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Bar-Jesus Punished for Disturbing the Gospel

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[ Acts 13:11-12]

Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

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Jesus prophesied to his disciples as he went to heaven. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This statement was fulfilled.

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As of Jesus' promise, the Holy Spirit came to earth on Pentecost. The apostles and those who received the Holy Spirit boldly preached the gospel in Jerusalem. Thousands of people came to believe in Jesus and the Jerusalem Church was founded.

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Satan kills deacon Stephen by making false sins in order to hinder the preaching of the gospel. But believers did not give up preaching the gospel.

The gospel was also preached in Samaria by those who left Jerusalem and went to Samaria.

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The gospel did not stop in Samaria. Increasingly far into Antioch, the first Gentile church, ‘the Antioch Church’, was founded. The Antioch Church became the first church to fulfill that prophecy that Jesus said that the Gospel would reach to the ends of the earth.

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God appointed and sent Barnabas and Paul who were serving Antioch Church as missionaries. In obedience to God's Word, the Antioch Church impose hands on Barnabas and Paul and sent them as missionaries to spread the Gospel in various places.

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God chose Barnabas and Paul to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. They obeyed God's command and began to preach the gospel in various places. They rode in a place called ‘Seleucia’ and went to an island called ‘Cyprus’ to ‘Salamis.’ And they went to several synagogues to preach the gospel.

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They arrived in an area called 'Paphos' The governor governing the area was a man named Sergius Paulus. The governor called them because he wanted to hear about the gospel preached by Paul and Barnabas. Beside this governor was a Jewish magician named "Bar- Jesus."

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This person, “Bar-Jesus,” began to interrupt various false words when Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel to the governor, so that the governor could not believe it.

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Satan used the false prophet ‘Bar-Jesus’ to prevent the governor from hearing the Gospel. But the Holy Spirit came to Paul and made him aware of the evil thoughts of ‘Bar-Jesus.’

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Paul spoke to the false prophet ‘Bar-Jesus.’ “Son of Satan, you are enemies of the gospel. You are full of evil deceptions and iniquities, let it cease to bend the right way of the Lord.”

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The apostle Paul continued to punish “Bar-Jesus” in the name of Jesus. “Now the Lord asks you for your sins, and your eyes will not be seen for some time and you will not even see the sunlight.” He said that the eyes of ‘Bar-Jesus’, who had disturbed the Gospel, would not be seen.

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As the words of the apostle Paul fell, mist and darkness struck the false prophet ‘Bar-Jesus’. Immediately, he could not see ahead. He could not walk alone and found someone to help him.

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This governor came to believe that Paul believed in Jesus as the true Messiah. Paul and Barnabas zealously preached the gospel of Jesus to the governor. The governor's heart received the Gospel, and he was moved. The governor became a believer in Jesus.

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When Paul and Barnabas tried to preach the gospel, Satan set up “Bar-Jesus” to prevent them from hearing the Gospel. But the Holy Spirit was with Paul to defeat and overcome Satan's forces that hindered the Gospel. And the gospel was delivered to the ends of the earth, and it was done as Jesus said.

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Satan still tries to prevent the spread of the gospel. But God is the one who breaks down and overcomes any forces that try to disrupt the spread of the gospel. So when you preach the gospel, don't be afraid to believe that God will triumph, but be bold.

You must be the ones who preach the Gospel with every effort to make one more believe in Jesus until the day Jesus comes back to earth.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)