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Please stand for the reading of God's Word. I'll be reading from Isaiah 49. And while you're getting ready for that, I want to encourage you to bring out a bowl of chili to the chili cookout. Even if you don't think it's an award-winning chili, do like me. Bring a bowl of chili to serve the winner.

Make them feel like they've beat somebody. And so we need a lot of second, third, and fourth-place chilies out there to serve the winner. So please bring some out. Certainly, that's my chili. It serves the winner. Okay, Isaiah 49. I want to read verses 1 through 7 this morning and just reflect upon, it says Reformation Sunday, the day where we remember the significance of the Reformation and really the inbreaking once again of God's grace into the lives of the church in a major and dramatic way.

So let's think on these things. This is appropriate text. Isaiah 49, listen to me, O islands, and pay attention, you people from afar. The Lord called me from the womb. From the body of my mother, he named me. He has made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand, he has conceived.

Sealed me. And he has also made me a select arrow. He has hidden me in his quiver. He said to me, You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will show my glory. But I said, I have toiled in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity.

Yet surely the justice do me is with you, the Lord. And my reward is with my God. And now says the Lord who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring back to him, so that the Israel might be gathered to him. For I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God is my strength.

He says, It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also make you a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, to the despised one, to the one abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers, kings will see and arise. Princes will also bow down because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.

Heavenly Father, indeed, we bow our hearts today, knowing that you are the God of grace, who extends grace to you. All the nations. Father, it was in your plan to send your Son, testimony of your grace, the Redeemer in your grace, through whom and only through whom, Father, there is benefit and kindness, heavenly blessing from you to the peoples of the earth.

Father, we recognize that you did not put your Son out at charge, but you gave him freely. Just as you created us freely, it was your good pleasure to bring us into existence. It was also your good pleasure to redeem us, Father, because it is you who want a relationship with us.

And so, Father, it's in that knowledge that we come to you, your salvation alone, which is in Christ alone, and we access that through faith alone. Father, for the praise and glory of your great name and your name alone. So, Father, we are here this morning confessing our sins, handing our sins over to you, receiving in us, Father, the righteousness, the very righteousness of your Son.

So, Father, we pray that this news, this good news of your grace, would so illumine our hearts and waken our souls, Father, that we might sing your praise and exalt your Christ. For your glory forever and ever. Amen. Once again, good morning. Please turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 13.

I'll be looking at a rather large portion of scripture today. We're still in this introductory series to the book of Galatians, and I want to spend probably a couple more days, just a couple more, to finish. Because if you don't get your mind around what happens in Galatia when Paul and Barnabas preached there, if you don't get your mind around what happened there, you're going to not understand what the book of Galatians is all about.

It's Reformation Sunday, the day we remember the celebration of and rediscovery of God's grace. And as we go through this book of Galatians, or prepare our hearts to, it is a book that is really about defending the grace of God, the grace of the gospel. We've already looked that it is this whole mission of grace is under God's sovereign grace.

He's the one who initiated, he's the one who has grace above all. The lives that he has created. Man needs a Savior. So, in His mercy and goodness and grace, this overflow, He sends out this mission effort to the nations. We've been looking at God's sovereign grace in this mission, He's the one who initiated it.

He then saves Paul by His grace and makes Paul a monument to His grace, and then He makes Paul a missionary of His grace. And then He brings together this mission team of God's grace. And then they send Paul and Barnabas out to proclaim His grace. The mission trip itself that we are studying is a mission trip of God's grace.

He is orchestrating everything in it. There is a message of God's grace. We looked at that last time, and that message is very simply: Jesus Christ crucified, Jesus Christ resurrected, Jesus Christ exalted. That is the gospel. You need a Savior, I need a Savior. God responded by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified, so that our sins might be given to Him, put on Him, imputed to Him, so that that sin would be taken away.

But Christ was. Also resurrected. He could not stay in the tomb because there is life with God that goes on forever. And so, though your sins have been put on him, his righteousness and his life has been put in you, giving you life. But the good news doesn't stop there.

The good news is about Christ is to be exalted. And that is good news. You no longer have to serve under the realm and dominion of darkness. Your sins have been crucified. You have been crucified with Christ. You have been resurrected with Christ. And now you can live for Him for His glory.

This is the good news of God's grace. And now, this morning, I think it's very fitting that I address you, atheists, in the room. And you say, well, wait a second. I would venture to say that almost none of us in this room would sign an atheistic confession.

I mean, you're at church. We believe in God, right? Yet many of you, and I say this, I want to address you, many of you live as practical atheists. You live as if there is no gospel of grace. You live as if Christ hasn't been crucified and your sins have been taken away.

You live as if there is no resurrection and that there is no power for godly living and life with God that even exists. You live practically as if there were no resurrection. You live as if Christ isn't to be exalted because you exalt yourself. And it's to you I want to address today.

Get rid of that practical atheist within you. God is full of grace. And I am happy to announce to you today that after all the ways you have sinned in your life, even this past week, even yet this morning, I'm happy to announce to you that God still loves you.

I am also happy to announce not only does he still loves you, he loves you to the same degree as he loves his perfect son, Jesus Christ. That is the gospel. Jesus Christ sent to suffer in your place so that you could have your sins taken away, so that you may be delivered from this evil age.

This is the message. Christ crucified, Christ resurrected, Christ exalted. This is the message that Paul preached in Galatia. Listen. He's the One who will lead his people through the grave. We all turn back to dust, don't we? Just look over there. Look around. The empires themselves turn to dust, but his influence goes on forever.

And this is what Paul discovered. Our little kingdoms return to dust. We return to dust, but his influence is forever. Christ is forever. I'm happy to announce to you that God created you as an act of his grace, and he redeems you as an act of his grace.

And I'm also happy to announce to you this morning that this grace doesn't cease once you come into the door. We're not saved by grace, so then we have to turn around and maintain his favor by flawless obedience to his law. Oh, don't get me wrong, there's going to be conformity to his son, there's going to be conformity to his law, and that's what his discipline is about.

He's bringing us into conformity, but it is because of his grace that he brings about such conformity, because the very best thing that he can give you is Christ-likeness. He loves us too much to leave us in our sinful ways. And so he leads us out. And he puts his Son, Christ's likeness, in us.

And his grace continues. He calls you by grace. Salvation is by grace, but so is his sanctification. And his grace continues all the more through complete sanctification and will continue throughout eternity because God is a God of grace. We begin our lives by God's grace. We continue in God's grace.

And this is the message that was so wonderfully communicated when that gospel was first preached in Antioch, Pisidian Antioch. Look at Acts chapter 13. We'll pick up where we were last week. You remember that wonderful gospel. We'll be picking it up in verse 42. You remember that wonderful message in verse 38.

Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren, that through him forgiveness is proclaimed to you, and through him everyone who believes is freed from all things which you could not be freed. Through the law of Moses. Message. The gospel. And then we'll pick up this gospel that continues to be proclaimed in Galatia, verse 42.

As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now, when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the God-fearing proselytites followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.

Continue in the grace of God. They had been, they are already converted. They had turned to God. And now here's the message. Continue in the grace of God. You see, first they need to receive grace. You need to receive grace. And second, you need to continue in grace.

Not only do we begin our lives in grace, but we continue in grace throughout life and throughout eternity. And this is the message that was preached in Galatia, and this is going to be the message that's opposed in Galatia. And that's what the letter to Galatians is about.

You see, this message of God's grace has been opposed from. The very beginning. Just as I am happy to announce to you that of the good news of the gospel, I also must solemnly warn you that it is being opposed even here today. Satan, from the very beginning, it says, God is not good, He's a tyrant.

Oh, and now that you have sinned, you're done for. You see, there are voices whispering in some minds and hearts here today, and it sounds something like this: The grace of God really isn't for you. Oh, it's true about other people, but not you. To you, the God of grace does not exist.

And many of you listen to that voice. And by the way, that is not a voice of humility, it's a voice of unbelief. It's a voice of unbelief. You see, that's the voice that denies grace. It's the voice that slanders God. There is no such thing as the God of grace, not like what the Bible says.

You must earn, you must keep, and boy, you can't overcome his displeasure. I want you to see this morning as we go through this gospel in Antioch or in Galatia, I want you to see how this gospel overcame all of this opposition. And I want to do this so that you will let the gospel overcome the practical atheist in you.

It is good news. Let's just pick up where we were. By way of review, we're on Paul's first missionary journey, which really takes a large part in Galatia. You remember they left the city of Antioch in Syria. Don't confuse that with Pisidian Antioch in Galatia. But in Syria, Antioch, they made their way down to Cyprus, walked across the island, came to Paphos, sailed up to Atalia, and came into Perga, and then they went up into Pisidian Antioch.

And we looked at the gospel that he proclaimed there last time. You remember, Pisidian Antioch is that great centerpiece of worship, of cult, of the Caesar worship, or what they called the emperor cult, emperor worship there. And just a catacorner to this great monument to Caesar Augustus was a little Jewish synagogue where Paul first preached.

Just catechorner, just in eyeshot and earshot of all that was taking place on that mount. Come to Pisidian Antioch, and it is opposed. The gospel is preached, and then it's going to be opposed. So that's what we're going to look at today: the opposition to God's grace. The opposition to God's grace.

And we're going to look at that opposition, specifically in the region of Galatia beginning in Pisidian Antioch. Pick this up in verse 34. I mean, 44. Verse 44. Notice the assembly that takes place. Verse 44, the next Sabbath, nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord.

You can see that reception was quite profound, markedly strong among the God-fearing Gentiles. You can see that by the crowds that assembled. Then look at what happens. Verse 45. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul and were blaspheming.

So the people who opposed the message, they're Jews. And the reason they opposed the Jews, jealousy. One commentator says it like this. This was more than the Jews. Could bear. Think about the synagogue there, and then all of a sudden the crowds there coming to hear. This was more than the Jews could bear.

Their spiritual pride and exclusive bigotry was immediately roused. They could not endure the notion of others being freely admitted to the same religious privileges with themselves. Another says it like this: Paul had let down the bars for the Gentiles to come right into the synagogue. You remember when Paul first shows up?

They say, Brother, if you have anything to say, any exhortation to give, give it. So he gives this incredible presentation of the gospel. And he gets to the end, and basically, what he does is he opens the door and says, Everybody who is in Christ is welcome saved by grace.

Well, that was too much for them, these jealous Jews. So they're jealous, and that's the reason for their opposition. But look at the manner in which they oppose. Look back at verse 45. Notice, contradicting. They began contradicting the things spoken by Paul and were blaspheming. Opposition. They're going to contradict the gospel.

And really, that's basically what opposition to the gospel boils down to. It boils down to contradicting it in some way, shape, or form. And notice how aggressive they were. They contradict. The message to the point of blaspheming God. The word blasphemy means slandering. They're slandering God, just like Satan did in the garden.

Their slander kind of takes the form of this: God is not a God of such grace. Don't listen to what Paul is saying. No, that is not God at all. He is not benevolent like that. He does not have that kind of welcoming love. You need to measure up by obeying these principles.

Basically, the God, what they're saying is that the God, God does not want Gentiles as Gentiles unless they become Jews. You want the favor of God, you must become Jews. He isn't going to save you as a Gentile. You need to become a Jew. Such God that loves Gentiles as Gentiles doesn't exist.

Practical atheist. Look at Paul's rebuke in verse 46. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life. Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, I have Placed you as a light for the Gentiles that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.

You see, those who contradict the gospel, and don't miss this, those who contradict it by addition or subtraction in any way repudiate the gospel. And they judge themselves unworthy to live forever with God. Do you repudiate? Do you reject the gospel? Do you practically deny Christ crucified, resurrected, and he is to be exalted?

Do you repudiate that? You see, life of God, of course, it comes out of the goodness of his heart. Where else is it going to come from? He created you because he likes you. Why else did he create you? To think otherwise is to elevate man and slander God.

Life with God cannot be earned. He wants life with you, and it comes out of that heart of his. Listen, a non-existent person can't work, can they? Tell me, before you were born, you didn't exist. Can you work to please him? If you think imaginary, non-existent, Existent people can work.

I want to send some over to your house to do some projects for you, and I want to send you the bill for the work that they don't do. Of course, they don't work. But also, a dead person can't work either, can they? A dead person can't. See, we are born spiritually dead to God because of Adam's sin, and we come alive to God when we believe in Christ.

That's our connecting point to God. He believes in Christ, He exalts Christ, He loves Christ. And then, when we believe the Christ of Scripture, when we receive who He is, guess what? That puts us in union with our Heavenly Father. That's it, that's where it is. You see, He wanted you to exist, and you couldn't earn His approval before you existed, so He created you out of His grace.

Your existence itself is a testimony to God's grace that He has put you here. Why? Because He wants a relationship with you. Just the fact that you are here is a testimony to His grace. He created you. There's grace in creation, but there's also grace in redemption. Because of your sin, you are.

Alienated from God. You are dead to God. And because of that, he sent his son so that you might have a relationship with him, that your sins be removed, that his life be put into you, so that you could live to exalt him and exalt God, and so have relationship with him.

You see, there's grace in creation, there's grace in redemption. Eternal life comes from him. Don't think you'll live with God if you deny the grace in your creation or the grace in your redemption. Of course. Notice how Paul says he's turning to the Gentiles. I appreciate what my friend Brad Clausen says on this.

He says, this is not a definitive change in strategy for Paul and Barnabas, as much as it was a statement of indictment against the Jews at Pisity and Antioch. The very next city they would again go to, the synagogue. So this isn't a statement that he's never going to the synagogue again, because the very next city he goes to, he goes to the synagogue and does the same thing, iconium.

You see, look at what Paul, the verse. That Paul cites in verse 47 is one that we read earlier, Isaiah 49:6. He says, Is it a too small thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel?

I will also make you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. You see, the Messiah that God promised to the house of David would be kind to all the nations, such is the king that he promised would come to Israel.

He would grant the Gentiles the same salvation that he would grant to Israel, and he would rule over them in the same way that he would rule over Israel. One family made from all the nations. This is what the salvation of the world looks like. The words of Zechariah 9:9 come to my mind: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.

Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow.

Of war will be cut off, and he will speak peace to the nations. And his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. Have you let him speak peace in your soul? Do you believe Christ crucified for your sin?

Do you believe Christ resurrected for your life? Do you believe Christ exalted for your purpose? Well, look at how the Gentiles responded in verse 48. When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

You see, the proper response to the word of the Lord isn't living in practical denial of it, but rejoicing and glorifying. And notice, look back carefully. They were rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. You might expect them to be rejoicing and glorifying the Lord. Well, they were doing that.

But more precisely, by rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, they were rejoicing and glorifying God Himself. They weren't contradicting it or repudiating it or listening to the small voice that says, It's not true. Get rid of your practical atheism. Be done with that. The message of grace is the very word of the Lord.

What I am proclaiming to you today is the very word of the Lord. And notice from our verse that the gospel is not only an invitation, it's an appointment. For some of you today, the word that I am speaking to you is more than just a sermon, more just a babbling of facts, but an invitation and an appointment to life with the Creator who made you and has redeemed you.

Believe. Be done with your practical atheism and believe the gospel. Look at the effect, verse 49. And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. Notice the effect. Magnifying the word. Evangelism was taking place. This gives us insight into what Paul was all about and what a mission program looks like or should look like.

One commentator says it like this: Paul's theory. Of evangelizing a province was not to preach in every place in it himself, but to establish centers of Christian life in two or three important places from which the knowledge might spread to the country around. He intended his congregation to become at once a center of light.

That's why it's important to strengthen churches, plant churches, strengthen churches. He goes on to say, Paul did not go about as a missionary preacher merely to convert individuals, he went to establish churches from which the light might radiate throughout the whole country. But now, look again at this persecution that amps up in verse 50.

But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Aconium. So after contradicting them, that didn't prevail, they decided the next thing to do is we just got to get rid of them, persecute them, make them be quiet.

And so what they did is they got some of the leading men of the city, some of the devout women who had enough of devotion. That they could convince that Paul was a threat, much like Paul was very devoted, devout before he came to Christ. And so these jealous Jews convinced these people that Paul and Barnabas are a threat.

Persecution ensued, and they evicted the messengers. And no doubt, these same Jews would stay around in Pisidian Antioch and harass anyone who embraced the gospel. And it's also clear, as we shall see, that they pursued Paul wherever he went. And this is going to characterize Paul's ministry. There's going to be this opposition that follows him around wherever he goes.

And yet, even in the midst of such violent opposition and sophisticated opposition, the gospel prevailed in Pisidian Antioch. Look at verse 52. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Disciples were made. There were disciples there. After Paul, in just a short couple of weeks, there is.

So that's the opposition in Pisidian Antioch in Galatia. Now we're going to look at the opposition that takes place in Iconium, in Iconium. That'll be in chapter 14. Now the, see, we're back to our missionary journey. We're up in Pisidian Antioch. Well, then next, Paul takes off to the south and southeast, about 90 miles to Iconium.

And he's going to stay there a little bit longer than two weeks, significantly longer, actually. He's going to stay there a long time, the text says. But you get a very similar reception. The events and the experience in Iconium mimics that which they had in Pisidian Antioch. Look at chapter 14, verse 1.

First, you have gospel reposition. Reception. Gospel reception. Verse 1. In Iconium, they entered the synagogue of the Jews together and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both Jews and Greeks. Verse 2. But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.

So you have the gospel reception, you have the unbelieving Jews. Verse 3, therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of his grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands. They were speaking Boldly, the Lord was testifying to the word of his grace through miracles.

So he had gospel reception, you had the unbelieving Jews stirring up the minds against, and then you have these testifying miracles. And then in verse 4, but the people of the city were divided, and some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and to stone them, they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Laconia, Laconia, and Lystra and Derby and the surrounding region.

And there they continued to preach the gospel. So once again, you have this, the Jews stirring up enough opposition to drive Paul and Barnabas out. They contradicted the message, but this time they had to also contradict the miracles. Their articulation is sophisticated, even to the point to stone them.

But again, you get leaders, you get the rulers coming together under this Jewish spell to destroy the messengers. Not just the message, but the messengers. So then the next, they're going to go from Iconium to Lystra. So you can see that they go to Lystra to Derby. And so I'm going to talk to you now about the opposition that they encounter in Lystra.

Look at verse 8, chapter 14, verse 8. At Lystra, a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet.

And he leaped up and began to walk. Notice in Lystra, Paul doesn't go into a synagogue. There may not have been one, actually. But notice one of the difficult things for any missionary to do is to gain a hearing. Guess what? God granted Paul right away, a hearing.

He granted him a hearing by this miracle, great miracle. Let me tell you a little bit about Lystra, its history. It's about 25 miles away from Iconium, just down. I showed you on the map. But in 25 B.C., Augustus Caesar made Lystra a Roman colony, and he made that imperial road, that Via Sebaste, that connected Pisidian Antioch to Lystra.

But also, there was a temple that was. To Zeus, that was built there. In fact, that's what it looks like today. It's a mound ready to be discovered and ready to be dug. That's Lystra today. But a temple to Zeus was built there. And notice when the crowds saw what Paul had done, verse 11, they raised their voice, saying in the Laconian language, The gods have become like men and have come down to us.

And they began calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. Now, let me show you, there's an altar to Pax.

This is in Pax Romana, God of Peace, in Rome. And there is an altar there, and this was been built about the same time. It was not in Lystra, but in Rome. But it tells the story on one of its reliefs of this sacrifice to Pax, to the God of peace.

And they would bring a couple of oxen and they would bring a sheep. And that would be part, and you can see it in the relief, the And this was characteristic. If you're going to appease the gods, you're going to have to make sacrifice to them, and you'd leave these oxen out, and that's exactly what you have happening in Lystra at the temple of Zeus.

Make peace. Here you have an artist drawing, painting of this event. You can see Paul in it healing the man to the left of the screen. And to the right in the distance, you see the priest of Zeus bringing the oxen and the means to sacrifice. But here's what the priest, he steps in, distorts the gospel.

He steps in and starts saying, Look, God has become man. Let's worship them. They called Paul Hermes because Hermes was known to be the one speaking. Paul, or Barnabas, they called Zeus because I guess he was the quiet one. Hermes was doing all the talking. But they're going to sacrifice.

They're going to bring oxen. Notice they're bringing out a couple of the oxen. But here's the idea: the whole concept of peace with the gods in a pagan mindset came by way of appeasing them through sacrifice. Sacrifice made by the people. You must appease God through sacrifice. But the gospel Paul preached was completely different.

God is the one who is going to provide the sacrifice so that you and He can be at peace. That's the gospel that Paul proclaimed. Peace comes from God through Christ crucified, sins removed, Christ resurrected, Christ's life and righteousness imputed, given to us, and Christ exalted. If I delight in Jesus and God delights in Jesus, guess what?

We have union. And what God is doing is He is transforming every person who believes the gospel into Christ's likeness because that's what He delights in. And He's going to continue that because of His grace. Sometimes we can really beat ourselves up for our failures, can't we? And if we're not careful, we will cease believing in the God of grace who has dealt with our sin, who has given us life and has an end goal in mind, Christ.

Exalted, and by his grace, he's going to bring that about. So just believe it. Go with it. Let that grace transform you. You see, worship is owed to God, not to man. And so, for Paul and Barnabas to receive such worship would instantly make themselves guilty of the very same thing that Satan was guilty of, wanting worship.

Oh, we can so fall into that. Don't take an ounce of worship. Give all esteem and glory to God for every good thing in your life. We are not like Satan who wants glory. We are to repudiate that notion in our hearts and mind the moment that ugly thought or disposition comes to mind.

And that's exactly what Paul does. Look at what Paul and Barnabas do in verse 14. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

In the generations gone by, he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, and yet he did not leave himself without a witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

So in Lystra, the opposition to the gospel comes, first of all, by the pagan tendency to worship man instead of God. And then it comes from the Jews. Look at verse 19. But the Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They're following Paul wherever he goes. And having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

Notice the extreme. One minute they're wanting to worship sacrifice. Next minute, they stone him and leave him for dead. They drag him out of the city thinking he's dead. Look how quick they change. This underscores the degree of opposition. It was articulate. It was persuasive. It was so well articulated that they could sway the masses from worshiping Paul to stoning.

Him. That's profound, especially in light of the miracle. Not only were they contradicting the message, but they had to somehow convince the crowds that this miracle was of an evil nature. Very articulate, very persuasive. Beware of such articulate and persuasive voices going on in your own heart. The God of grace isn't for you.

The God who loves you like this isn't for you. You have outsend God. You must earn. You must continue in peace. You must sacrifice. Well, this is the first instant we have where Paul suffers the same persecution that he once dished out. No doubt, the thought of Stephen probably went through his mind as he was seeing the stones raised against him.

So, if we summarize this opposition to God's grace in Galatians, it was instigated by jealous Jews. The method of opposition came by contradicting the message and persecuting the messengers. This is going to be true throughout Paul's world and ever since. Their persecution took the form of persuading prominent Citizens, prominent leaders, and even the masses to harm the messengers.

They were brutal in their message, I mean, in their methods. They were very brutal, and they were also relentless in their pursuit. This is going to be the opposition that is experienced in Galatia. This is going to be the opposition that Paul is going to experience throughout his ministry, and the church is going to experience until Christ returns.

Paul suffered greatly in Galatian, and yet his suffering was not in vain. The gospel triumphed over all that opposition. And it can triumph in your heart, just like it did Martin Luther's, just like it did Paul's. It can triumph in your heart if you will let it, if you will believe it.

We'll look at some of the triumphs next week. We'll look at some of the triumphs of the gospel. But this, we can say this: look at this. Look at verse 20. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went with Barnabas to Derby.

You see, in each city where Paul met all this opposition, Disciples were made. There they are. Disciples made. Paul has been brutally stoned, drug out, left for dead. And look, the disciples stood around him. There were followers of Christ. The gospel triumphed in their hearts. And you know, when you compare Acts 16, verses 1 through 3, 2 Timothy 3:10 through 11, and 1 Timothy 1 through 2, guess what you realize?

Timothy was one of them. Timothy was probably one of those men standing around looking at Paul stoned, lifeless. He says this in 2 Timothy 3:10, he says, Now you, Timothy, when he was encouraging Timothy to stay the course, to keep the faith, now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and suffering, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and Lystra.

What persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me. Paul called Timothy child. His true child, indicating that Timothy was converted under Paul's testimony, Paul's gospel. And in Acts 16, it's clear that Timothy was there at Lystra. But imagine all that those had witnessed, what happened to Paul, all that they saw, they heard all the arguments, they saw all the brutal brutality, and yet they received the gospel of grace.

Well, bring this question back to you this morning. Has the gospel triumphed in your heart? Do you really believe that God loves you? Do you really believe that God created you because he wants a relationship with you? Do you really believe Christ crucified, that God has made a way for your sins to be removed?

I mean, all of them. Do you really believe Christ resurrected, that you have been crucified with him and that now you are resurrected with him? Do you believe that life is now about exalting him and the joy of your creator in exalting him? Or do you slander God by not believing the Word of God?

Do you rejoice in this lifeline of salvation that has been sent to you this morning? This encouragement that comes by God's grace, or do you trust more in the Word of Man? Do you trust more in that internal voice of yours, which is not the voice of humility at all, but the voice of unbelief that tells you such grace isn't there for you?

Well, then you're a practical atheist. And you need to really believe the gospel. Christ crucified, Christ resurrected, Christ exalted for you, and a relationship with him. Don't go through life saying, There is no God that has grace on me, there is no such God out there. That's what the ugliness of your heart that disbelieves God is saying.

There is no such God of grace. Good news is, there is. And it will triumph. The Bible says there is. This is the grace the Bible proclaims, the God the Bible proclaims He is, He has spoken. And these words are. Communicating his thoughts to us today so that you will believe in the God of grace, God who is God and has extended his grace to you.

What more than do you want than the word of God to convince you? What holds you back from really believing the gospel? What else is there going to be? What else is going to carry more weight or more authority than the Word of God? Believe. Choose to believe.

Keep choosing to believe. Believe everything that God says. Believe Him, pursue Him until at last you find rest in His grace. Because it is there. He speaks peace to the nation. And this peace is in His grace. Heavenly Father, we come bowing our hearts. Forgive us for our pretend humility, for our voices of unbelief that we listen to.

Ah, but we rejoice today, Father, in your goodness that this very message itself is one of grace. Father, it is knowing your grace, your favor towards us that renovates our heart. Thank you for sending a Savior. Thank you for dealing with our sin. Thank you for giving us the That life.

Thank you for giving us that eternal purpose of knowing and exalting your Son, our Lord, our King. We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.