Acts 13:13-43 "It's Just Your Opinion, Man."

We like to think we’re very deliberate about the things we believe. That we examined all the options, weighed the evidence, and—like a panel of Supreme Court justices—made our decisions with careful reason and wisdom.

But we didn’t.

We went through life, and certain ideas just stuck to us.

I used to think I arrived at my beliefs through careful consideration, like a gold miner panning reality for truth, sifting through the world’s philosophies and big ideas to find the purest nuggets of solid gold wisdom. But that’s not what happened.

Most of the things in my head are just half-baked assumptions based on other people’s assumptions that just kind of stuck to me.

I’m more like a sticky cheese-ball rolled across the floor of a glitter factory. A random collection of pop culture, half-read books, forgotten school lessons, and a lifetime of sketchy advice from people who didn’t know what they were talking about either. You are, too. We all are. We pick up opinions from our parents, our friends, TikTok, talk radio, some dude we sat next to in a freshman philosophy class, and—maybe if we’re lucky—a pastor who actually reads his Bible.

We think we’re so deliberate about what we believe. So rational. We’re not.

We’re just cheese-balls. Human lint rollers. And by the time we’re adults, a lot of the sticky has worn off.

Which is kind of terrifying if you think about it.

Proverbs 14:12 says:

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."

Basically, we’re all just making it up as we go, and we think we’re right—even when we’re completely off.

If we were left to figure things out on our own, we’d just be arguing in the comment section on Reddit or Facebook all day. Pooling our ignorance like preschoolers explaining how Santa and the Easter Bunny are real because we saw them at the mall, plus, otherwise where do all the goodies come from?

We think we’re so deliberate about what we believe, but what if the things we trust—our instincts, our traditions, our gut feelings—are completely off? What if we're confidently walking off a cliff because we didn’t stop to check where the road actually leads? That’s why we need something outside of ourselves to show us what’s real. That’s exactly what Paul does in today’s text—he lays out how God has revealed truth throughout history, culminating in Jesus. This is why Paul's message in Acts 13 is so important – it shows us where to find reliable truth.

As we continue in the Book of Acts going verse by verse, today we’re in chapter 13, starting with… 

"Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.  Acts 13:13

After their amazing time on the island of Cyprus—remember the sorcerer Bar-Jesus from last week and the governor Sergius Paulus coming to faith?—they leave by ship to their next stop, Perga in modern day Turkey. We’re not sure exactly what happened, but John Mark, Barnabas’ young cousin, left the mission trip and went back to Jerusalem. And whatever his reasons, Paul was not okay with it. It will later become such a big deal that Paul and Barnabas will actually split up over it (Acts 15:39). Sometimes, even faithful followers of Jesus struggle to get along—they do reconcile later, though. 

“And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, 'Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.' So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: 'Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.'" Acts 13:14-16

Paul and his companions arrive in Antioch of Pisidia, a major Roman city, and do what they always do first—go to the synagogue. That’s where every faithful Jew is going to be on Saturday. When the synagogue leaders invite Paul to speak, he jumps at the chance. This is probably a very similar sermon to what he would say at all the synagogues. It sounds a lot like the time Stephen preached to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem just before they stoned him—Paul had listened to that sermon while holding the coats of the men who murdered Stephen.

He’s in a synagogue, talking to people who believe in God, they know the Scriptures and the promises He has made to send the Messiah, the Christ—so he speaks to them where they are, using what they know and believe to point to Jesus. Later, when he goes to the Greeks and the Romans, he won’t rely so much on Scripture, because they aren’t familiar with it—he’ll start with their understanding of their gods and philosophy, he’ll quote their poems. This is always the way. We have to speak to the people who are in front of us. We have to use language and ideas they’ll understand—meet them where they are.

This is also an example of how truth is passed down. Faith is transmitted from person to person. Someone has to tell us. Truth has to be revealed to us. Paul isn’t making up new ideas—he’s pointing to what God has already told us. 

He retells Israel’s history, showing how God has been revealing Himself to them all along:

"The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. Acts 13:17-18

“Put up with them.” Gotta love it. I’ve heard lots of pastors say, “Leading a church would be great—if it wasn’t for the people.” I would never say that, of course.

God’s people wandering around the wilderness is pretty much where I am in the One Year Bible reading plan we’re doing together—somewhere in the middle of the Book of Numbers. Moses is trying to keep the people of Israel in line while they complain and make it like herding cats.

And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.  Acts 13:19-20

Paul is zipping through the story of the Old Testament—his audience knew these stories, he only needed to reference them. What they didn’t know is how they all pointed to Jesus—that’s what he’s just busting at the seams to tell them.

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'" Acts 13:21-22

He’s showing them history isn’t random—it’s all leading somewhere. God is the one directing the path. King David was far from perfect but he was a man after God’s own heart. He wrote half the Psalms, which are prayers and theological goldmines but he was also a musician and they were all songs to be used in worship at the Tabernacle. David was very creative, a huge liturgical innovator—he was all about worship. But he still knew he wasn’t the answer. Even in his own writings, the Psalms, he wasn’t pointing to himself. He was looking forward to someone greater. 

And then Paul gets to his point… 

"Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Acts 13:23

God promised David that the Messiah would be one of his descendants. It’s interesting to note that the Gospel of Matthew shows Jesus’ legal right to the throne of David by tracing the royal line from David to Joseph (Jesus’ legal father). And the Gospel of Luke traces His biological lineage from David to Mary. No matter how you look at it, Jesus is the promised son of David whose kingdom will have no end.

Then Paul jumps to more recent events starting with John the Baptist.

Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'" Acts 13:24-25

Jesus isn’t a new idea—He’s the fulfillment of God’s promise. They all remembered the ministry of John the Baptist, foretold by the prophets, everything John said pointed to Jesus, making it clear that truth isn’t something we figure out on our own—it’s something God reveals. John told the people to repent and get ready for the Lamb of God who comes to save the world, the Messiah, the Christ, the One they had been waiting for. Then he makes it personal… 

"Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. Acts 13:26-27

All those years people waited for the promised Savior. They got together just like these people Paul was preaching to—every Saturday—they read the Scriptures, they prayed, they talked about how they were looking forward to the arrival of the One who would save them. And when He finally showed up, they rejected Him. Oof. Didn’t recognize Him. Instead of being thankful that God finally sent Jesus to save them, they wanted to kill Him. This had to land hard on the congregation that day, don’t you think?

And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.  Acts 13:28-29

Paul’s like, “So, anyway. You should stop waiting for the Messiah. He came a few years ago and we killed Him. Sorry. I guess you can start doing something else with your Saturday mornings. Maybe turn this place into a nice bagel shop.”

Seriously, that had to dampen the mood in the room, right? The Messiah God promised already showed up and was crucified on a cross, buried in a Jerusalem grave. Paul just told them the worst news they could imagine. Everything they had been waiting for—hoping for! They missed it. Not only that—they helped kill Him. And just when the weight of all this should have crushed them, he hits them with the best news in history.

But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people." Acts 13:30-31

I know we’re not surprised by the twist ending but I’ll bet they were! The Messiah has already come, it was that Jesus of Nazareth guy, we killed Him, but He didn’t stay dead! Hundreds of eye-witnesses saw Him, talked with Him, worshiped Him—watched Him ascend to heaven. I’m sure Paul went on to talk about how he was one of them—how Jesus knocked him on his butt and blinded him to get his attention—how he was baptized and sent to tell everyone everything he’s been talking about.

They were familiar with the Scriptures and the promises but they were blind to what it all meant. They had a lot of false glitter stuck to their cheese. They had a lot of opinions about Jesus that needed to be let go of.

Jesus’ resurrection isn’t just a nice story—it’s proof that everything He said is true. He is the way, the truth and the life. He’s either who He says He is or He was a lunatic. Or a liar. We don’t tend to believe people who say they’re God. But He rose from the dead and proved it. He is God. He is the Savior and the only way to the Father—the only way to be right with God. 

This is the big ending to Paul’s sermon… 

"And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus," Acts 13:32

Paul is bringing good news, the good story—the gospel. The promises God made to their ancestors were not just hopeful words. They had been fulfilled in Jesus. This is a major shift for them. It was going to be hard for them to hear. They were waiting for something to happen in the future, but Paul was telling them it had already happened.

"as also it is written in the second Psalm, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.'" Acts 13:33

Paul is quoting Psalm 2, which was commonly understood as a Messianic prophecy. The resurrection of Jesus confirms that He is the Son of God, the Anointed One, the King promised to rule forever.

"And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'" Acts 13:34

Paul connects Jesus to the promises made to David—the everlasting kingdom. This Psalm couldn’t have just been about David because he died and remained buried. Unlike Jesus who didn’t decompose after death.

"Therefore he says also in another psalm, 'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.'" Acts 13:35

This is Psalm 16:10. It’s in direct contrast to what happened to David.

"For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,"

David was great, but he died and stayed dead. Paul is emphasizing that Jesus is greater.

"but he whom God raised up did not see corruption." Acts 13:37

Jesus did not decay. He rose from the dead, proving His divine nature and His victory over sin and death. So, Paul offers the Gospel to them and gives them a warning… 

"Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you," Acts 13:38

This is the heart of the message. Forgiveness is found in Jesus alone—not in the Law, not in religious effort.

"and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." Acts 13:39

This is a radical statement: The Law of Moses was never enough—was never meant to be. It could never bring true freedom, true justification—it could never make you right with God. Only faith in Jesus could do that. Jesus had been the point all along, don’t miss it… 

"Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:" Acts 13:40

Paul is about to give them a warning—a challenge not to ignore what God is doing.

"'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'" Acts 13:41

This is from Habakkuk 1:5. The prophecy originally warned Israel that judgment was coming through the Babylonians. Now Paul is using it to warn them that rejecting Jesus will have even more serious consequences.

So how are they going to take all this? Are they going to pick up stones and drive Paul out of town? Sometimes we get the idea that none of the Jews in the synagogues were ever able to hear about Jesus without blowing a gasket. But these people were all ears! 

"As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath." Acts 13:42

They were all about it! “Come back next week—we want to bring our family and friends to hear about Jesus!” The response was overwhelming. They wanted to hear more. 

"And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God." Acts 13:43

That was a good day’s work. People believed! They were saved. They wanted to follow Paul and Barnabas and learn more.

Paul urged them to continue in grace—because faith isn’t just hearing the gospel; it’s living in it. It’s not just a one-time decision, it’s a lifelong journey of learning and growing in our faith. So, how do we avoid being just sticky cheeseballs, blindly accumulating random ideas? It starts with a conscious decision to seek truth with humility. Are you willing to examine your own beliefs in the light of God's Word? Can you commit to spending time in prayer and study, asking God to reveal Himself to you? When your opinions are challenged, ask yourself: "Is this truly grounded in Scripture, or is it just glitter that's stuck to me?

The people Paul spoke to wanted to hear more. Is that your response to hearing about Jesus? The more you hear, the more you want to hear? Do you let go of what you think you know and let God’s word show you the way things really are? Do you seek truth with humility, instead of letting culture, your upbringing, and personal preferences determine what you believe? Why do you trust your opinions?

We need to recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises—the revelation of God’s truth and wisdom, but we tend to cling to our own assumptions instead. Like the Jewish leaders who killed Jesus, we can miss the truth even when it’s right in front of us. We put our faith in human wisdom—our own big ideas—but they will always fail us. We trust what we think is right instead of recognizing our desperate need for Christ.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus came to free us from all those lies. He is the truth. He died and rose again to bring you into real life. His resurrection is proof that God’s promises are true, and that salvation is found in Him alone. All those things that seem right to you could never set you free—but Jesus can. Through Him, you are justified, forgiven, and made new. Made right with God, given a clean slate, and a new life. But you have to let go of your opinions—or at least hold them loosely with open hands and measure them against what God has revealed to you in His word.

There’s no “your truth and my truth,” we don’t get to make it up. Truth just is. God’s truth is the only truth.

So, if truth isn’t something we invent, if it’s been revealed to us by God, maybe it’s time to stop trusting whatever ideas just stuck to us and start listening to Jesus. If we want to be more than a cheeseball.

We need to listen to God’s truth on purpose. By intentionally immersing ourselves in His Word. That’s why we’re doing the Bible in One Year reading plan—to help us see how all of Scripture fits together and points to Jesus. 

And starting next week, we’re launching a new Sunday School discussion group where we can dig deeper, ask questions, and gently challenge each other to see our lives, all of reality, and the culture we live in through the lens of what God has revealed, rather than just whatever happened to stick to us.

Let’s stop being human lint rollers and start being disciples of Jesus. What's still stuck to you? What assumptions, opinions, or habits have you never questioned? It has to start with humility. It’s best if we do this with other people. They’re going to see glitter that’s hiding in your blind spots—political ideologies, cultural trends, personal biases—mistaking feelings for thoughts. How about if today is the day you hold those things up to what God has said is true? The truth He’s revealed to you. Trust Him instead of your opinions. Trust in Jesus. The One who says He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

AMEN.