‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth

Acts 13: 44-48

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
8 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Today’s title is “Gospel For the Gentiles”

The Bible says “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16). This is one of the bible verses that make believers, especially those who believed for a long time uneasy. But some would say, It is just a paradoxical statement. Is it? What do you think? From my own pastoral experience, the statement is more than just paradoxical. I have seen so many real cases of the last becoming first. Fresh newcomers in the vineyard of God often excel the old residents of the vineyard in many areas. They often have greater and fresher gratitude for God’s grace than the old residents who somehow are taking it for granted. They are often more eager to listen to the voice of God. They are also more open to God’s words than those old residents who are riddled with many prejudices. We see this unlikely law of last becoming first practically applied in today’s passage. When Paul and Barnabas preached gospel Pisidian Antioch, the Gentiles received the good news gladly. The Bible says, “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord”. But the Jews showed the opposite response. “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.”. Why would the Jews resist the good news of God so much? Obviously, they were still bound by the law of Moses. They might still have a sense of superiority to gentiles. They might have thought that without circumcision no gentiles can be saved. But Gentiles were without those prejudices. They could just see Jesus as was preached by Paul and Barnabas. That’s a great advantage in coming to Jesus. So what should we do if we are already in the vineyard? We should keep the fresh gratitude to the Lord’s grace never taking it for granted. We should never consider ourselves higher than others. In short, we should keep the mindset of the last no matter how long we have been in the vineyard. That’s why Apostle Paul said in the 1st Timothy 1: 15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” I believe that was how Paul kept his fresh passion for Jesus to the last minute. He was the last until the last minute. How about you? Can you truly say like Paul “You are the worst”? Then Jesus truly came to save you! Amen!