The Way: Accept the Crucified and Risen Christ

Preaching stands as the Holy Spirit’s work, not a routine speech but the proclaimed Word through which God personally addresses his people. Barth’s threefold Word clarifies the frame: the living Word is Christ, the written Word is Scripture, and the proclaimed Word is preaching as the Spirit illumines the text. Scripture does not mechanically equal God’s speech; Scripture becomes God’s Word as the Spirit speaks through it. True preaching is an event where God may speak, which demands prayer, dependence, humility, and expectancy.

Acts 13 opens a turning point as Paul takes the lead and the gospel moves toward the nations. The synagogue setting and the invitation to offer a word of paraklesis signal that the Spirit himself aims to encourage through the Word. Paul’s proclamation unfolds as the WAY: W, A, Y.

W, the way prepared for the promised Savior, shows God as the subject of Israel’s history. God chose, rescued, guided, conquered, gave, raised David, and brought the Savior Jesus as promised. Israel’s story is not random; it is redemptive, moving toward Christ. The Bible is one grand story pointing to Christ. His story is his story. John the Baptist knew his role as only a voice, unworthy to untie the sandals of the One to come. The danger remains that many can know Scripture and still miss the Messiah standing in their midst.

A, accept the crucified and risen Christ, lands at the gospel’s center. The rulers condemned Jesus and, in doing so, fulfilled the Scriptures they heard every Sabbath. But God raised him from the dead. David was raised to be king and saw decay; the Son of David was raised from the tomb and did not see decay. Psalm 16 ultimately speaks of Christ. Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection. Attempts to reduce Easter to metaphor domesticate the explosive claim that God overturned death in history. As Updike warned, let no one mock God with a metaphor. Sunday worship, the Lord’s Day, is the church’s weekly Easter, a public confession that Christ is risen.

Y, yield to the grace of God, names the gift and the call. Through Jesus, forgiveness is proclaimed, and everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification the Law could never grant. The invitation is universal; the warning from Habakkuk is real. Rejection, not ignorance, is the great tragedy. Even so, the Word runs on. In Pisidian Antioch, joy and persecution meet, and the gospel advances in and in spite of adversity as the disciples are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Preaching is the Spirit’s living event [02:27] Preaching does not merely inform; it confronts with God’s present voice. The proclaimed Word becomes God’s Word as the Spirit illumines Scripture and addresses hearers personally. Dependence in prayer and humility are not accessories but the posture required when God may speak. Expectancy honors the Lord who still meets his church in the Word. [02:27]
• 2. Israel’s history drives to Jesus [12:17] God stands as the main actor, moving the story toward the promised Son of David. The Bible is not a scrapbook of heroes but one coherent plotline that culminates in Christ. Reading history through Christ turns confusion into clarity and exposes lesser hopes that cannot carry the human heart. The tragedy is knowing texts yet missing the Person to whom they point. [12:17]
• 3. Resurrection ends decay and demands surrender [20:39] David’s tomb witnesses to decay; Jesus’ empty tomb witnesses to new creation. Bodily resurrection refuses domestication into metaphor or private spirituality; it is God’s public verdict on his Son and on death itself. If Christ is raised, then his identity determines truth, not personal preference. Admiration yields to allegiance when the risen Lord stands before the conscience. [20:39]
• 4. Sunday worship rehearses Easter’s claim [28:13] The Lord’s Day is the church’s weekly proclamation that Jesus is alive. Treating Sunday as optional quietly undercuts the confession the mouth speaks. Gathering with believers forms a cruciform rhythm that resists convenience and bears witness to the world. The minimum honor to the risen Christ is shared adoration on his day. [28:13]
• 5. Grace justifies everyone who believes [32:12] The Law exposes sin but cannot remove guilt; Christ forgives and sets free. Justification is a once-for-all verdict, received by faith, that restores fellowship with God. The doorway stands open to insider and outsider alike. Refusal brings consequence, but faith receives the gift that religion by itself could never give. [32:12]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:30] - Preaching as Spirit’s work
• [00:52] - Three forms of God’s Word
• [02:27] - Preaching as event, God speaks
• [04:34] - Acts 13 turning point, Paul’s first sermon
• [05:03] - Journey to Pisidian Antioch
• [07:10] - Synagogue invitation and paraklesis
• [08:23] - The WAY framework for the gospel
• [08:42] - W: God’s faithful history to Christ
• [16:14] - A: Cross and resurrection in Scripture
• [20:39] - The end of decay, bodily resurrection
• [27:55] - The Lord’s Day and Easter practice
• [30:24] - Y: Forgiveness and justification proclaimed
• [35:11] - Mixed responses, gospel still advances
• [37:18] - Prayer and ministry time

1. In Acts 13:16-23, Paul summarizes Israel’s history. What repeated word emphasizes God’s active role in their story?
2. How does Paul contrast David’s fate with Jesus’ resurrection in Acts 13:36-37?
3. What warning does Paul give in Acts 13:40-41, and which Old Testament prophet does he quote?
4. According to the sermon, why is Sunday worship called “the Lord’s Day” and how does it connect to Easter? [28:13]

1. Why does Paul spend so much time recounting Israel’s history in his sermon? How does this connect to the idea that “the Bible is one grand story pointing to Christ”? [12:17]
2. Psalm 16:10 says, “You will not let your holy one see decay.” How does Paul reinterpret this psalm to point to Jesus rather than David?
3. Habakkuk 1:5 warns of God doing something “you would not believe.” How does this warning apply to those who reject the gospel’s invitation in Acts 13?
4. The sermon says resurrection “refuses domestication into metaphor.” What does this imply about attempts to spiritualize or downplay Jesus’ physical resurrection? [20:39]

1. Dependence on the Holy Spirit is essential for preaching/teaching. How could this truth reshape how you prepare to share Scripture with others—whether in formal ministry or everyday conversations? [02:27]
2. If “Christ is the key to making sense of history,” how might viewing your personal struggles, family story, or current events through His redemptive lens change your perspective? [15:29]
3. The resurrection demands surrender, not just admiration. What area of your life feels hardest to yield to Christ’s authority, and what step could you take this week to align it with His lordship? [20:23]
4. Sunday worship is called a “weekly Easter.” How could prioritizing gathering with believers on the Lord’s Day strengthen your confession that “Christ is risen”? What distractions or habits compete with this priority? [28:44]
5. Grace justifies “everyone who believes,” including outsiders. Who in your life needs to hear that forgiveness is a gift, not a reward? How could you extend this invitation with both boldness and tenderness? [32:12]
6. Joy and persecution coexisted for the disciples in Acts 13:48-52. When have you experienced both encouragement and resistance while living out your faith? How can joy in the Spirit sustain you during adversity?