“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming … And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:44-45, 48 (Read 44-52)
In the prophet Isaiah, God Himself said: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (55:10-11).
And so it was when the Word of God was preached in Pisidian Antioch that some, moved with envy because of the multitudes who gathered to hear the Word of God spoken unto them by Paul and Barnabas, spoke against the Word of God and blasphemed, refusing to believe the truth even though the Spirit of God was at work revealing the way of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Others glorified the Word of God and heard it, “and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” They “received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
So it is also when the Word of God is preached today. Some, moved with envy and fearing that the truth of the Word will lead people away from their group or organization, and others, not wanting to have their utter sinfulness exposed, reject the Word and speak against it. Rather than coming to repentance and placing their faith and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, they reject the truth and speak against it, even keeping others from coming to know Christ Jesus and the salvation He won for them.
But still others, by the grace and mercy of God, gladly hear and receive the Word. Those chosen as His own by the Father before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3ff.) are brought to repentance. They acknowledge their utter sinfulness and place their hope and confidence in the perfect life and the innocent sufferings and death of God the Son. They trust in the crucified and risen Christ for full pardon and forgiveness. They rely upon Him for life everlasting and a place in God’s eternal kingdom.
How do you respond to God’s Word when it is preached and proclaimed in its truth and purity? Do you reject the Spirit’s pleadings through the Word? Do you even seek to silence the Word by rejecting and opposing those who preach it rightly and unashamedly? Or, by the grace of God, do you gladly receive it as the very Word of God? Do you acknowledge that God is truthful when He tells us of our sinfulness, and that only in Jesus is there salvation, when we hear of His life, death and resurrection in our stead?
Dear Lord Jesus, grant that I both hear Your life-giving Word and believe it, that I acknowledge my sinfulness and hold fast to You for my salvation. Amen.
[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible.]
Community News, Pages 7 on 09/22/2010