Lechem Panim #179 “Turn To The Living God!” (Acts 14:1-15) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim!  You will remember from our study of Acts chapter 13 last week that Paul and Barnabas (on what would be Paul’s first missionary journey) were sharing the good news of the Gospel in Pisidian Antioch. And they were met with a very positive response from the people. The whole town shows up the following Sabbath to hear them speak and a great many believe. And the Gentiles especially are encouraged to hear from Paul and Barnabas that the way of salvation has been opened even to them. However, it says in...

Acts 13:50-52 (ESV)— 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

On To Iconium— So Paul and Barnabas do what you and I are to do when we encounter persecution. They shake it off and move on. And the next place they journey to is the city of Iconium, a city that was [A cultural melting pot of native Phrygians, Greeks, Jews, and Roman colonists, located 80 mi. SE of {where they had just been in} Pisidian Antioch.] And (as always) they started first in the synagogue. It says in...

Acts 14:1-3 (ESV)— 1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 

Wishing for Signs?— Now have you ever wished that you could perform a sign or miracle? I know I have. Now because I have done magic tricks ever since I was a little kid, I have gotten to have the experience of having somebody look at me in wonder and amazement, having just witnessed a compelling illusion. But at the end of the day, they are just illusions; and certainly nothing as compelling as what we find the apostles doing here in the book of acts. None of their signs or wonders could ever be mistaken for illusions, as there was irrefutable proof that those whom they healed truly were lame, blind, or even dead. It would be amazing to be able to perform miracles like they did. And what you and I often think is that if we could perform signs and wonders, we would be able to convince everybody once and for all that Jesus is God. But what we discover in this passage (and in and throughout the Gospels as well) is that even if we could perform miracles, that will not convince everyone. Jesus had said in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:31 that “…‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Now I am sure that the disciples reacted the same way to that statement as you and I do; thinking that Jesus is overstating His case. Surely that wasn’t true. But here we see play out the kind of unbelief Jesus was talking about. God had given Paul and Barnabas the ability to perform miracles (in abundance), but still not everyone was convinced. We see that the people were divided. It says in…

Acts 14:4 (ESV)— 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles.

Sowing— Now what that says to you and to me is that in our own Christian walks we need to not waste any time thinking that if we could perform miracles or signs people would believe; or even if we were just dynamic and powerful orators. No, it is the Holy Spirit who convinces people. And so all you and I are called to do is to simply sow the seeds of the Gospel wherever he leads us to. If we do that, then God will be faithful to yield a crop.

Acts 14:5-11 (ESV)— 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel. {Now while in Lystra (the second of these three cities), Paul has the door opened to perform another miraculous sign. It says:} 8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 

Language Barrier— Now Paul and Barnabas don’t immediately recognize what the people are saying because neither of them speak Lycaonian. The people probably sounded like they were merely expressing wonder or amazement. But no, they were in fact deifying Paul and Barnabas. And they actually thought Paul and Barnabas were two gods in particular. It says in…

Acts 14:12 (ESV)— 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 

The Legend of Zeus & Hermes— Now this reaction may seem kind of strange to us. But why the people responded the way that they did was directly tied to a very important piece of local folklore that they embraced as true. According to tradition, two popular gods in the Roman world, Zeus and Hermes (who were also known as Jupiter and Mercury, after whom two of the planets are named) had once come down in disguise to visit the city of Lystra. And according to legend, they had sought food and lodging from the people. However, nobody in the city of Lystra showed them what would have been the common courtesy of hospitality that people generally practiced during that time; nobody except an old couple, a peasant by the name of Philemon and his wife Baucis. So Zeus and Hermes took vengeance on the people of Lystra by killing all of its inhabitants in a localized flood. But Philemon and Baucis they rewarded by turning their lowly cottage into a temple, of which both of them would serve as priest and priestess. Now this is important to understand because when the people of Lystra saw these miraculous signs Paul and Barnabas were performing, they immediately put that within the context of their own religion and assume that Paul and Barnabas were Zeus and Hermes again visiting their city. And so they are determined that this time they as a people are not going to fail to give Zeus and Hermes the love and worship that they think they deserve. And so they immediately shower Paul and Barnabas with worship and with gifts.

Social Context— And this is a reminder to us that when we go to witness in places we are unfamiliar with, we need to be sensitive to the context, because people are not always going to receive our message the way we might intend them to. They have their own framework of understanding that we need to take the time to know and understand if we expect them to ever truly hear the message of the Gospel as they are meant to. Now it says in…

Acts 14:13 (ESV)— 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 

The Priest— And this was because as priest of Zeus, it was his responsibility to lead the people in worship. Now eventually, wind of what is going on finally reaches Paul and Barnabas and they finally understand what is happening. It says in…

Acts 14:14-15 (ESV)—14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments {(which was [A Jewish expression of horror and revulsion at blasphemy.])} and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, 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. 

Vain Things— Now I love how open and honest Paul and Barnabas are about the nature of what the people of Lystra believe. They blatantly call the things they worship “vain”, but the word can also be translated “useless” or “worthless.” Now that is not something we in our all-inclusive society would often be willing to say to somebody. It doesn’t jive with the multiculturalism that our culture typically subscribes to. But Paul and Barnabas openly declare that their worship of other gods rather than Yahweh (the God of Israel) is worthless because these gods have no power to save. Indeed, they don’t even exist; hence their contrast with the God of Israel, whom Paul and Barnabas call the Living God. Now in the ancient religions of the world, people believed in a syncretism between the realm of the gods and nature. You have to understand that. The gods were as much a part of creation as we are; and are enslaved to the same appetites; the same needs. They are dependent on the natural world. And therefore they have no power to save because (ultimately) they are as enslaved as we are. Now we take for granted that God (Yahweh) is the Creator of heaven and earth because that is what many of us have been raised to believe. But back then no one except the Jews talked like that. But that is the reality that Paul and Barnabas try to steer the people to. Yahweh is the maker of heaven and earth and therefore He is the Lord of heaven and earth in a way that Zeus, Hermes, or any other false god could never be. He is not bound to our world; that is what is behind this fancy theological word “transcendent” that we use in describing God. God is not one with creation; no, He is distinct. And He interacts with His creation not because He needs us, but because He loves us. What a fundamentally different way of looking at things!
    And I think, what a powerful message to bring to the people of Lystra! But you know, that is a message you and I need to bring to the people of our generation. There is a God who is Lord of all things; who made us and loves us, so much so that He sent His Son into our world to bridge the gap between Him and us created by our sin, so that in and through coming into a relationship with His Son Jesus we might have our sins forgiven and (like runaway children who have at last come home) we can be brought back into the family of God. And so I want to encourage you today, embrace the living God. Pray to Him and tell Him you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and be in a relationship with Him. If you do that, you will escape the tyranny of a life lived in vain for vain things and will find that you have placed at your very center what in fact adds meaning to everything you do and all that you are. Do so today. Amen.