A Promise Made November 13th, 2022
Holy God, you speak words of challenge and words of comfort through the Scriptures. Send your Spirit to open our understanding to the word we need to hear this day, for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Living Word. Amen.
Last week we left our two missionaries, Barnabas and Saul, on the island of Cyprus, which is located off the southern coast of Turkey. We don’t hear much about Cyprus today, but back in the early 1960’s there was a great deal of unrest on that island between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority. At that time the United Nations sent a peacekeeping force to try to restore order and Canada made up a large part of that contingent. Things were precarious for a time but in the end, peace was restored. Tensions arose again in the middle 70’s when Turkey invaded the northern part of the island and annexed the territory. After a few weeks of fighting, a truce was called, and things finally settled down. But during the time Canada had troops stationed there, 28 Canadian soldiers lost their lives working to establish peace. With Remembrance Day having just been observed on Friday, it’s important to mention that this was one of many places Canadian lives have been lost fighting for peace.
Cyrus has had a long history, and centuries before we have Barnabas and Saul set to leave this island where they were spreading the word of God. They had been there preaching the gospel with great success. Not only did many people accept Christ as their Saviour but they also saw the governor of the island come to faith, something which would ensure the population’s commitment to Christianity.
But now it was time for them to depart. There were many other mission fields awaiting them and so they returned to the mainland. This is what Luke tells us, “Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.” This is a different Antioch from the one we heard about earlier in Acts, this one was known as Antioch Pisidia and was located in modern day western Turkey.
One thing that’s important to note comes from Luke’s words “Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos”. From this point on in the book of Acts Saul will mainly be referred to by his Roman name, Paul, as he was to become the main missionary to the Gentiles. We see that, in the New Testament books which he authored, he’s always called Paul. In addition, his name has started to be listed first, as Paul has taken over the lead role in these missionary journeys.
And now, upon entering the synagogue in Antioch, this is what took place, “After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.’”
So, Paul, as the newly designated leader, stood up and began what is his longest recorded sermon in the Bible. And the sermon which he gave can be divided into three parts, a promise given by God, God’s promise kept, and how we are to respond to this promise. This morning we’ll look at God’s promise made to mankind.
But before we do that let’s have a look at the importance of a promise. There are many expressions about promises, some good, “promise made, promise kept” and some not so good, “promises are made to be broken”. The act of making a promise is a major part of our lives. And some promises carry more weight than others, if someone says they’ll be somewhere the next day and they don’t show up, it’s annoying but it’s not the end of the world. But it does bother us greatly when someone we love and trust, fails to keep an important promise, such as, “I promise to love you in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, till death do us part.” When those kinds of promises are broken, it often leaves a trail of grief and pain. And it’s in that second group that God’s promises fall and if you’re going to entrust your soul for eternity to God, it is important to know that he always keeps his promises.
Also, we need to remember that even when we fail, God is waiting for us. And that’s where Paul begins his sermon, God’s promise of his undying love for all of mankind. He starts with these words, “‘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 uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years.’”
Paul begins by addressing the people in the synagogue. He starts with the fact that every Jew would have known and agreed with: God chose Abraham, who was destined to be the father of the Jewish people and promised him that his descendants would be his chosen ones. Much later he delivered them from captivity in Egypt and after spending forty years in the desert, he gave them their own land, which was Canaan. Paul reminds those listening in the synagogue just how rebellious and stubborn their ancestors were during those forty years wandering in the desert, he says, “‘And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.’” One can also read about Moses and his constant struggle with his people at that time to understand the true depth of God’s love and the truth of his promise to the Israelites, but that’s a story for another day.
Yet, despite their stubborn ways, God remained faithful in his promises. Paul said, “And after that 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 forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” The nation of Israel went through a series of rulers, a few of them good, but most of them failed to follow the word of the Lord and fell into the worship of the false idols of their neighbouring countries. Finally, God gave the Israelites faithful King David after a succession of lesser leaders. It was particularly David's heart for God, that resulted in his carrying out God's will, that Paul emphasized.
Paul then says, “‘Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised.’” Thus, it was from David’s lineage that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, would come. But before Paul introduces Jesus to those in the synagogue, he reminds them of the role which John the Baptist had to play in preparing Israel for the coming of their Messiah, he says, “‘Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’”
John was chosen by God to be the one who would announce to mankind that God’s promised offer of salvation to all was about to be fulfilled in the upcoming birth of his son, Jesus Christ. God had a specific task for John to perform. John's public ministry only lasted eighteen months. But what a year and a half it was, filled with the Spirit's power and preparing the way for the Messiah. Many thought that John was to be the chosen one, but John knew better, he was simply to be the messenger, not the Messiah.
As we approach once again the upcoming season of Advent, a time of preparation and celebration of the day when we mark the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, it is a good time to reflect on these words of God’s promise which Paul spoke to the people of Antioch so long ago. Certainly, God began his promise of salvation and life eternal with the people he chose, the nation of Israel. But through the coming of his son Jesus, born as a man, this promise has now been extended to all of mankind. And what an amazing life-changing promise from God, one that we should always remember. Just like the nation of Israel was, we too can be rebellious, hurtful, and chase after many false idols. But throughout history recorded in the Bible, God will always remain true to his promise of life eternal in his presence to those who come to repent, believe, and accept his son, Jesus, as their Lord and Saviour. Praise be to God.
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your incredible power and work in our lives and for your goodness and blessings over us. Thank you for your promises that speak peace, hope and love into our lives every day. Forgive us when we forget who you are and all that you do for us. During these days of Remembrance let us remember all those who went before us and gave their lives working to bring peace, hope and love to your people. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen