Acts 13:38-41–A Sabbath in Antioch Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. Every Sabbath is important. On the day God has appointed for worship believers gather in the house of God for praise, prayer and the preaching of the Word. We look back to Sabbaths when we have been particularly blessed under the gospel and we thank the Lord for them. We perhaps regret our younger days when we misspent many Sabbaths. Sadly there will be many in eternity who will mourn forever because they did not remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The Sabbath to which our text relates was particularly significant. An event took place which was pivotal in the missionary endeavour of the church. The Jews as a nation rejected the gospel of Christ but the Gentiles embraced it. The Antioch where this event occurred is not the one we are generally familiar with. Indeed it was the church in the more familiar Antioch in Syria which sent Paul, Barnabas and their fellow-labourers on a missionary journey which took them, via Cyprus, to Antioch in Pisidia in what is modern-day Turkey. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue there. This is instructive. It tells us that at the time there was no Christian church in the place. We remember that the form of worship in the synagogue was biblical, consisting simply of prayers, psalms and readings from the law and the prophets. It was customary for there to be a sermon or exhortation during the service and in the wonderful ways of God this provided Paul as a visitor with an opportunity to proclaim Christ to the people as Saviour. Let us note three things. Firstly, the preaching. Paul observed the people in front of him. There were Jews of course but there were also Gentile proselytes and others who had turned from idols and worshipped the true and living God. So he directed his message to them all: “Ye men of Israel, and yet that fear God, give audience” (v.16). While in his preaching Paul rehearsed the history of the covenant people it was really a sermon on the death and resurrection of Christ, a Judge greater than their judges and a King greater than their kings. A Saviour for both Jews and Gentiles. That Jesus had been crucified the Jews were well aware of. What they were not persuaded of was that God raised Him from the dead. Paul was able to cite three texts from the Old Testament Scriptures which refer to the Messiah and apply them to Jesus. The Messiah is God’s only begotten Son (Psa.2:7); He has been promised the throne of David (Isa.55:3); His body, though laid in the grave, will not decay (Psa.16:10). These things were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, God’s Anointed. In applying his message Paul preaches to the congregation that it is through Jesus that God’s mercy comes to mankind: “through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.” The Saviour’s resurrection means remission of sins to all who believe in Him. That Jesus rose bodily from the grave indicates that He discharged all the sin debts of His people by His sufferings, paying their ransom price in full. Death could not hold Him, the precious Lord of life. Secondly, the blessing. What is it to have our sins remitted? It is to be justified before God, to be declared righteous in His sight. The law of God, though it is “holy, and just and good” (Rom.7:12) cannot justify us; it can only condemn us as transgressors. Many Jews sought to be justified by the law of Moses. They scrupulously observed the rituals which God had prescribed to them as His chosen people. If the law required external purity, then they practised it. If the law required an offering for sin, then they gave it. The weakness of the ceremonial law was that it could not effectually deal with sin. There were some sins for which there was no offering. There were sins for which animals were sacrificed but, “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins” (Heb.10:4). The law of God shows us our defilement, but it does not show us how to wash it away; the law of God shows us our sickness, but it does not show us how we may be healed from it. Ah, but there is a sacrifice which can take away sins! Jesus in His death “offered one sacrifice for sins for ever,” a sacrifice which was accepted by God (Heb.10:12). God’s covenant promise to all who repent of their sins and trust in this great Redeemer is, “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb.10:17). A full pardon, bringing peace to the conscience. What a blessing to all who know their guilt and shame before a holy God! Finally, the warning. Paul warned his audience against despising and rejecting the gospel. There were many in the congregation, Jews and Gentiles, who embraced his faithful testimony. But a week later when a huge crowd of Gentiles gathered to hear Paul again the Jews were angered and began fierce opposition against the gospel. This led God’s servants to declare to the Jews that the time of their visitation was now at an end: “lo, we turn to the Gentiles” (v.46). As the Babylonians had previously been God’s instrument to scourge the Jews soon the Romans would take away both their place and nation. We should understand that the gospel received bring great blessings but the gospel rejected brings a great curse. This is true for a nation and it is true for an individual. Use your Sabbaths on earth well in seeking the Lord while He may be found and getting salvation for your soul. Then as a child of God you will be able one day to enjoy the perfect Sabbath rest of heaven.