Trusting in God’s Salvation

Acts 13:13-41

• Lesson #1 from History: God has been at work in history in preparing His plan of salvation.
• Verse 17:  
• It was God Who chose Israel from all the people of the earth for His special purposes.
• It was God Who made Israel multiply into great numbers during their stay in Egypt.
• It was God Who led His people out of Egypt by His power.
• Verse 18:
• It was God Who “endured the conduct of his people for about 40 years in the desert.”  Alternate reading: It was God Who carried Israel like a father carries a child. Deuteronomy 1:31
• Verse 19:
• It was God Who “overthrew seven nations in Canaan.”  Proverbs 21:31
• It was God Who gave Israel the land of Canaan as an inheritance.  Psalm 24:1
• Verse 20:
• It was God Who gave them judges.
• Verses 21-22:
• It was God Who gave to Israel her first king and removed him (see 1 Samuel 8-10). Daniel 4:32
• Verse 22:
• It was God Who raised up David the son of Jesse to be king.
• Verse 23:
• It was God Who brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, through the descendants of Jesse.
• Verse 26:
• It is God Who has sent the message of salvation in Jesus.
• Verse 27:
• God fulfilled His plan even through those who condemned and executed Jesus. Acts 2:23; Acts 4:28
• Verse 30: It was God Who raised Jesus from the dead.
• Key Principle: You can trust that God has completed His plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12
• Lesson #2 from History: God graciously used imperfect people in preparing His plan of salvation.
• Verse 17:
• God graciously chose the founding fathers of Israel. Romans 9:11
• Verses 17-20:
• God graciously established the nation of Israel in spite of their resistance.
• Verses  20-22:
• God graciously accommodated His chosen people by giving them kings.
• Verses  23, 27-30:
• God graciously provided the Savior through Israel even though they rejected Him.
• Key Principle: You can have complete confidence in God’s work of grace in you. Philippians 1:6
• Key Principle: Jesus’ work of salvation provides you with full forgiveness and righteousness (vs. 38-39)
• God offers to forgive your sins through Jesus Christ (v. 38).  Forgive means: to pardon; to not hold against; to release from.
• God offers to justify you through Jesus Christ (v. 39).  Justify means: to acquit, to pronounce someone to be in right standing with God. Romans 3:21-24; 2 Corinthians 5:21
• Key Principle: God’s salvation message means you have a choice to make (v. 40-41). John 3:16; Romans 10:9
• Some reasons I put my trust in Jesus for salvation
• I trust Jesus because I know I have sinned and there is urgent reason to seek escape from my
• guilt and from the wrath of God against sin.
• I trust Jesus because the very best moral instruction and the very best religious rituals will not
• free me from my sin.
• I trust Jesus because God has spent centuries putting into place a reliable provision for
• forgiveness in Jesus.
• I trust Jesus because He is no mere man, but is God’s Son and is therefore an all-
• sufficient foundation for forgiveness.
• I trust Jesus because He rose from the dead after three days and is alive and will never die
• again.
• I trust Jesus because that is all I can do.
• I trust Jesus because I have everything to gain if I trust and everything to lose if I don’t.