God's Unyielding Work

Acts 13:1-12 August 7, 2022 Pastor Tom Wilkins

Thesis The unyielding work of God is the salvation of his people and our exaltation of Jesus through the local church, and nothing is going to stop it.

Series

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Type

Expository

Tone

pastoralcelebratorydidactic

Method

grammatical-historicalredemptive-historicalapplicatory

What's in this sermon

The shape of the argument

25 units across exposition, application, illustration, theological claim, and conclusion. The pastor's argument is built from these moving parts.

Pastoral correction · unit #20

"The pastor applies the salvation of Sergius evangelistically: if nothing stopped God from saving Sergius, He can save anyone present. He rehearses the gospel (God sent Jesus, Jesus bore wrath, died, rose, ascended) and emphasizes the purpose of salvation—not just rescue but exaltation of Christ. Believers are saved to worship how gracious Jesus is."

Doctrinal loci· 13 surfaced

Soteriology · 11 Ecclesiology · 10 Providence / Sovereignty · 9 Theology Proper · 5 Christology · 3 Hamartiology · 3 Pneumatology · 3 Sanctification · 3 Bibliology · 2 Pastoral Theology · 2 Anthropology · 1 Doxology / Worship · 1 Spiritual Warfare · 1

Bible citations· 35

Illustrations· 3

historical example · unit #3 — The pastor recounts the sustained German bombing campaign against Britain in WWII and Churchill's famous exhortation to the boys at Harrow School to 'never give in,' setting up a cultural reference point for endurance under relentless attack.
personal story · unit #9 — The pastor shares his own conversion story as a teenager when Chuck Mosley preached the gospel to him, illustrating how the Spirit works through the local church's faithful proclamation. He testifies that Cross of Grace has been praying, fasting, and sending for decades.
analogy · unit #21 — The pastor uses the map illustration again to show the gospel's unstoppable advance from Antioch to the present congregation in El Paso. The 'blue line' on the map continues to the present moment—God is saving right now in this very service. The gospel that saved Sergius is the same gospel saving people today.

Theological claims· 1

God at times spares the worst sinners, judging them temporarily and calling them to repent and believe in Jesus—His unyielding work both judges evil and saves sinners. unit #18

Quotations· 3

"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." — British Imperial War Museum (unit #3)

"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." — Winston Churchill (unit #3)

"When God invades the world with the glory of Christ, He does this through the local church." — Derek Overstreet (unit #7)

Read it

Full transcript

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0 · The pastor opens with self-deprecating humor about his tendency to preach longer than allotted time, establishing rapport with the congregation and setting a light tone before the sermon proper begins

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.

1 · The pastor thanks the congregation for their prayers during his family's recent suffering—specifically his son and daughter-in-law's loss of a child—and reports that they are doing better than they have in a year, testifying to God's sustaining grace through grief

Oh, 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 By looking 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.

2 · The pastor addresses potential visitors, clarifying that the congregation's family-like care for one another is not exclusive but is the nature of the church as the family of God, welcoming outsiders into that reality

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.

3 · The pastor recounts the sustained German bombing campaign against Britain in WWII and Churchill's famous exhortation to the boys at Harrow School to 'never give in,' setting up a cultural reference point for endurance under relentless attack

I snagged the following brief from the British Imperial War Museum site: 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 May 10th and 11th, 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.

4 · The pastor names the human problem the sermon will address: unlike Churchill's exhortation to never give in, we are tempted to give in when life's relentless attacks pile up—grief, pain, failure, loss, fear, and anxiety

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.

5 · The pastor states the sermon's main thesis: God's unyielding work is the salvation of His people and the exaltation of Jesus through the local church, and nothing will stop it

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.

6 · The pastor reads the primary text (Acts 12:24-13:12, read as 14:24-13:12 in error) and prays for the unconverted to see Jesus and believe, for the congregation to be changed by the living word, and for Jesus to be exalted in the preaching

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 proconsol 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 Jesus. Like Christ. Jesus, be exalted in the preaching of your word. Amen. Amen. You may be seated.

7 · The pastor introduces his three-point structure and begins exposition of the first point: God works through the local church

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. 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. 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 the this local church. And the Holy Spirit speaks in their gathering those words that we heard. 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. Amen. 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.

8 · The pastor expounds the nature of the Antioch church from verses 2-3, noting their dependence on God (worship, prayer, fasting) and their obedience to God (laying hands on and sending Barnabas and Saul)

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.

9 · The pastor shares his own conversion story as a teenager when Chuck Mosley preached the gospel to him, illustrating how the Spirit works through the local church's faithful proclamation

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." 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.

10 · The pastor directly addresses Chuck Mosley, thanking him for decades of pastoral faithfulness and presence with the Wilkins family and the church

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. 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.

11 · The pastor exposits verses 4-5, establishing that God sends out called men on mission

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.

12 · The pastor establishes that the mission God gives is the proclamation of the word of God—the good news of Jesus Christ who came to save sinners

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.

13 · The pastor transitions from the first point (God's work through the local church) to the second point (God's work is opposed), warning that this section of the text is not happy

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.

14 · The pastor exposits verses 6-8, identifying the magician Elymas as a false prophet practicing occult magic

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. 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's 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 prior— excuse me, it's Satan's number one priority anyway, is to come against the message of Jesus. 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. 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.

15 · The pastor transitions from the second point (God's work opposed) to the third and climactic point (God's work is unyielding), signaling the turn toward resolution and hope in verses 9-12

Now we've looked at God's work. It'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.

16 · The pastor exposits verses 9-11, showing that God's unyielding work empowers Paul through the Holy Spirit's filling to stand against Satan

God's work is unyielding. 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. Verse 9, the Holy Spirit fills Paul to stand down Satan. Verse 10, God judges the magician and, um, and not the other way around. Verse 11, God blinds the false prophet in utter darkness.

17 · The pastor highlights the surprise in verse 11: Elymas is blinded 'for a time'—left alive rather than killed

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. 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. 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.

18 · The pastor articulates a theological principle derived from the text: God sometimes judges sinners temporarily rather than finally, afflicting them to call them to repentance

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.

19 · The pastor exposits verse 12: Sergius believed after seeing God's judgment on Elymas and hearing the teaching of the Lord

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. 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 resched— 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 are no, uh, 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.

20 · The pastor applies the salvation of Sergius evangelistically: if nothing stopped God from saving Sergius, He can save anyone present

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. 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 and 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.

21 · The pastor uses the map illustration again to show the gospel's unstoppable advance from Antioch to the present congregation in El Paso

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. 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. 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. Amen. It comes here providentially right now. God is saving right now.

22 · The pastor applies the sermon corporately: God saves individuals to put them in the church

If I could have the band join me so that I don't break my 30-minute limit. 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 in 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. 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. 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 gonna yield, no matter how dark it seems.

23 · The pastor concludes by reading Romans 8:31-37, returning to the Blitz illustration to ask if there is a 'lightning war' in the listener's faith

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. 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.

24 · The pastor closes by calling the congregation to stand for prayer

If you would stand with me, let's pray together.

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The Gospel Mission Advances No Matter What

August 7 · This sermon

God's Unyielding Work

The unyielding work of God is the salvation of his people and our exaltation of Jesus through the local church, and nothing is going to stop it.

Acts 13:1-12

Take it further

Discuss · apply · pray

Small groups

6 discussion questions

In Acts 13:1-3, what does the description of the Antioch church—praying, fasting, and listening to the Holy Spirit—tell us about how God ini…

Daily readings

5-day reading plan

This week we trace God's unyielding work through the cross-references that illuminate how His salvation cannot be stopped—by satanic opposition, by human resistance, or by our own wavering faith.

Prayer

The Unyielding Work of Salvation

Father, we come before You in awe of Your sovereign and unyielding work of salvation. You have set Your purpose to exalt Jesus Christ throug…

Family table

What Stops God's Work?

This card invites your family to wrestle with the core claim of the sermon: God's work of saving people and exalting Jesus cannot be stopped…

Couples

God's Unyielding Work in Our Marriage

What did you hear about God's power and faithfulness in this sermon, and how did it stir your own heart toward trust in Jesus?…

Memorize

Acts 13:12

This verse crystallizes the sermon's central claim: God's unyielding work of salvation cannot be stopped by satanic opposition, and it results in sinners seeing God's power and believing in Jesus. The proconsul's belief demonstrates that the gospel mission originating in the local church (Acts 13:1-3) overcomes all resistance and accomplishes its purpose of exalting Christ.

Couples · three questions over coffee

God's Unyielding Work in Our Marriage

What did you hear about God's power and faithfulness in this sermon, and how did it stir your own heart toward trust in Jesus?
Where do we as a couple need to believe that God's work cannot be stopped—perhaps in a pattern of sin we're fighting, a trial we're facing, or a witness we're called to give together?
What is one specific way you'd like me to pray for you this week, trusting that God's unyielding grace is at work in your life?

Draft · pending review

Memory verse this week

Acts 13:12

When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Why this verse: This verse crystallizes the sermon's central claim: God's unyielding work of salvation cannot be stopped by satanic opposition, and it results in sinners seeing God's power and believing in Jesus. The proconsul's belief demonstrates that the gospel mission originating in the local church (Acts 13:1-3) overcomes all resistance and accomplishes its purpose of exalting Christ.

Draft · pending review

Small-group discussion

6 questions for your group this week

In Acts 13:1-3, what does the description of the Antioch church—praying, fasting, and listening to the Holy Spirit—tell us about how God initiates His missionary work through the local church?

Acts 13:1-3

→ What would change in our own church if we approached our mission and witness with that same posture of prayer, fasting, and attentiveness to the Spirit?
When Elymas the sorcerer opposed Paul and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith, what does his opposition reveal about the nature of spiritual resistance to the gospel?

Acts 13:8; John 8:43-44
The sermon emphasizes that God's judgment on Elymas—blindness—was both a rebuke of his opposition and a merciful call to repentance rather than immediate destruction. What does this tell us about God's character and His persistence in saving sinners?

Acts 13:10-11

→ How does understanding God's judgment as a merciful restraint change the way we think about His sovereignty over opposition we face?
Look at Acts 13:12 alongside the sermon's claim that 'God saves sinners not merely for their rescue but so they will exalt Christ.' What evidence do you see in this verse that the proconsul's conversion was about more than just personal salvation?

Acts 13:12
The sermon teaches that 'God's unyielding work will not yield to persistent sin or to trials and suffering.' As you reflect on your own faith journey, where have you experienced God's power to sustain you even when opposition or difficulty seemed overwhelming?

Romans 8:31-37

→ What would it mean for your confidence in Christ this week to truly believe that nothing can stop God's work in your life and in our church?
If God's unyielding work of salvation through the local church is unstoppable, how should that reality reshape our prayers, our witness, and our faithfulness as members of Cross of Grace?

Matthew 28:18-20

Draft · pending review

Daily readings · Monday–Friday

5-day reading plan

This week we trace God's unyielding work through the cross-references that illuminate how His salvation cannot be stopped—by satanic opposition, by human resistance, or by our own wavering faith.

Monday Romans 8:31-37

Paul's rhetorical crescendo—"If God is for us, who can be against us?"—establishes the theological foundation for what we witnessed in Acts 13: the proconsul's salvation was not a surprise victory, but the inevitable fruit of God's declared purpose. When we grasp that nothing in all creation can separate us from Christ's love, we understand why satanic opposition crumbles before the unyielding work of God.

Tuesday John 8:43-44

Jesus's words about the devil as a liar and murderer illuminate why Elymas sought to turn Sergius Paulus away from faith—satanic work always operates through deception and the obstruction of saving truth. Yet in Acts 13, we see that the devil's cunning is no match for the Spirit's power: God judges the deceiver while the proconsul's eyes are opened to behold Christ's glory.

Wednesday Genesis 3:1

From the serpent's "Did God really say?" in Eden to Elymas's opposition in Cyprus, we see the devil's strategy unchanged—to sow doubt about God's goodness and authority. The unyielding work of God is not threatened by this ancient tactic; rather, God's judgment on Elymas and the salvation of Sergius Paulus demonstrate that His word endures and His purposes cannot be derailed by satanic lies.

Thursday Matthew 16:23

When Peter rebuked Jesus and Jesus called him "Satan," He did not destroy Peter but rebuked him sharply—a judgment that opened the way for repentance and faith. Similarly, Elymas's blindness was not final destruction but a merciful sign that called him toward the gospel. God's unyielding work includes both judgment and the persistent offer of grace to even the most resistant sinners.

Friday Matthew 28

The risen Christ's commission to make disciples of all nations shows that salvation's ultimate purpose is the exaltation of Jesus and the glad response of redeemed hearts to His majesty. When Sergius Paulus believed, he joined the movement begun in Jerusalem and continued through Antioch—a movement whose sole aim is that every tongue confess Christ's lordship. We, too, are saved and sustained by God's unyielding work not for comfort alone, but to become witnesses to His unstoppable grace.

Draft · pending review

Pray together this week

The Unyielding Work of Salvation

Father, we come before You in awe of Your sovereign and unyielding work of salvation. You have set Your purpose to exalt Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the gospel in and through Your local church, and nothing—no opposition, no scheme of the enemy, no power in heaven or on earth—can thwart what You have determined to accomplish (Acts 13:4, Romans 8:31). We marvel at Your character: You are the God who both judges evil and calls sinners to repentance, who restrains the wicked even as You open hearts to believe.

Yet we confess our tendency to doubt Your power when opposition rises against us. We grow weary in witness; we hesitate to speak Christ's name; we fear that the schemes of those who resist the gospel might prevail. We forget that the same God who struck Elymas blind and opened the proconsul's eyes to faith is the same God who reigns over all things now. Our faith falters, and our courage dims, even though we belong to a people whose mission cannot be stopped.

In the gospel, we have been given the full assurance of Christ's victory. You have already secured our salvation through His finished work and His resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28). The same Spirit who empowered the church in Antioch to fast, pray, and obey (Acts 13:1-3) dwells within us and moves through our gathered witness today. We are not orphaned or abandoned to the world's opposition; we are indwelt by the very power that will bring all things to their appointed end in Christ's exaltation.

Grant us, we pray, a deepening conviction that Your unyielding work will not yield to the persistent opposition we face. Give us boldness to proclaim Christ, knowing that He alone is worthy of exaltation and that no false prophet, no earthly power, no trial or suffering can stop the advance of His gospel through Cross of Grace and every faithful church. Make us a people who trust Your sovereignty, who pray and fast and obey with the urgency of those who know that the salvation of the lost and the glory of Jesus Christ are worth any cost. And when we are tempted to despair, remind us that You have proven Yourself unyielding in judgment and mercy alike—judging sin while calling sinners to repentance and faith.

We commit ourselves anew to You this week, asking that You would make us instruments of Your unstoppable mission. To You, O God, be all glory and praise, for the work of salvation is Yours, and You will complete it.

Draft · pending review

Sunday-evening family table

What Stops God's Work?

For the parent

This card invites your family to wrestle with the core claim of the sermon: God's work of saving people and exalting Jesus cannot be stopped. Set it up by briefly recalling the moment in the sermon when the false prophet Elymas tried to block the proconsul from believing—and failed. Then ask the prompt.

In the sermon, we heard about a man named Elymas who tried really hard to stop Paul from telling the proconsul about Jesus. But God's work didn't stop. What are some things in our own lives—things we're worried about, or things that seem like they're in the way—that we wonder might stop God from doing His work? And after hearing this sermon, why do you think we don't have to be afraid of those things?

Works for ages 7+—younger kids can listen and name simple worries; older kids and teens will grasp the deeper question about God's sovereignty over obstacles.

Draft · pending review

Where this was preached

About the church

Cross of Grace Church

About us · What we believe

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# Cross of Grace Church

A church preaching expository sermons through the books of the Bible.

## Sermons
- [Forgiven Much (Luke 7:36-50, 2021-08-29)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/08/forgiven-much)
- [In A Little While (Haggai 2:1-9, 2021-10-17)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2021/10/in-a-little-while)
- [The Gospel Mission Advances No Matter What (2022-01-23)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/01/the-gospel-mission-advances-no-matter-what)
- [God's Unyielding Work (Acts 13:1-12, 2022-08-07)](/CoGElPaso/sermons/2022/08/god-s-unyielding-work)

## About
- [About the church](/about)
- [Plan a visit](/visit)

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