2/15 All Who Were Appointed for Eternal Life Believed

Acts Sermon 71

Date: February 15, 2026

Title: All Who Were Appointed for Eternal Life Believed

Scripture: [Acts 13:44-52]

Sermon Message

In the Jewish synagogue in Pisidian Antioch where Paul’s team preached, there were quite a few Gentiles who had converted to Judaism.

From their perspective, how envious must they have been every time they heard the stories of the Israelites—how God loved them specially, brought them out of Egypt through Moses, parted the Red Sea, and protected them with pillars of fire and cloud?

In those stories, weren't their own ancestors the ones who attacked Israel, worshiped idols, and faced destruction under God’s wrath?

They staked everything on the stories of Gentiles accepted by God, like Rahab, and on the mercy of God who commanded that the foreigners who left Egypt with Israel be welcomed. Without a humility that sets aside all pride, they could never have become part of Judaism.

However, Paul’s sermon began to flow in a direction no one expected. As we saw last week, he spoke of how much God endured Israel's behavior in the wilderness and the dark history of an unfaithful nation that ignored the warnings of the prophets.

He even boldly proclaimed the shocking truth that the Law could never make them righteous.

Acts 13:39 says, "Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses."

It is not by lineage, nor by the Law, but only through this man—Jesus Christ—that anyone who believes, whether Jew or Gentile, is declared righteous!

The reaction to Paul’s sermon was split into two extremes.

The Jews, consumed by a sense of being the "chosen people" and boasting of their Abrahamic bloodline and possession of the Law, were wounded in their pride and filled with rage.

On the other hand, the Gentile converts, who always felt like second-class believers, were overjoyed to hear that Jesus Christ was their Savior too and that He is the "Light for the Gentiles."

They pleaded with Paul’s team to come back and speak these words again on the next Sabbath.

When the following week arrived, a massive revival broke out in this Roman city in a foreign land. The Bible says almost the whole city gathered to hear Paul’s sermon.

How did they know to come? It was because the Gentiles who were moved by the Gospel the previous week couldn't contain their joy and invited their neighbors, essentially inviting the entire city!

While it’s said the whole city gathered, that doesn't mean every single person there believed and became a Christian.

Verse 48 of today’s text says, "And all who were appointed for eternal life believed." Who are those appointed to believe and receive eternal life? What is the criteria?

For those of you who, like me, did not grow up in a Christian home but came to believe in Jesus later, there is a common realization. We discover that the Lord actually chose us long ago and was waiting for us to return.

I realized I didn't come back on my own; the Lord kept giving me opportunities, creating circumstances to lead me, and using someone’s prayers and obedience to draw me to Himself.

In my case, it was an employee at a client company. When we were setting a meeting date, he mentioned he had to go on a short-term mission trip, which sparked my curiosity.

I had seen churchgoers, but I thought missions were for "extreme" people. Hearing that a normal, diligent professional was going on a mission trip made me wonder, so I started asking questions.

That employee likely saw it as an undeniable, God-given opportunity to witness, and that is how I took my first step into the church.

If that person knew I am now a pastor, they might be absolutely shocked. As more than 20 years have passed, my conviction grows stronger: I was already in the Lord’s plan, even when I had no idea.

Later, I found out that some distant relatives were overjoyed when I became a pastor because they had been praying for the salvation of me and my family for a very long time.

I no longer have a shred of doubt that the Lord chose me from eternity past. Yet, the question remains: Why did He choose me?

In Pisidian Antioch, thousands gathered; some were appointed for salvation and became children of God, while others were not. Could that truly be random?

Even if it looks random to our eyes and even if we cannot understand the criteria, it cannot truly be arbitrary. It’s like how a master Go player places a stone in a spot that looks random to a beginner, but has deep intent.

We find a hint when Paul said to the angry Jews, "Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life..."

They could not accept that "uncivilized" Gentiles would be saved by the same criteria as "legitimate" Jews. They were fine with Gentiles following at their heels, but not being treated as equals. That very pride made them "unworthy" of eternal life.

Then who are the "worthy" ones? Are they the ones who kept the Law more strictly?

Among those who met Jesus, there were three people He praised for having the greatest faith, and interestingly, all three were Gentiles.

One was a Canaanite woman who begged Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Another was a Roman centurion who came to ask for the healing of his dying servant.

Let’s look at what Jesus praised. In Matthew 8:10, Jesus was amazed and said, "Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."

This Roman officer was so considerate of Jesus that he felt unworthy to even meet Him or have Him enter his house; he simply believed that if Jesus just spoke the word, his servant would be healed.

In Matthew 15:28, Jesus said, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."

Even when Jesus gave a seemingly cold response about not giving the children’s bread to dogs, she replied that even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table. She was willing to be treated like a dog if it meant receiving even "crumb-sized" grace.

The third was the Samaritan leper who returned to thank Jesus after being healed.

In Luke 17, Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then He told him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

The common thread among these three was that they were Gentiles and they approached Jesus with such profound humility that it seemed they had no pride left. And they were sincerely grateful.

There is a verse repeated three times in the Bible—in Proverbs, 1 Peter, and James.

James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."

We cannot know all of God's criteria, but one thing is certain: it’s not that everyone who appears humble to human eyes is saved, but rather, there is no one truly saved who is not humble.

If you truly understand what you have received and the price that was paid on your behalf, you cannot help but be humble.

Those who neither know nor believe in that price have no way to be justified.

When you look at the stories of people who met Jesus dramatically, most of them involve being proud, being broken down to rock bottom, and realizing their own worthlessness and lack of qualification in that misery.

It was in that state that they received salvation.

Think of Moses. God didn't come to the 40-year-old Egyptian prince who was full of vigor and skilled in speech and combat.

He came to the 80-year-old anonymous shepherd in the wilderness, who was now slow of speech and had nothing left to boast about. That is when the Lord met him and chose him.

The Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch were always categorized as "non-Jewish" in the synagogue, often cast in the "villain" roles of the scriptures.

Yet, they sought the "crumbs of grace." They cast aside their pride and found the courage to be "second-class citizens" if it meant they could belong to the Kingdom of God.

Salvation belongs entirely to God's sovereignty. We cannot buy it or earn it through effort. However, the commonality among those who receive grace in the Bible is clear.

They are people broken before God—the humble. They are those who know they are nothing without Him.

Even looking at the disciples Jesus chose, they had many flaws, but they shared the commonality of giving up everything else to obtain God's grace.

Most stories of salvation I personally know boil down to two types.

Like Paul, those who were at the peak of pride but were dramatically broken until they saw themselves as dust—finding the True Light in that deep darkness.

Or those who, like the 80-year-old Moses, slowly laid everything down until they felt they were nothing, at which point the Lord met them like a flame.

True humility is clearly and deeply connected to salvation.

And those for whom Jesus has truly become Lord are constantly amazed by the grace that saved a wretch like them. They are moved by a grace they cannot fathom every time they think of it.

Knowing that I was in the Lord's heart even before I was born brings a sense of deep security and love. But at the same time, I feel a sense of apology toward those who haven't been chosen yet.

When I think of those still walking alone with lonely and empty hearts, I feel a "debt of grace." They weren't necessarily worse than me, nor was I living a more upright life.

Why was I chosen first? When that thought becomes serious, a holy burden follows: "How can I repay this?"

In the Old Testament, God wanted Israel to have exactly this kind of heart. He emphasized over and over how special their selection was—mentioning it more than 300 times throughout the Bible.

The Jews were the only people in ancient times who worshiped a single God without an image, believing Him to be the Creator, Yahweh.

To the Gentiles living miserable lives of disordered passion, the sight of Jews learning scripture and gathering to praise God was wondrous.

That is why many citizens of Pisidian Antioch had joined Judaism and were attending the Sabbath meetings.

This was a small model of what God wanted to do after choosing Israel—to make them a "Light for the Gentiles."

Isaiah 49:6 says, "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." Who is this "Light"?

In verse 3, God says, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor." So, does it mean the nation of Israel? Most Jews believe so.

But verse 5 says this chosen servant is the one who "brings Jacob back to him." If so, he is not the whole of Israel, but the "Servant of God" who brings them back. One might think it was Isaiah himself.

However, Isaiah was only a prophet to Israel; he never became a "Light for the Gentiles" to the ends of the earth. So, who is he?

Isaiah 49:18 and 22-23 describe the whole world coming to him with their children, and kings and queens bowing down to the ground.

Modern-day Israel quotes these verses as a reason why the world should support them. But when has the political state of Israel ever existed as a "Light shining upon the Gentiles"?

Let’s look at the verse that clearly identifies the Light.

In Luke 2, a man named Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God.

He said, "My eyes have seen your salvation... a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel."

He declared that this baby was the "Light for the Gentiles" prophesied in Isaiah. Jesus Himself declared, "I am the light of the world."

Now, if we apply Jesus Christ to the "Servant of the Lord" in Isaiah 49, does everything fit?

During His time on earth, it was only partially fulfilled. Kings didn't come to Him then, and His physical range was only about 150km.

But the Book of Acts shows the Gospel reaching Pisidian Antioch, 1,000km away from Jerusalem. The first mission team traveled ten times the distance Jesus did.

Jesus said in John 14:12, "Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

It’s not that Jesus failed to complete His role as the Light; it was God’s will that He start it and the "New Israel"—the Church—complete it.

We often wonder, "Why does the Lord choose to work through us, who are slow to understand, lazy, and even rebellious?"

This proves that the Lord's goal isn't just to hand out citizenship to heaven. He has another purpose.

According to the National Training Laboratories (NTL), the retention rate of information after 24 hours varies wildly by method: 5% for lectures, 10% for reading, but 90% for "teaching others."

The mission of the church is to "make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

By making disciples and teaching them, you become the greatest beneficiary and grow to resemble Jesus. The method Jesus commanded 2,000 years ago is now scientifically proven.

Having served as your pastor for the last 7 years, I’ve experienced profound joys and challenges. One thing I am certain of is this:

If I hadn't lived these 7 years as a pastor, I wouldn't have grown or realized as much as I have now. It would have taken many times longer. I lived in a way where 90% of what I "taught" stayed with me and transformed me.

I have a dream. This blessing is too good to keep to myself.

If those of you who have started the path of discipleship obey 100% according to the "talents" God has given you—digesting the Word and practicing it in your own mission fields—what kind of future awaits us?

I look forward to that. People who resemble Jesus more as they age—more confident, more humble, and more generous. There is no better life than one where the fragrance of Christ deepens over time.

God chose Israel specially, but not only for them. He wanted to save the world through them. He set them as a "Light for the Gentiles."

It is the same for us. The Lord wants to save the world that hasn't been chosen yet through those of us who have.

The world is the object of our debt of love. If you hear this and feel envious of those who are chosen, that heart is exactly like the Gentiles in Antioch. The Gospel is your invitation.

To those of you appointed for eternal life! Not everyone needs to be a senior pastor of a church.

However, wherever you are called to live, you must be "little shepherds."

Mike Macdonald, who recently led his team to a Super Bowl victory in his 30s as a "rookie" coach, gave a short but profound speech.

His first words were, "I believe God called me to be a coach. And I obeyed that calling."

I hope all of us can speak with that same certainty about our calling. To know who we were called to "coach" or shepherd, and to say we obeyed.

In the place where He called us, let us live as little shepherds with Jesus, loving, caring, and staying in His grace.

If we do, seven years from now, we will be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit, with hearts that have no regrets.

If you only listen to this message today, only 5% might remain by tomorrow morning.

But if you discuss it, practice it, and share it with someone, this Word will first work in your life, and that life will become a light that powerfully shines upon the world.

Let us pray.