How did Paul get his chance to preach at the synagogue?
Who was Paul addressing?
What three things had God done for the Israelites in verse 17?
How long did God put up with them in the wilderness?
How many nations did He destroy in Canaan? What did He do with their land?
Who ruled them for 450 years?
After that, what did the people ask for? Who did they get?
What happened to Saul’s reign? Who succeeded him?
What was God’s testimony about David?
Who would come from David’s seed?
What did John preach before the Savior’s coming?
Who did John say he was, and who was to come after him?
To whom was the word of salvation sent?
Why did those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers condemn Jesus?
What did they ask Pilate for?
Who raised Him from the dead? What was the proof?
What was the apostles’ message?
What three prophecies of Jesus are quoted from David? What is their message?
What happened to David when he died, which was different from Jesus?
What is the message Paul wants to get across? How can they be forgiven? What doesn’t work?
What prophecy is Paul warning the people of?
After his sermon, who begged Paul to preach again on Sabbath?
Who followed Paul and Barnabas? What did they encourage them?
Who turned out the next Sabbath?
What did the Jews do?
Who did Paul say it was necessary to preach to first? But then, since they rejected the message, who were they to preach to? What did he quote to support this?
How did the Gentiles respond?
Where was the Word of the Lord being spread?
Again, what did the Jews do to them?
What was Paul and Barnabas’s response? (See Matt. 10:14) Where did they go?
How did the disciples feel?

Thought Questions

What were some of the main elements of Paul’s sermon? Did he start with material that was approachable to his listeners? Was he clear and concise? Did he challenge them with an appeal?
What are some similarities between this sermon and the others we have read in Acts? (See Peter’s in chapter 2 and Stephen’s in chapter 7.)
Who was Paul’s audience here? Were they all native-born Jews? (See verses 16 and 42-43.)
Why did the apostles tend to recount the history of the Jews from the Old Testament in their sermons? Do you think they believed it still had authority?
What do you think was Paul’s idea in tracing the history of rulers of Israel? Follow his reasoning from their establishment as a nation and government of judges, through David’s kingship, until the superiority of Jesus (verse 23-25).
Which verse or verses do you think are Paul’s main thesis?
What were the reactions of the two groups of people who heard Paul’s sermon? Why do you think each of them responded as they did?
What day did the Gentiles want to hear Paul? What day did almost the whole town (Jews and Gentiles) come out to hear him? Again, is there yet any indication of the apostles changing dishonoring the Jewish Sabbath day?
Compare verse 26 and 46. Why was it necessary for the Gospel to be preached to the Jews first, before the Gentiles? Why did they turn their attention more fully to the Gentiles? Under what conditions can the Gospel be preached effectively?
According to verse 46, who judged them unworthy of eternal life?
After reading the entire progression of events from verses 15-52, especially verse 46, how do you understand the concepts in verse 48?
How should we respond to the rejection of our message?

My prayer is:
That, no matter what my ethnic or religious background is, I would choose to listen to the Gospel message and follow Christ with joy and glorifying the Lord;
That I would continue to read and study the Old Testament with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as the apostles did, in order to learn about Christ’s role as the Messiah;
And that, hearing the Word, I would not judge myself unworthy of eternal life, but would follow Christ.