Let it be known

Rev. Andrew Hunt, III

Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Acts 13:16–43

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Let it be known

Let it be known…

“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.”

(1) Let it be known… that Jesus forgives sins

The teaching here begins with these arresting words: ‘Let it be known to you therefore, brothers’ this is the expression that Peter used in his sermon at Pentecost.

, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.”

, “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.”

, “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

This phrase “Let it be known to you”, is use by Peter and Paul to gain the attention of those they are speaking to as well as to command them to take to heart what is being said. Let it be known means that the information that is being presented is valuable, worthy of deep thought, and that it is understandable and truth.

Here Paul is proclaiming that everyone should known that there is a man, there is one, who has the power to forgive sins. , says it this way, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” And that man, that one, and that name is the Jesus Christ our Lord, the Son of God who is our atonement for sins and through His sacrifice on the Cross justifies us.

The Greek (dikaioō) is often translated “justified” and means “to declare innocent, to justify.”

The Jews sought to deal with their sin through living by the Law of Moses. But the law cannot free a person from sin, not only because all people fail to keep it but also because it was never designed to bring about effective atonement for sins, teaches us that

, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

The passage teaches that only the one who believes in Christ and His saving sacrifice is free from sin and acceptable to God.

The Gospel in the OT: Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Habakkuk. Gives us the understanding that any attempt to be justified by the law always leads to a curse, for righteousness comes only by faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

All those indwelt by the Holy Spirit enjoy the blessing of Abraham. Paul had just spoken in about “those of faith who are sons of Abraham” implying that being a son is not enough unless you are a son by faith; now he moves to those who rely on works of the law. They find themselves in the situation that Paul talked about in

, “For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.”

Paul understood that if he rebuilt the house of “law,” with its demands and condemnation his efforts would have only confronted and confounded him. Paul knew that those still attached to law-observance were exactly this position.

They have failed to obey the law, and so they stood under the curse on unfaithful Israel. They stood in stark contrast to Abraham and all believers, who are blessed. The history of Israel and human experience demonstrates that all fall short of what God demands, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and that all are therefore under the “curse,” because no one is able to keep everything commanded in “the law.”

We see that the OT itself points out that righteousness cannot be achieved through the law, as illustrates, when it says,

, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

In Paul uses to show that the law is not of faith. It shows that we should keep God’s statues and commands and if we do we will live. In the Mosaic covenant, salvation was through faith in God’s promise and his atonement, culminating in the Messiah.

But now that the new covenant has come, those who insist on the entrance requirements of the old covenant do not have the benefit of sacrifices, so they must “do” all that the Mosaic law requires in order to “live” eternally. But If we accept through faith that Jesus Christ has paid it all then there is nothing left for us to pay. But if we denied Christ and his sovereign sufficiency, then we must pay for own way to salvation by keeping every law perfectly.

So the divine curse is the result of disobedience. But the burden of the curse has been lifted by Christ’s work on the cross.

Paul says in, , have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

Paul understood that Christ’s death was for him personally and we must understand Christ’s death was for us personally as well. Now we see Paul focuses on Christ’s substitutionary work for others. Christ hanging on a tree not only brought blessing to Israel but took place so that … the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles as well. The coming of the Spirit in new power is one of the central benefits of the new age brought in by Christ. As , says, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, ‘I am the LORD's, ’another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD's,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.”

Paul now teaches in our text at , “…that through this man forgiveness if sins is proclaimed to you.” As believers not only do we have forgiveness of sins, but also the living presence of God within us. Like Peter in 10:43, Paul proclaims ‘through Jesus there is the forgiveness of sins’, but there is no offer of the gift of the Holy Spirit, nor a challenge about baptism in the name of Jesus. We must assume that Luke has given us an abbreviated version of what was said and remember that there was further teaching about the gospel and all of its implications throughout the week and on the next Sabbath which we will deal with next week (vv. 42–44).

But two things are particularly striking about this offer of forgiveness: first, its comprehensive and definitive nature and, second, its provision through Jesus.

A Jewish audience may well have wondered why they needed such forgiveness, but John the Baptist’s preaching had made it especially clear that ‘all the people of Israel’ needed to express a radical repentance, to be ready to meet their God. Look at what John says in , “ 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.”

Furthermore, the prophets had promised definitive forgiveness and cleansing as an essential part of the renewal of Israel in the end time. Look at what Jeremiah says in , “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ from the least of them to the greatest, declared the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

God will finally remedy the long-standing problem of his people, namely, that they are circumcised in body but so few are circumcised in heart, and because of this so few truly know the LORD. The benefits that God will provide—knowledge of the Lord and forgiveness—were all offered in the OT but all-too-rarely appropriated.

There will be no need for a faithful remnant within the covenant people to teach the unfaithful majority to know God, for all covenant partners will know him. This covenant will include only those who know him, and he will remember their sin no more.

, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

The restoration of God’s reputation first requires the external renovation of his people. God’s actions are naturally sequential: (1) gathering and return (v. 24) (2) precede cleansing (v. 25). Purification with clean water echoes God’s earlier cleansing of his people (16:4, 9) and once again relates to ritual cleansing in the Mosaic law (cf., e.g., ; ; ). The reference to cleansing by sprinkling “clean water on you” recalls the cleansing by sprinkling for touching a dead body (, ), perhaps suggesting that the idols of are comparable to dead things. This picture of cleansing by water should be seen as the background to Jesus’ words in , “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. You also could compare it to the mention of “my Spirit” in . Thus, Ezekiel’s prophecy refers both to outward cleansing by a ceremony and to inward, spiritual cleansing. God’s initiative moves from external to internal with the gift of a new heart and new spirit.

, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

according to the fruit of his deeds.”

The outer purification will be no use without the inner disposition to live rightly before God (36:27).

The connection of “water” (v. 25) and “Spirit” (v. 27) lies behind . I will put my Spirit within you predicts an effective inward working of God in the “new covenant.”

The provision of such forgiveness through Jesus is a consequence of his exalted, eschatological status. Look at Luke for a moment, , “On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

Let it be known, my brothers and sisters that Jesus and Jesus alone has the power to forgive sins, by His will and not our will.

Free will carried many a soul to hell, but never a soul to heaven."

- Charles Spurgeon "The Bible teaches that God is completely in control of what happens in history and yet he exercises that control in such a way that human beings are responsible for their freely chosen actions and the results of those actions. Human freedom and God's direction of historical events are therefore completely compatible. To put it more practically and vividly The significance of this forgiveness is elaborated by means of the language of justification by faith, bringing the conclusion of this sermon close to the argument of some of Paul’s letters.

,“And by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” In Paul letters, he mostly uses the language of justification in a forensic sense, making it clear from the beginning.

, “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

This all involves a non-imputation of sin and a positive reckoning of righteousness to the ungodly because of Christ’s atoning work. In the same passage, Paul shows the close relation between forgiveness and justification by citing

, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

Justification is no legal fiction but ‘an act of forgiveness on God’s part, described in terms of the proceedings of a court of law.’ The simple expression in a, ‘And by him everyone who believes and free…”

Pastor, how are they free? They are free in Christ Jesus, whom the Son sets free are free indeed. Because we know that the law cannot free a person from sin, because all people fail to keep the law; the law was never designed to bring about an effective atonement for sins. Only those who believe in Christ and his saving sacrifice are free from sin and acceptable to God.

This unusual application of the verb “free” finds a parallel in

, “For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Justification sets people free from the service of sin, so that they can offer themselves to God as ‘instruments of righteousness’.

In , Paul proclaims that faith in Jesus Christ sets people free from the penalty and control of all those things from which it was impossible to find release in or by the law of Moses. This shows the ineffectiveness of the law to achieve a satisfactory atonement for our sins and a way of moral transformation, so that believers might truly serve God. Our faith in Christ is the only vehicle of transportation, which leads to transformation.

Such justification and renewal is now available for everyone who believes, who trusts in the promises of the gospel and relies on the saving work of Christ that makes it possible.

It is a fact that the Lord Jesus has already died for you. It is also a fact that you have already died with the Lord Jesus. If you do not believe in your death with Christ, you will not be able to receive the effectiveness of His death for you, which is - freedom from sin. (2) Let it be known that Jesus is at work.

Following the challenge to believe, receive forgiveness, justification and freedom through Christ, now comes a warning based on . Paul uses the prophet’s words as representative of a whole series of warnings to Israel in Scripture, , “Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about.” The Lord addresses the contemporaries of Habakkuk through the prophet, accusing them of being scoffers who are about to perish Acts13: 41a, “Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish...” These scoffers will perish in the approaching attack of the Chaldeans because they are unbelievers at heart. Unbelievers who remain unconvinced about God and His purposes. They will remain stubborn in the face of God’s mighty actions in history and the reporting of these events is being received in a spirit of unbelief.

Unbelief, though clearly Jesus is still at work, listen to the text (“…For I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you”). The immediate relevance of these words to Paul’s audience in Pisidia is clear.

What God has done in their days is to fulfill the messianic promises by raising Jesus from death.

Paul has proclaimed this to them and offered them the forgiveness, justification and freedom achieved by Christ in his death and resurrection. But they must choose to accept and believe in what Christ as done through faith in Him. They must decide ‘which side of the prophetic cause they will embrace.

Will they chose that of the scornful opponents of Jesus, like those of Jerusalem? Or will they chose that of the believing disciples, like Paul and associates? If they do not believe, they will perish in the coming judgment of God.

As we look back over the three parts of Paul’s sermon, we cannot fail to notice its similarity to the outline of the apostolic kerygma which appears in , “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received; that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Here, as there, we find the same four events: he died, was buried, was raised and was seen—together with the same insistence that both the major ones, his death and resurrection, were ‘according to the Scriptures’. The structure is also practically identical with that of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, in which we detected the gospel events (the cross and the resurrection), the gospel witnesses (Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles), the gospel promises (the new life of salvation in Christ, through the Spirit) and the gospel conditions (repentance and faith).

, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst.”

Paul moved to his distinctly Christian appeal, at this point distancing himself from the philosophers. When he speaks to the fact that has God ‘overlooked’ he means that God did not bring immediate judgment to the world as in previous times. Yet Paul warns of a coming judgment in the very next verse. In , Paul tells us that God will judge the world meaning that God will hold all people accountable, even these philosophers in Athens for their disobedience and unbelief. And that He has given this task to the same one which, he has raise from the dead. Jesus is not just a religious teacher Jesus is God the Son. The resurrection of Jesus is at the center of God’s plan for history and is the basis for hope in the future resurrection of our bodies, , “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:“ Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The resurrection of Christ is also a central evidence to persuade people to believe in Christ. Most importantly, the resurrection placed Jesus at God’s right hand, showing his authority to be the judge and the giver of salvation that Paul is describing

The truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of gospel truth. The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which any of the other truths would much matter. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be so much wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation. Remember that grace and truth cannot finally be crucified. Remember that all the high things that make humanity beautiful cannot be forever laid in the dust, spattered with blood. And most of all, remember that Jesus who rose from the dead, rose to pour out His Holy Spirit into human lives, and, by that Spirit, to make available to any individual all the fullness of Himself, twenty-four hours a day.

(3) Let it be known that Jesus continues in the grace of God. As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. Their initial desire to learn more is impressive, especially in view of what happens in verses 44–45, 49–50. Although the congregation as a whole could not be addressed until the next Sabbath, Luke indicates that, when the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas. It is strange that Luke talks about many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism, when previously he has Paul addressing Jews and God-fearing Gentiles (vv. 16, 26). It appears that devout converts are specifically mentioned with the Jews in v. 43 because Luke is stressing that many of the most orthodox members of the congregation were persuaded by Paul’s argument at this stage. As converts to Judaism (cf. 2:10; 6:5), the males may have been circumcised and their families may have undergone a ceremonial cleansing similar to baptism. Given the enthusiastic response of Gentiles to the gospel signaled in vv. 44–48, we are expected to conclude that God-fearers in the synagogue were also keen to learn more about the message they had just heard. Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles subsequently had to include God-fearers in a context outside the synagogue, together with those who had no previous contact with Judaism. Another point of interest is Luke’s statement that Paul and Barnabas talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. The verb to continue (prosmenein) implies that they had arrived at place in the hearts and mind that there was a clear apprehension of the grace of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ through Paul’s preaching. Both Paul and Barnabas encourage them to remain faithful to what they had heard through the grace of God.

Look at , “But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.”

To continue in the grace of God is to ‘continue with the Lord’; ‘continue in the faith’. The grace of God refers to the action of continuing in the sacrifice of seeking and being seeded with the word of God, of planting and preaching the word of God and teaching and taking the word of God to all who will hear. The people desired to continue and learn more about the gospel, because the word of God changes hearts and minds.

As evidenced by the many recurrences, the term “heart” is a very important word because God is so deeply concerned about the inner man or the condition of the heart.

says “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

The heart represents the total response of a person to life around him or her and to the religious and moral demands of God. Hardness of heart thus describes a negative condition in which the person ignores, spurns, or rejects the gracious offer of God to be a part of his or her life. The Scriptures speak on this in a variety of ways and tell us emphatically that God weighs the motives of the heart.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of stubborn hearts, hardened hearts, hearts that are far from God. He also speaks of evil in the heart. Ultimately the hardness of the human heart can only be repaired by the grace of God. Only Christ can bring about the transformation that is so desperately needed. It is he who can restore us, by taking away our heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh (). If we need a new heart from God, we can have one through faith in the Lord Jesus. What indicates that need? As sinners, all of us need a new heart. We know God’s plan for change begins with regeneration and continues through sanctification. We need our minds renewed because we can be quickly taken captive by the world (). Lasting change comes through the word of God and only God can change the heart. His grace is what teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age ().

We need a new heart!

The Prophet Ezekiel makes several references about a “new heart” (e.g., ; ). An oft-quoted verse is where God says, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” We need a new heart!

So what does this mean that we need a new heart?

Ezekiel’s mention of the people of Israel someday getting a “new heart” is a foreshadowing of the change that takes place at salvation through faith in Christ. and refer to it as “new nature”, “new self,” “new man” and “new creation.” created to be like God--truly righteous and holy which only come with a new heart.

We need a new heart!

When you contrast the new heart with the old heart certain flaws and fact are revealed. The old heart is alienated from God; the new heart cleaves to God with supreme affection of love. The old heart is sold under sin; the new heart is redeemed from all iniquity. The old heart is attended by carnal-mindedness, which is death; the new heart by spiritual-mindedness, which is life and peace. God gives this new heart; it effects an entire change in us. There are new purpose of life, new understanding about life, new destiny and new attributes of character consequent upon the desires, affections, and function of a new heart.

We need a new heart!

The human heart was created to mirror God’s own heart. Throughout Scripture the change in the heart is ascribed to God.

It is the work of Omnipotence. Someone whom God has given a new heart behaves differently. The Gospel gives you the power to give up (put off) your sinful desires and replaces them with the fruit of the Spirit. This must begin in the heart (mind) first. You must choose to renew your mind. Every area in your life will be different when your hearts desires are changed (; ).

Dr. R.C. Sproul has said that the biblical doctrine of salvation can be summed up effectively in three words: regeneration precedes faith, without regeneration, we cannot trust Christ and be united to Him, and if we are not united to Christ, we cannot be justified, sanctified, and glorified. Biblical Christianity centers in an inward, intimate walk with God by faith. Anything else is nothing more than religious hypocrisy. For instance, Jesus teaches us that adultery and murder begin in the heart. You may not have literally committed adultery, but if you look at a woman or a man with that in view, you have already committed adultery. Where? In your heart! (Mathew 5:28). Our walk with God is always a matter of the heart. However, as one of the consequences of the fall, people look on the outward appearance. God, however, is always concerned with the heart, with the reality and condition of what is on the inside. Why? Because if the inside of the cup is clean, so will be the outside. One of the goals of the Christian life is the formation of Christ like character, the character of Christ formed in our lives We need a new heart to continue in the grace of God.

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