(Message given at Faith Church on April 22, 2007, 1:30pm)
INTRODUCTION
What we see in today’s passage are two people called by God and sent by the Holy Spirit to RUN TO THE BATTLE.
What I mean by that is first, “RUN.” We see Barnabas and Saul not milling around thinking about “should I or shouldn’t I.” They are not taking their sweet time making sure all their affairs are in order. Figuratively, they were not walking. They were running.
And they were running “TO.” We see them not running away from or running around. They knew where they had to go and so they ran “TO.”
And they were running to “THE BATTLE.” As you will see, they knew exactly what they were running to. They knew the heartaches and the hardships. They knew that they were running into “THE BATTLE.”
That is why today’s message is titled “Run to the Battle.” I am going to unpack today’s passage but before we go through them, I want you to clearly understand what I believe.
I believe all of you who profess to be a Christian, if God has truly called you into a saving faith, with that you are also called to run to the battle. To be people who live out their earthly lives going where God calls them to go, doing whatever God calls them to do.
So I believe Sideline Christian is an oxymoron. There is no bench warming. There is no just watching the battle for true Christians.
Therefore, when I say run to the battle. I am just merely describing what a God-glorifying, Jesus loving Spirit-empowering life looks like. I am not “suggesting” that you run to the battle as if I am saying that it is an option for us to take or not take. This is the life of a Christ-follower.
I just wanted you to know what I believe. Now, some body here might say, “But Sean, I am struggling. I believe I am a Christian, but I don’t see my life as running into the battle. Nor do I even want to.” “How do I make my heart want to run to the battle?” To that, let me answer this way.
You cannot make your heart want to do something. You can force your body to do something but not your heart.
But here is what you can do. Do what Barnabas, Saul, and the other people were doing in verses 1-3.
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. Acts 13:1-3 (ESV)
Love God, worship God, be with God, seek God, pray and ask others to pray for you, and etc. And not because you have earned it but because of His grace, what will happen is that the Holy Spirit will minister and reveal to you how beautiful and glorious God is.
Then, and only then, you will want to run to the battle. In fact, no one can stop you.
Let’s unpack today’s passage. And we are going to see four things about running into the battle. First, we see that Barnabas and Saul are running into a …
1. Great Mission (Vs. 4-5)
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. Acts 13:4-5 (ESV)
In Acts 13:4 we read that Barnabas and Saul were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit. Not only were they sent by the church, but they were also sent by the Holy Spirit. This is an important point. Human leaders may lead us into ministries and places, but if the Holy Spirit does not lead us, we will fail. Conversely, when the Holy Spirit sends us, he goes with us, for Jesus Christ said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
No matter what ministry we are called to, we must not focus on whether or not we have the know-how, the resources, or whatever we think we need. Rather, we need to focus on whether or not the Holy Spirit is leading us. If the Holy Spirit is with us, he will take care of all our needs. God will accomplish what He needs to accomplish.
However, that does not mean that we sit and twiddle our thumbs. The Spirit of God sends us out. He does not drag us or deceive us, but sends us by calling. And look at the next part of the verse.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. Acts 13:4-5 (ESV)
They went; they sailed. In other words, they obeyed.
Now, we could just say, “cool.” But we must look at where they went. Where did they go?
Cyprus was known as the isle of commerce. Very busy island because of its location. It was a shipping lane between Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece. It was also a trade center of many things.
However Cyprus was also known as the isle of happiness. Why, you might ask. On the one hand, it was because of great weather and other abundance the residents and travelers enjoyed. On the other hand, the island was known for temple prostitutes. There was a temple of Aphrodite, or Venus in the capital city of Paphos where people could engage in cultic prostitution. Ironically, one of the nicknames for Cyprus was, “the Happy Isle.”
Before Barnabas and Saul went to Cyprus, do you think they knew where they were running into? Of course they did. Because Barnabas was from Cyprus.
So when they knew that God was leading them to Cyprus, they must have thought, “God, are you sure.” We must see that their obedience to God included clearly knowing where and what they were running into.
And they also clearly knew what their mission was.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. Acts 13:4-5 (ESV)
They did not go there for a sunny holiday. They did not go there to do some commerce. They definitely did not go to Cyprus to “hang out” at the temple.
Into this place of deep moral darkness, Barnabas and Saul went to shine the light of the gospel. Into this place where pleasure is proclaimed to the number one goal, they went to proclaim the Word of God.
This was a great mission and brothers and sisters in Christ, God too has called us to this same great mission. However, with great mission, there is always …
2. Grim Opposition (Vs. 6-8)
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 with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who 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. Acts 13:6-8 (ESV)
In Paphos the missionaries met the Jewish sorcerer and false prophet Bar-Jesus. This guy was not a clown doing a magic show at a kid’s birthday party. Bar-Jesus was a well-known sorcerer. Who worked for the proconsul (like a mayor), Sergius Paulus.
The Bible says Sergius Paulus was a very intelligent man and it seems to me that he was thoroughly dissatisfied by the trickery, hollow philosophies and deceit of these retainers. This prominent Roman official invited the missionaries to preach the word of God to him.
At this point Saul and Barnabas began to experience serious opposition in their missionary venture. There will always be opposition, inspired by Satan, in the world against the gospel.
This opposition came through Bar-Jesus. Bar-Jesus means “son of salvation” or “son of Jesus.” But Bar-Jesus had another name, Elymas, which means “skillful one,” or “sorcerer.” As we just said, Bar-Jesus was a Jewish magician and false prophet, a man who pretended to be a source of divine revelation.
It seems like Luke writing this account wants the reader to know that this magician says he is Bar-Jesus but his real name is Elymas.
History had always had false prophets. We see such false prophets throughout the history of Israel, such as the four hundred false prophets of Baal who stood against the prophet Elijah. Jesus warned against false prophets.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15 (ESV)
As an attendant of Sergius Paulus, Bar-Jesus knew he could lose his income if Sergius Paulus became a Christian, so he began to vigorously oppose the missionaries and tried to turn the proconsul from the gospel.
In our obedience to the Spirit of God, there will always be opposition. Opposition that may even seem grim. As we move forward, … Not enough money, not enough people pitching in, not enough of this or that.
This is very much the situation in our lives. There is always temptation to be down about our situation. That is not the Spirit of God speaking but another spirit.
Here is the Good News. No matter how grim the opposition might be, we have the …
3. Greatest Power (Vs. 9-11)
Because we have a great God who sends us out on a great mission. And with that we have the Holy Spirit.
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (ESV)
In the midst of what may seem like a grim opposition, the Holy Spirit came upon Paul. God’s Spirit will always come upon you the moment you need him, energizing you, guiding you and making you competent to meet the opposition. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul took charge of the situation.
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 righteousness, 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 mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Acts 13:9-11 (ESV)
First, Paul said, “You are a child of the devil,” or in the Greek, “a son of the devil.” In other words, the Holy Spirit was saying, “Bar-Jesus, despite your name, you are no son of Jesus. You are no son of salvation. You are a son of the devil!” Then he said, “You are an enemy of everything that is right.” Next he said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?”
How can we know if someone is a false prophet?
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:1-4 (ESV)
How can we know? Ask your selves, is Jesus the central message? Is the gospel of Jesus Christ the central message? Is Jesus the hero?
I am usually not overly concerned about cults because they are very obvious. But concern that I seem to have is when a Bible teacher or preacher stands and do not preach the gospel as recorded in God’s word.
Spirit through Paul and John says they are the sons of the devil, enemies of righteousness, perverters of the straight ways of God. (say this softly, humbly, and regrettably)
Every false prophet, every cult member, and every preacher who refuses to preach the gospel as given to us in the word of God, is rejected by God.
Just as Bar-Jesus was full of evil spirits, deceit, and trickery, Paul and Barnabas were full of the Holy Spirit and the gospel. The Holy Spirit empowered them to deal with the lies of Satan and his demonic power as manifested by Bar-Jesus.
The Holy Spirit came upon Paul, not to bless Bar-Jesus, but to curse him. Paul pronounced a curse, and Bar-Jesus was instantly blinded and totally defeated. Verse 11 tells us, “Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.”
Ironically, God blinds Elymas because he has been blinding others.
This was the triumph of the gospel over the lies of Satan, the triumph of the Holy Spirit over evil spirits, and the triumph of Christ over Satan in Cyprus.
4. Glorious Faith (Vs. 12)
Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Acts 13:12 (ESV)
The proconsul believed; “Pisteuo.”
With Bar-Jesus out of the way, Sergius Paulus could hear the gospel without hindrance and he believed in Jesus Christ.
I say GLORIOUS faith because this faith was made possible because of the Spirit of God. It was God who planned this. It was God who did this.
And I say glorious FAITH because through faith in Jesus Christ, He is glorified. So through Barnabas and Saul’s faith there were others who also came to faith. The will of God is that, through our faith, others will come to know Jesus as well. And humbly, maybe the will of God be that through our faith family, others in the Willowdale community will come to know Jesus as well.
What About You?
The gospel tells us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and we shall be saved. Would you do that today? Would you put away the idols of your heart – the stubbornness, the arrogance, the pride, the twistedness, the self-centeredness – and give your life over to Jesus Christ to serve him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength?
It is my prayer that you will be like Sergius Paulus – this intelligent man who welcomed the missionaries and their message. He realized the emptiness of all the trickery, the mystery religions and the philosophies offered by the world. By the grace of God, he was looking for something and he found the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And will you join us in running into the battle? Will you run to the battle?
The title of the sermon is taken from an old song that I use to listen to. As we close today, let me read (not sing) it for us and then I will pray.
RUN TO THE BATTLE
(Steve Camp)
Some people want to live
Within the sound of chapel bells
But I want to run a mission
A yard from the gates of Hell
And with everyone you meet
I'll take them the gospel and share it well
And look around you as you hesitate
For another soul just fell
Let's run to the battle
Run to the battle
Do you have your armor on
We're in the middle of a raging war
We've been training for so long
Have we learned to use His sword?
We may not be ready
But we serve a mighty Lord
And He's made us more than conquerors
So what are you waiting for?
Let's run to the battle
We got to run, run to the battle
He has trampled down the enemy
And has given us the victory
When we pray we learn to see
That His army
We are marching on our knees
There'll be times when we grow weak
Let's keep our faith alive
Let your faces shine with glory
For He's helped us to survive
And in that final hour
When you feel like you're ready to die
Will you hear the trumpet sound
Will you hear the warrior cry
Run to the battle
We got to run, run to the battle
Steve Camp
© 1981 Word Music (a div. of Word, Inc.)(ASCAP)
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