They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, Sermons 1. That good work for others comes home with a blessing before long. Some of the scattered Christians were men of Cyprus, "who, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Greeks" (Acts 11:20); and here are men from the Church which the Cypriots helped to form coming to evangelize Cyprus (ver. 4). "Give, and it shall be given unto you." 2. That the success of any great work is not to be measured by the fruit of the first endeavor. We read that "when they were at Salamis, they preached the Word of God in the synagogues" (ver. 5); but we do not read of any conversion, to the faith. It is fair to infer that their earliest attempt was, if not disappointing, far from a marked success; but they were not daunted thereby. 3. That it is well worth while for youthful aspiration to attend on mature and established piety. "They had also John to their minister" (ver. 5). Mark may have been little more than the courier of the apostles, but it was no mean service he was rendering the Church and the world if he did his duty thus. 4. That when religion is cast out superstition is sure to enter. Where God is unhonored the people will resort to the "sorcerer" (ver. 6), the soothsayer, the spiritualist, etc. I. THAT MAN MAY DEPART SO FAR FROM RECTITUDE AS TO DELIBERATELY FALSIFY THE TRUTH OF GOD. (Vers. 5-8.) "Wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" Here was a man who, for the purpose of retaining a lucrative position, was determinately opposing the truth. Many have been his predecessors and many his successors, who have not scrupled to "fight against God," to act in such a way that they have made what they knew to be right seem to be wrong, what they knew to be wholesome and helpful seem to be injurious; they have twisted round and perverted the right line of heavenly wisdom; they have not only "called good evil and evil good," but striven, for some base motive, to make it seem thus in the eyes of men, resolutely and wantonly deceiving them. II. THAT THE TIME COMES FOR BURNING INDIGNATION AND STRONG INVECTIVE, "O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness!" (ver. 10). It is not often allowable for men to speak thus to one another. As a rule, we must follow the example of the archangel, and instead of "bringing a railing accusation, say, The Lord rebuke thee." But there are occasions when we do well to be angry, when we should rather sin by not being righteously angry than by even passionate indignation. When men are palpably ruining others in order to fill their own treasury, undoubtedly keeping others out of the kingdom in order to secure their own base objects, it is not only permissible but laudable to let our holy indignation boil over in scathing condemnation and rebuke. III. THAT JUDGMENT HAS ITS PART TO PLAY IN THE DIVINE ECONOMY. (Ver. 11.) It was, of course, only in virtue of the inspiration under which he was acting (see ver. 1) that Paul pronounced this judgment on Elymas. It was a very unusual occurrence. Our Lord himself never, so far as we know, used his almighty power to punish a human being; with the exception of the banning of the fig tree, all his works were those of beneficence. Yet we need to remember that judgment is a part of his whole system. He does condemn and smite. The storm uproots the tree; the locusts lay bare the fruitful field; disease paralyzes the human form; death does its closing work; spiritual blindness darkens the mind and spiritual hardness encrusts the soul,-at his holy and awful bidding. The pleasant theories of the universe, which leave judgment out of the account, are fair enough to look at, but they are not true; they arc false to the facts of the case as these meet us in many forms and in every sphere of human life. IV. THAT THE BEST HUMAN SURROUNDINGS WILL NOT ENSURE SPIRITUAL STEADFASTNESS. (Ver. 13.) We might have thought that the presence of such men as Barnabas and Saul would have ensured the stability of John Mark; but it did not. Though under the influence of one man whose unswerving devotedness to Christ has never been surpassed, he yielded to his inclination to return home rather than brave the hazards and endure the privations of missionary work in Asia Minor. Nothing will secure our spiritual steadfastness but the indwelling of Divine power. We must abide in Christ that he may abide in us by his Spirit. It is only when we are "strengthened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man," when we are "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might," that we are really safe and secure. "When I am weak, then am I strong." - C.
But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women. The fact brings before us another feature of the relations between Jews and Gentiles at this period. They "compassed sea and land to make one proselyte." They found it easiest to make proselytes of women. Such conversions had their good and their bad sides. In many cases there was a real longing for a higher and purer life than was found in the infinite debasement of Greek and Roman society, which found its satisfaction in the life and faith of Israel. But with many, such as Juvenal speaks of when he describes ("Sat." 6:542) the Jewish teacher who gains influence over women, "The trembling Jewess whispers in her ear, And tells her of the laws of Solymae" (i.e., Jerusalem). The change brought with it new elements of superstition and weakness, and absolute submission of conscience to its new directors, and thus the Rabbis were often to the wealthier women of Greek and Roman cities what Jesuit confessors were in France and Italy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Here we get the darker side of the picture. The Jews stir up the women of the upper class, and they stir up their husbands. The latter were content apparently to acquiesce in their wives accepting the Judaism with which they had become familiar, but resented the intrusion of a new and, in one sense, more exacting doctrine.(Dean Plumptre.) But they shook off the dust of their feet against them 1. When he has not only knocked in a friendly manner, but also boldly kept is ground.2. When he has been called on to proceed, not only by men, but by God. 3. When not only the door here is closed, but when he also sees it opened elsewhere for successful work. (K. Gerok.) 1. Wickedly caused by themselves, through pride and ingratitude.2. Righteously ordained by the Lord in virtue of holiness and truth. 3. An admonitory example to Christianity, and also an impressive call to go after the lost sheep of Israel. (K. Gerok.) And the disciples were filled with Joy and with the Holy Ghost. Weekly Pulpit. I. THE PROSPERITY OF THE WORD OF GOD IS A SPECIAL SOURCE OF REJOICING TO CHRISTIANS. It was not an ordinary gladness, but the special and overflowing joy which can only be stirred up by extraordinary manifestations of the grace of God. We are full of joy —1. Because we are saved. Deliverance from danger and death is ever a source of gratitude. A soul rescued from the power of sin and the consequences thereof, is a theme of the highest inspiration, whether we think of the value of the soul, or the price of deliverance. The brave rescuer risks his life to save others. Jesus died to save mankind. 2. Because Jesus sees of the travail of His soul. 3. At the prospect of seeing the glory of the Lord filling the earth. Every step onward which the Word of God takes, revives the hope of universal restoration. II. THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY GHOST IN THE HEART IS A SPECIAL SOURCE OF SUPPORT TO CHRISTIANS. The Comforter sustained them in their trial. 1. They were full of holy courage. The circumstances of the disciples at Antioch were depressing. Devout and honourable women, with the chief men of the city, had raised the storm of persecution. The apostles were driven out of the city. The number of believers was small, and probably they were poor; but the source of their strength was the power of the Spirit in their heart. They could not be cast down while they were under such influence. There could be no darkness while the glory of the Lord shone within them. 2. They were full of consecration to their work. They were resolved to labour on until the name of Jesus would become universal. The light which shone on their path revealed the triumph of faith. 3. They were full of assurance that Jesus' name would become glorious in the earth. (Weekly Pulpit.) When I was a country minister in Scotland, some time ago, the most joyous person in my parish was a poor old woman whose every joint was knotted with rheumatism; her husband was a poor labouring old man, her home a crowded hut, yet her life was bright and cheerful. When I was dejected I used to visit her, and after ten minutes conversation my load would be tightened. She diffused gladness wherever she was, because the Holy Spirit dwelt in her as a temple.(Dr. Boyd.) The description is brief but noteworthy.I. IT RECORDS AN EXPERIENCE — SPIRITUAL, REAL, AND EXEMPLARY. There was emotionalism, high and holy; and it was visible. The elements were simple, but grand. 1. "Joy." 2. "The Holy Ghost." Each is suggestive, and both were prominent features of those early times. They are, too, co-related. Instead of spirituality and gladness being antagonistic, the soul is joyous just because it has the Holy Ghost; and the fruit of the Spirit's influence is a more perfect, joy, so that the more largely we possess the Spirit, the greater becomes our joy. II. THE DEGREE AND MEASURE OF THIS EXPERIENCE deserves consideration. It was not the possession of a favoured few, but of the "disciples." By them it was possessed, not scantily, or partially, they were "filled" with it. These emotions did not spring from external circumstances, but were independent of them and superior to them: they were, despite outward adversity (see vers. 50-51, and Acts 14:22). III. THE ATTAINMENT OF LIKE EXPERIENCE can never be deemed impossible when we remember the exhortations of Scripture, and the testimony of "disciples" — learners in the school of Christ. "If ye being evil know how," etc. If possible, how advantageous to us would such an experience prove! joyous in itself; an evidence; an energy; a foretaste. (J. P. Allen, M. A.) (Acts 8:39): — There is a striking resemblance between the condition of the eunuch deprived of his teacher and of these raw disciples, in Pisidian Antioch, bereft of theirs. Both were very recent converts; both had the scantiest knowledge; both were left utterly alone. Now this phrase, "full of the Holy Ghost," is not an uncommon one in the Acts of the Apostles; and the Writer is fond of connecting with it other graces, of which it is declared to be the cause. So they were to be "men full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom"; and of Stephen we read that "he was full of the Holy Ghost and of faith." The text traces the joy of these solitary Christians to the complete possession of that Divine Spirit. So filled, we shall have an all-sufficient Teacher for all our ignorance; a Companion for all our solitude; a fountain of joy in all our sorrow. And the stories before us may help to illustrate these three things.I. First, then, note here, THE ALL-SUFFICIENT TEACHER FOR OUR IGNORANCE. Think, for instance, of that Ethiopian statesman. An hour or two before he had said, "How can I understand except some man guide me?" And now he is going away into the darkness, without a single external help, knowing only the little that he had gathered from Philip. He had not a line of the New Testament. He had nothing but a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, but he went away with a glad heart, quite sure that he would be taught all he needed to know. And these other people at Antioch, just dragged out of the darkness of heathenism, with no teaching beyond the rudimentary instruction of the two apostles for a few days — they, too, were left by their teachers without a fear. We trust far too little to the educating and enlightening power of God's grace in the hearts of men who have no other teacher. And if Christian people more really believed the promise of their Master, "He will guide you into all truth," they would be more likely to realise the promise, and be all taught of God. Only remember the instrument of that Divine Teacher is the Word of God. And if we, as Christians, neglect our Bibles, we shall not get the teaching of the Spirit of God. And remember, too, that that teaching is granted to us on plainly defined conditions. There must be a desire for it. And there must be patient waiting and solitary meditation. Let us take the lesson, and whosesoever scholars we may be, let us enroll ourselves in the school of the Master, and learn from that Spirit who will guide us into all truth. II. Now, note, secondly, THE COMPANION IN ALL OUR SOLITUDE. Think of the loneliness of this man on the Gaza road, or of that handful of sheep in the midst of wolves at Antioch. And yet they were not alone. "Full of the Holy Ghost," they were conscious of a Divine presence. And so it may be with us all. We are all condemned to live alone, however many may be the troops of friends round us. Every human soul, after all love and companionship, lives isolated. There is only One who can pass the awful boundary of personality which hedges off every man from every other. Besides the natural, necessary solitude in which every human soul lives there are some of us, no doubt, on whom God, by His providence, has laid the burden of a very lonely life. God's purpose in making us solitary is to join Himself to us. Left alone, nestle close to Him. Beside the natural and the providential solitudes there is yet another. We must make a solitude for ourselves if we would have God speaking to us and keeping us company. Solitude is the mother country of the strong. To be much alone is the condition of sanity and nobleness of life. No man's religion will be deep and strong unless he has learned to go into the secret place of the Most High, and shut his doors about him, and there receive the fulness of that Spirit. III. Lastly, notice THE JOY IN ALL THE SORROW. "Full of joy and of the Holy Ghost," says the latter of the two texts. That collocation is familiar to the student of the New Testament. You will remember the apostle's great enumeration of the fruits of the Spirit, "Love, joy, peace." And in another place he speaks to the members of one of his Churches, and tells them that they had "received the Word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost." So then, whoever has this Divine Guest dwelling in his heart may possess a joy as complete as is its possession of him. I need not remind you how that Divine Spirit, that enters into our souls by faith, brings to us the consciousness of forgiveness and of sonship, nor how it fits the needs of every part of our nature, and brings all our being into harmony with itself, with circumstances, and with God. But I may remind you that not only does this Divine Spirit in us make provision for joy, but that, with such an indwelling Guest, there is the possibility of the co-existence of joy and sorrow. It is no paradox that the apostle gave forth when he said, "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." Even in the midst of the snow and cold and darkness of Arctic regions the explorers build houses for themselves of the very blocks of ice, and within are warmth and light end comfort and vitality, while around is a dreary waste. But remember that this joy from the Spirit is a commandment. I am sure that Christians do not sufficiently lay to heart that gladness is their duty, and that sorrow unrelieved by it is cowardice and sin. We have no business to be thus sorrowful. But remember the conditions. If you and I have that Divine Spirit within us we shall be enlightened, however ignorant; companioned, however solitary; joyful, however ringed about with sorrow. If we have not, the converse will be true. (A. Maclaren, D. D.) As if a man should throw precious stones and jewels at another, with intent to kill him, and the other should gather them up and enrich himself with them; even so do persecutors enrich the children of God, that they may rejoice being worthy to suffer for Christ's sake.(Cawdray.) The ordinary idea is that a Christian is sombre, but that is a perversion of the gospel. The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy in the Holy Ghost, and if God comes into the soul, we may expect that the result will be the imparting of the element of joy which is so eminent in him. Sometimes through secular instruments God makes us joyful, for He employs the whole world to work out His purposes; but sometimes, by seemingly breaking upon the spirit of His people, He makes them joyful. You cannot tell why you are so musical at times. On some days you are full of music. There are some hours that are radiant above all other hours. And when these transpire among God's people, it is not an unfair thing to infer that they are signs of Christ's presence with them.(H. W. Beecher.). People Barjesus, Barnabas, Benjamin, Cis, David, Elymas, Herod, Israelites, Jesse, John, Kish, Lucius, Manaen, Niger, Paul, Pilate, Samuel, Saul, Sergius, SimeonPlaces Canaan, Cyprus, Cyrene, Egypt, Galilee, Iconium, Jerusalem, Pamphylia, Paphos, Perga, Pisidia, Pisidian Antioch, Salamis, Seleucia, Syrian AntiochTopics FALSE, Bar, Barjesus, Bar-jesus, Island, Isle, Jew, Jewish, Length, Magian, Magician, Met, Named, Paphos, Passed, Prophet, Sorcerer, Wonder-workerOutline 1. Paul and Barnabas are chosen to go to the Gentiles.6. Of Sergius Paulus, and Elymas the sorcerer. 13. Paul preaches at Antioch that Jesus is Christ. 42. The Gentiles believe; 44. but the Jews talked abusively against Paul, 46. whereupon they turn to the Gentiles, of whom many believe. 50. The Jews raise a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, who go to Iconium. Dictionary of Bible Themes Acts 13:6 4185 sorcery and magic 4155 divination Library Easter TuesdayText: Acts 13, 26-39. 26 Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent forth. 27 For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain. 29 And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they … Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II John Mark Unworthy of Life 'Full of the Holy Ghost' Why Saul Became Paul To the Regions Beyond The First Preaching in Asia Minor Luther --A Stone on the Cairn Jewish Rejecters and Gentile Receivers Gospel Missions His Own Funeral Sermon Ninth Day for God's Spirit on Our Mission Work Separated unto the Holy Ghost In Endeavouring to Prove that Such Intercession Derives Some Support from Scripture they Labour In... Mr. Moody and Rev. Marcus Rainsford. The Man after God's Own Heart Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes The Holy Spirit Sending Men Forth to Definite Lines of Work. Via Dolorosa The Kingdom Conquering the World The Extension of the Church Throughout the World Early Life the Place of Paul +The Man First Missionary Journey Scripture Paul's Missionary Labors. Links Acts 13:6 NIVActs 13:6 NLT Acts 13:6 ESV Acts 13:6 NASB Acts 13:6 KJV Acts 13:6 Bible Apps Acts 13:6 Parallel Acts 13:6 Biblia Paralela Acts 13:6 Chinese Bible Acts 13:6 French Bible Acts 13:6 German Bible Acts 13:6 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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