From 1996-2007, the WB television network aired one of the most dangerous shows in the history of TV. But there wasn’t an ounce of controversy about it. No one boycotted the network. No one demanded it be taken off the air. In fact, the vast majority of viewers watched it with their kids. See, The problem wasn’t what was in the show. There was no sex. No nudity. No cussing. The problem wasn't what was IN the show...its what was missing. The name of the most dangerous show in the history of television was “7th Heaven” 

It was a show about the Camden family. Eric Camden was the pastor of Glenoaks Community Church. A small quaint church in a small quaint American town. He was married to Annie and together they had 7 kids. 

Every show was some kind of moral lesson, that ended in an inspirational sermon from Pastor Camden that encouraged us to be good, or kind or self-controlled. But every show, every single week...was missing Jesus. Not a single word mentioned about Jesus. 

Donald Grey Barnhouse, a famous Presbyterian pastor a in Philadelphia in the mid 20th century was once asked what he thought it would look like if Satan were to ever take complete control of a city. 

This is his answer: “All of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, “Yes sir” and “No, ma’am,” and churches would be full every Sunday...where Christ is not preached.” 

In other words, it would look exactly like 7th Heaven. Nice, quaint, moral,...and totally Christless. 

Today, as we dive back into the book of Acts, I want to show you why striving for morality without Jesus is so dangerous. But mostly, Today I hope you see that the very thing that makes Jesus so controversial...the very reason that a church would decide not to preach him....is exactly what makes him so attractive. 

Today, we are going to cover all of Acts 13-14, but I want to focus our attention mostly on Chapter 14. 

Acts 14:1-23 

Now at Iconium [Paul & Barnabas] entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 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. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel. 

Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. 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!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 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. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “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. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them. 

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 

The book of Acts is the story about a group of ordinary people: blue-collar workers, tax collectors and a few women started the largest religious movement in history...in the face of incredible opposition. 

After Jesus resurrected, he gathered his ragtag group of disciples together on the side of a mountain and said, “OK, your job is to spread this message and make disciples for me in every country in the world.” 

As one of my friends says, “Never had a larger assignment been given to a less qualified group of people.” He didn’t tell them to go into every quaint American town and tell people to be on their best behavior. But for a lot of folks, that’s what the church has turned into. A group of people who learn week after week how to be moral. 

But that’s not God’s intent for the church. In fact, we still share the same mission as the early church. To make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

So today, I want to show you what message we are supposed to be preaching, why that message is so controversial...and then, why believing it is so essential to not only your life... but to the world. 

1) The gospel is good news, not good advice. 

Acts chapters 13-14 contain a total of 80 verses. Over half of those verses are dedicated to the describing what Paul was preaching to the people he and Barnabas encountered in their journeys.
Do you know what they preached? Not a single word about being a better person. Not a single word about self-esteem, or fulfilling your dreams, or God making you rich. Not a single word about having God as your co-pilot or how to be successful in business or family endeavors. Nothing about marriage or singleness...what did they preach? They preached the gospel. 

The word gospel means good news. Not good advice. See, advice tells you what you should do. News...tells you about something that’s already been done. Good advice is a strategy for handling your problems. Good news tells you that your problems are already solved. 

Let me show you. Acts 13 contains one of Paul’s sermons. And its very interesting. Because Paul actually wasn’t the preacher on this day. Paul and Barnabas were in a Jewish Synagogue on the Sabbath Day and the rulers of the Synagogue had already gotten up and read from the Old Testament. The Law and the Prophets. 

After the rulers read...they look at Paul and Barnabas and say, “You got anything you wanna say?” ..and I love this... Paul stands up and motions with his hand...”As a matter of fact... Pastor Camden, I do.” See, this is why all good sermons should have lots of hand motions...and the pastor should always be telling you to listen. You guys know anybody like that? 

What Paul preaches next is incredible. He goes all the way through the Old Testament, and shows everyone who was there that day, that the entire Old Testament was pointing to Jesus. And not Jesus’ teachings. But specifically his sinless life, his death and his resurrection. 

Then look what he says right near the end of the sermon. He interprets all the information he’s been giving about Jesus. Paul says, “Through Jesus, you get forgiveness. Through Jesus you are freed from everything that the Law of Moses could never free you from. Because Jesus lived a sinless life, died a death he didn’t deserve, and then rose from the grave...you have the forgiveness you’ve always been looking for.” He’s telling them that all this time they’ve been reading the Law of Moses the wrong way. They’ve been reading it as advice. As something to live up to. That’s why this is good news.That’s why its gospel. 

Because Paul is saying... “You keep reading this law like you have the ability to obey it. You don’t. It only condemns you because you keep breaking it. But Jesus lived it. And then on a cross, he was condemned when you should have been. He died when you should have. ... but then he rose. He got up. ...and that means that everything has been done on your behalf. You are forgiven NOT because you can prove to God you are a good person...you are FORGIVEN because Jesus proved himself as a good person, then credited his goodness to you, while he was crucified with the condemnation you deserved... then Resurrected to prove it all counted.” 

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is not the center of the Christian life. His Sacrifice on Mount Calvary is. 

The Resurrection is not a metaphor about how you can roll away stones and overcome obstacles in your life. It’s the news that Jesus literally died in your place...and literally resurrected...so that you could be forgiven and accepted by God. 

I often hear people talk about how following Jesus is about following his commands. And so we should just ignore all the stuff that’s hard to believe, like a resurrection...and just do what he taught. But see, that is to disregard what Jesus himself taught. After he resurrected, he was talking to 2 guys who didn’t believe that he resurrected, so they didn’t recognize him. As he walked along with these guys look what he said. 

He says, if you would have been paying attention to what the Old Testament prophets actually said, you would know that this “Christ” was supposed to resurrect. ...and then, Jesus himself, without these guys knowing its Jesus, shows them in the OT how everything was pointing to his own death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. He doesn’t say, “Lets go back over that sermon on the mount” He doesn’t say, “Didn’t you learn from my example...come on guys, I wanted to turn you into nice people. You need to think more positively. That’s your problem. You refuse to declare that everyday is a Friday. That’s why you can’t live your best life now.” 

Jesus doesn't want everyday to be a Friday. He was killed for your sin on a Friday. He wants everyday to be Sunday morning. When he busted open the door to heaven and said, “Leggo!” 

Listen, this is why every week, I don’t preach to you how to do better. Instead, I preach how none of us are doing “good enough”. But then I tell you...every single week....I tell you “This is what Jesus did in your place.” I don’t preach to you, “this is what you still have to do to find God’s forgiveness...” 

Every week I try to describe to you how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection have already done everything for you to be forgiven. Here at City Church, we want to be the opposite of Glenoak Community Church. I want to be the bizarro Eric Camden. I want to preach Christ crucified. I want to preach him resurrected. I want to preach Jesus in your place. Not Jesus in your face. I want you, all of our church, to be proclaimers of GOOD NEWS to a world that desperately needs it...instead of delivers of GOOD ADVICE to a world that has already tried it....and failed. 

Several years ago, God flipped a switch in me. He woke me up to this reality...that the gospel of Jesus is not something I believe once and then move on from it to start living by Jesus’ rules...but rather...it's the news that I have to daily dwell on...constantly be reminded of...and believe on a minute by minute, second by second basis. 

One of the things God used to wake me up was an analogy that I heard from a preaching mentor of mine. I’ve shared it in sermons before, and I’ve shared it with many of you personally. It helped me to finally understand the way the gospel works in your life. See, the word Evangelist was not first a religious word... 

See, what we do as Christians we don’t do because we are proving ourselves to God...we do it because we are celebrating the King’s victory on our behalf.
There is another pattern in Acts 13-14. Every time the gospel is preached, there are 2 groups of people. One group cheers...the other group Jeers. 

One group says “TELL US MORE...WE LOVE THIS!” The other Group says, “Keep talking and we’ll kill you” 

So why is this gospel so polarizing? Well...
2) We love Jesus because he promise life. We hate him because he requires our death. 

In Acts chapter 14, there is this strange thing that happens. On one hand Paul and Barnabas go to the city of Lystra, they preach the gospel and then God heals this man who had never walked. Paul just tells him to get up and walk...and he gets up and walks.
And the people go nuts. These Greeks who know all the mythology think that Paul and Barnabas are Hermes and Zeus. And they all start celebrating and worshipping them like gods. In fact, these Greeks are so charged up about what Paul and Barnabas have done, that even after Paul explains to them they are not gods...but that Jesus is...they still struggled keeping the Greeks from making a sacrifice to them. 

On the other hand, Look at 14:19. These Jewish leaders from the last city Paul preached the gospel in, they track him down, throw rocks at him to the point where he looks dead... and they drag his body out of the city. What in the world? This gospel they are preaching is polarizing. It either is creating people who are going nuts wanting to give everything they have...or its creating people who are trying to snuff out the messengers. 

Why? Well, lets start with the good reaction first. Paul delivers the good news to them, but does it in a different way than he did at Antioch in chapter 13. See, to the Jews in Antioch, Paul talked about the Old Testament, and how Jesus was the fulfillment of all the prophecies and the law. But in Lystra, with these Greeks, he doesn’t talk to them about the Jewish Scriptures...these Greeks don't care about Jewish Scriptures. What they do care about is the Pantheon of gods they serve. 

So he tells them, “We aren’t gods, and neither are any of the other gods you worship!” But we have “good news”. We have GOSPEL. Then he tells them to “turn from their vain things and trust in a real God...a God that is alive. Paul is saying “These gods you worship, like Hermes and Zeus, are worthless. Vanity. Empty.” These gods promise you fulfillment if you make sacrifices to them, if you behave just right...but it isn’t very fulfilling is it? They leave you empty don’t they? They never deliver. 

See in this society, they believed in many gods, not one God. So, how did you decide which god you were going to sacrifice to and be loyal to? You picked the one or ones you thought would help you the most in the current situation you were in. For the Soldier- You picked the God of War. A Farmer? God of Agriculture Single? The God of romance. Want a hit on the radio? God of Music. 

See, since there was no real allegiance to one God, when you were worshipping a god..you were actually worshipping the thing it offered you. So if you worshipped the god of Romance...you were saying. “Romance is my hope. Romance gives my life meaning.” 

But the news Paul delivers is that none of things will actually fulfill you. But the God I am going to tell you about is the God who fulfills all the longings you’ve ever had. The God I’m telling you about delivers on his promises. 

He tells them that even before you worshipping him...he was graceful with you. He sustained you. Even as you were worshipping other gods that weren’t HIM...he still blessed you with fruitful seasons...and you enjoyed good food, you had some satisfying times. That’s how good this living God is. Before you ever did a thing for him...he’s already been gracious with you. 

All these other so called gods are telling you to get it right first...then they’ll bless you, but the Living God...He blessed you even while you didn’t believe he was there. 

Listen...Everybody is living for something. Everybody is sacrificing for something. And whatever that thing is, Romance, Career success, ...That is your master. You don’t control your own life. Whatever is your ultimate... Whatever you worship controls you. But think about this living God. He’s the God that already gives to you, Now, imagine if you actually turned to recognize him. Imagine if you actually trusted him. Imagine if you quit running from him...and turned around and embraced him. 

See, you are living for something. And that thing is mastering you. It's the reason you get the most angry. When your god doesn’t fulfill you, you become disappointed. 

I’ve never seen a clearer picture of this than Ronda Rousey. She was the undefeated female UFC champion. Not only had she never lost a match...most of her matches were over in a matter of seconds. She was dominant. She was a winner. 

Until a few weeks ago when she fought Holly Holm...and lost...big. In her first public interview with Ellen Degeneres she said, “I was literally sitting there and thinking about killing myself, and that exact second I’m like, “I’m nothing. What do I do anymore? And no one [cares] about me anymore with this.” 

Ronda Rousy served the god of boxing. She built her whole life on it. And when it let her down...she became nothing. That is a picture of vanity. Worthless idols. 

Whatever you build your life on isn’t going to free you...its going to be a slave driver. And it that god will be very unforgiving. One loss...and you feel worthless. But the living God...the resurrected Jesus Christ...he has already forgiven you, He’s the only God who blesses you and forgives you before you ever even realize what he’s done. See, with Jesus...all our longings are ultimately fulfilled. Every hope we ever put in another god...well...Jesus fulfills it. 

Look in verse 14:11. The reason the Greeks believed Paul and Barnabas were gods was because of their legends....their myths. Every single culture has legends. Stories of heroes. Stories about the supernatural. But all of these stories...the reason that every culture creates them...is because deep down we all long for something. 

In fact, JRR Tolkien, the author of the Lord of The Rings books says the reason every culture writes supernatural fiction...is because of 4 longings we have. He says all our myths and legends are about: Escaping Death, Communicating with Non-Humans, Love Healing Everything, Complete Triumph of Good over Evil. 

Here’s why you love the gospel story. Here’s why people that had it preached to them begged for more. Here’s why the people in Lystra stood up and cheered. The secular world says, “It’s all a fantasy. Its all myth.” “None of those things you want deep down will ever happen. You are born, you live...and then die and return to nothing.” But guess what? Jesus Christ is the God who did come down in human form. But not to just to be some deity who does miracles. He died to forgive us so that if we trust him...We escape death...because he escaped death.. Now, when you pray you are communicating with God the Father...a non- human. And the promise of Jesus Christ is that his love will overcome everything. You will, in Jesus Christ, have the unconditional love of God forever...and you will see the only good GOD triumph over evil. Every injustice will be undone. 

In Jesus, everything you’ve been asking your work to do, your spouse to do, your UFC fighting career to do...everything that is supposed to fulfill you...Jesus will finally do it. 

Our longings always distort these legends...but the thing is...that longing comes from somewhere...it comes from the God who made you. And that God has made a way for you to know him...and worship him. 

But he hasn’t asked you to make the first move...in Jesus, he’s already done everything that’s necessary...You just have to turn around. 

See, when Paul preached the gospel in Antioch...the people begged him to come back and do it again the next week. And 2,000 years later...its still happening. 

Here’s what I love about preaching the gospel of Jesus every week. I preach...and for the first 2 points I make...I see a lot of you taking notes. And then when I get to the last point... that’s usually when come hard and heavy with the gospel. You know what happens almost every week? You put the pens down. You put the phones away. You get quiet. You lean forward in your chair....and I can see it on your face...I can see it by the tears in your eyes... you are begging me to tell you about the grace of God in Jesus Christ. You are begging me NOT to give you advice...but to, once again...deliver good news. 

So many of you have been through this. You started coming to this church, hearing the gospel preached every week. Getting in community here where people remind you of the gospel.... And over the course of time...the penny drops. A switch flips...and suddenly, Acts 13:52 describes you.... 

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit 

If there is ever a verse that I want to describe our church...its this one. People who are fulfilled NOT by worshipping false gods, but by following the living God...Jesus Christ. 

You know, Pastor Eric Camden from 7th Heaven missed the best part of preaching. I feel bad for him. He missed watching his congregation worship the living God...because if you never preach Jesus...all that’s left is dishing out good advice. So nobody ever puts their pens down. Nobody ever leans forward in their chair. They just write down the stuff you tell them to do. That’s boring....and colossally disappointing. 

So if Jesus is so great, if the gospel message brings so much fulfillment...why did the Jews from Antioch...track down Paul and try to kill him? 

Here’s why: Imagine you had built your entire sense of worth around keeping all the rules. Imagine that you had sacrificed everything...to be the best at what you do. To build a career. An identity. A status. And suddenly, along comes a guy who says he’s God...and he walks right past you to the lowest of the world. To the outsider, the rejected. The sinner. 

Imagine His message that says, “You can’t get to God with good works. He has to come to you in the middle of your failure.” Imagine hearing “the first will be last, and the last will be first.” Imagine hearing, “If you want to live, you have die.” “Walk away from your money, walk away from status, walk away from the years you have put into building a name for yourself...and admit its all vanity. Admit you’ve wasted your time....and then...I’ll give you what you can’t earn. I’ll give you what you never deserve. Then I’ll give you life.” 

To the person who knows they have nothing...to Ronda Rousey lying nearly unconscious on that UFC mat...To everybody whose false gods have failed them...that message is beautiful. But to the person who feels like a success...To the person who earned it...who deserves better...well...that message is a threat. 

Here’s the way Paul puts it in his letter to the Corinthian church. 

2 Cor 2:15-16 

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 

The same gospel message...to some it's the perfume of like. But to the self-made righteous person...it smells like death. To those who think they deserve better, the gospel is only a cross. But to those who know they need the grace of God, well, the gospel is a resurrection story. 

This is why a 7th Heaven kind of church is non-sensical. The gospel brings cheers or it brings jeers...but it can’t simply be a quaint moral message for quaint moral people. Its either got to be vehemently rejected...or totally and completely embraced with every fiber of your being. I want you to leave here every week, either worshipping Jesus...or wanting to stone me to death. But my hope is, if the gospel offends you, that you would turn around... repent...and see the Living God right there, with open arms. My hope is, eventually, we’re all worshipping Jesus. 

Here’s the last thing I want to show you this morning, really quickly. Do you know what Paul did after the Jewish leaders from Antioch tracked him down, stoned him, and left him for dead in Lystra. Well...he went back to Antioch! HE WENT BACK TO THE PEOPLE THAT TRIED TO KILL HIM!!!! He went back to all the places he and Barnabas had preached the gospel...to encourage all the people who had trusted Jesus. And there, they appointed elders, to watch over the new believers, to be sure that they kept preaching the gospel... and that they didn’t shrink back in the face of suffering and persecution. See.. 

3) Discipleship is following Jesus in his suffering, not taking a class. 

When you hear the word “Discipleship”, do you think of a class in an old musty basement of a 1950’s church building? I do. But actually, when I was growing up, we called those classes “Discipleship training”. Which I love. See, all the classes you might sit in about Jesus, all the sermons, all the Bible studies...those aren’t discipleship. They are preparation for discipleship. Being a disciple of Jesus, means following him into suffering. It means knowing that there is always a cross, before there is a crown. 

When Paul went back to Antioch to preach, he didn’t tell them... “Here’s how to get away from these Jewish leaders that are persecuting you.” He didn’t tell them, “Ok, now that you trust God, EVERYDAY IS FRIDAY!!!!!” ...well, unless you mean the Friday Jesus hung on the cross. See, he said, “Through many tribulations, we must enter the Kingdom of God” 

He told them, “Your best life is not now...its later” He told the Philippian church, “You aren’t citizens here, you are passing through. In all the broken heartedness of this world, in all the hurt...hold fast to Jesus...because his Kingdom is coming....and you are citizens of THAT kingdom.” “We’re passing through. So lets keep reminding each other...that the King has won the battle. No, he hasn’t come back to the city yet...but keep preaching the good news...to each other...and to the world....because the tomb is empty...and that means...a party is on the way.” Isn’t that so much better than good advice? Its good news.