclaiming the full gospel and its purpose—salvation unto worship
If you're here this morning and have not believed in Christ, hear the good news of Jesus.
There was nothing in all of heaven nor creation that was going to stop God in his gracious saving of Sergius. And my prayer is that you would be found, you would be found in the mercy of God this morning as well. If you're here and you've been hiding and running and disobeying God, well, join the crowd. We all would have to admit we did the same.
God so loved Sergius that he sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to save Sergius. Jesus bore God's wrath for Sergius. He took Sergius' sins on himself. Jesus laid down his own life and was crucified for Sergius. Jesus was buried in the tomb and raised himself on the third day for Sergius.
Jesus ascended into heaven and now at the right hand of God with all authority in heaven and on earth, in that sense for Sergius. Verse 10, the governor's false prophet is silenced. The enemy of righteousness, the deceit and wickedness are now gone. God takes Sergius from the crooked path and places him on the straight path to the Lord, straight to the Savior, Jesus. And in the end, we find out ultimately he didn't just do this to save Sergius.
He did this to save Sergius so that Sergius would then turn and marvel at the great Savior that saved him. You and I aren't simply saved, which is amazing and good enough, but we are saved so that we would turn and we would exalt Christ. And worship how gracious and forgiving and good and marvelous he is. Is not Jesus merciful? He is.
Is he not good? He is good.
31 · Illustration using the Bible map to show the gospel's unstoppable advance from Antioch to El Paso to the present congregation
Here's your map moment. That blue line continued. It left Antioch and got to El Paso.
It got to me.
It got to you. Keep following the map. Go back to your map, that weird one in the back.
The map should go global.
Paul's first missionary trip never stopped because it was God's missionary trip.
32 · Pastoral interjection addressing the worship leader and affirming God's saving power for all present
Neil, what are we going to do about worship? The Lord has been so good to us. You may not have ever heard of Christ. He has the power to save. You may have heard of Christ your whole life and you still need him, and he has the power to save even you, even me.
33 · Theological claim emphasizing the present, particular, and sovereign nature of God's saving work in this gathering
Follow that line, that blue line, God's gospel, and you'll find it comes straight here. It actually doesn't just come here generally. It comes here right now. It comes here providentially right now. God is saving right now.
34 · Logistical transition bringing worship team forward while maintaining awareness of time constraint
If I could have the band join me so that I don't break my 30-minute limit.
35 · Theological claim connecting individual salvation to ecclesiology—God saves individuals into the corporate body, which is so identified with Christ that persecution of the church is persecution of Him
Cross of grace.
The Lord does save individuals, but his plan is grander. He saves individuals and he puts them in a body, the church.
Jesus so identifies with the church, he says to Saul, why are you persecuting me? I think Saul could have gone a little legal on the Lord and said, wait, I'm not persecuting you, I'm killing the people that like you. Jesus so identified with the people that he had called and saved and put together the church, that blue line comes to Cross of Grace.
The unyielding work of God is the salvation of his people for the purpose that Jesus would be exalted, and it will not stop.
36 · Application directing the congregation to consider God's faithfulness through the church's history and name changes for the purpose of worship
I have a sense For a final consideration on application, that we rejoice in what God has done in his work through Church of the Covenant, through Vista New Life Church. We ditched the old name, got a new name. Still on the front door, I think, unless we ground it off recently. And now in cross of grace, consider how merciful and faithful the Savior has been to this church.
Consider how merciful and faithful he has been so that we'll turn and tell him that he's been merciful and faithful to us.
37 · Application assuring those trapped in sin or suffering that God's unyielding work will not be stopped by their circumstances
The implication of the text is his work will not yield if you've been sinning and you can't stop. It won't yield to even your sin.
He has the power to save you out of your sin. It will not yield in the face of trials and suffering. As I greeted Mark this morning, in a way, brother in arms, but I'll bet if we just talked a little bit to you, it's been you that you've lost loved ones. You're worried about them now. His work is not going to yield, no matter how dark it seems.
38 · Extended exposition of Romans 8:31-37 applied to those facing sustained spiritual attack, answering the Blitz illustration with the unstoppable nature of God's love
Romans 8:31.
Here's the sense that I have for you. Is there a lightning war going on right now in your faith? Is there a blitzkrieg day after day, seemingly unending? Romans 8:31, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for all of us, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is it to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died.
More than that, who was raised who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are all being killed day after day and are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
39 · Concluding charge echoing Churchill's words ('never, never, never') now applied to God's persistence, transitioning into closing prayer
God, will never give up on the sinner.
He will never give up on the sinner, never in nothing great or small, large or petty. If you would stand with me, let's pray together.