Sermons from Galatians- part1: Another Gospel?

Another Gospel?

(Galatians 1:6-9)

04/26/09

   We are going to begin a study of the book of Galatians.  Paul wrote this letter to the church of Galatia and this is the local church Paul started and discipled.  This church had the privilege of having the greatest teacher of the church, besides Christ, to learn the fundamental and foundational teachings of Christianity.  But from these few verses we read that false teachers had crept in and began to teach “another gospel”.  Today, we will see from these verses: Paul’s wonder, Paul’s wisdom, and Paul’s warning about the deception and false teachers in Galatia.

I.  Paul’s Wonder of Their Deception (v. 6- I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel) - The believer’s at Galatia were taught by the Apostle Paul himself.  He lead many of the believers there to Christ, discipled, and preached the foundational truths of doctrine to them directly and yet there had been false teachers gain a foothold in this local body that had led them into gross error and deceived them into believing they were teaching another gospel.  

A. These people were believers- they were Christians, according to passages to them by Paul in chapter 3 and 4 describing their coming to faith in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit and Paul calling them Christian brothers (brethren) in this book and yet they had become seriously confused and led into deception.  They knew Christ and had heard the true message of the gospel and were led into this error.  The amazement of Paul was that they were deserting the truth of the gospel that led them to Christ, actually deserting like soldiers desert their fellow soldiers, their general, and their allegiances to their Supreme Commander and country.  The KJV says that they were removing themselves from the gospel truth and the grace that they were called to in Christ.  Not that they were deserting the gospel of Paul but the gospel of Christ and the very One (Jesus) that had called them into grace.  Understand they didn’t lose their salvation in Christ but they had lost their fellowship with Christ because they had put this false gospel before Christ.    

B. The False Gospel Infection- What exactly the false gospel that caused their defection was that of the Judaizers.  They were false teachers that had become part of that local body after Paul had left to go on to build other bodies of believers (churches) in different countries.  

   The Judaizers taught that for the Gentile believers in Christ had to become physically and ritually like the Jews to continue being Christians by being circumcised and keep the dietary laws, religious days and festivals, and Sabbaths.  You’ve got to understand they taught that Christ died and rose again from the dead for their sins but they taught you must do all the Jewish religious laws and regulations in order to stay saved.  They did not deny Christ as Messiah or death for our sins on the cross.  If they had denied the work and person of Christ they would not had been accepted by the Galatian church.  The way they introduced error into this church was to “improve” on the gospel of Christ by adding religious ceremonies, requirements, rituals, and standards of the Old Covenant (side note: the WoF also supposedly “improves” on the Gospel and doctrine).  

   When you add anything to the grace of God, even the Old Covenant Law, then you destroy grace.  It did not matter that even though they added the Law to grace, then grace ceased being grace (NASB Rom. 11:6- But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace).  You see the only gospel of Christ is grace, (“God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone”).  Eph. 2:8-10a says it best, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship…”; the work of salvation is not through the power, abilities, or merits of man in any way but only through the grace and mercy of God through what Christ has done for us.  We as mankind cannot individually or corporately by what we are or what we do attain salvation for ourselves or even sustain the salvation that Christ provides for us.  It is all by God’s grace we are saved and are kept saved unto glorification.  It is a foolish idea to believe that such a gracious salvation can be kept by any human effort on our part by religious ritual or ceremony.  It says in Romans 5:2 that only in Jesus, “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand”, it is only on this grace we stand in salvation and by and through nothing else.  

   Because the Judaizers promoted works with grace then it put the focus of salvation off of the Cross of Christ and onto the works of flesh.  When this is taught then people are putting faith into their works instead of Christ.  Then instead of them preaching the grace through faith in Christ the emphasis is then on the human works to save thus having not only false teachers in a church but a body of false believers.  

   When a church places an emphasis on baptism to save (Church of Christ, UPC, Church of Jesus Christ) or an evidence of an experience to save (speaking in tongues; UPC, Church of Jesus Christ), participation to receive a sacrament (ex. communion, Eucharist; like the RCC), or church on Sabbath proves true believers (SDA) then it is a false teaching because it is dependant on a work based salvation and not God’s grace. Remember anything added to God’s grace is not ever grace.  Just because it was a little error added to mostly truth don’t think it wasn’t deadly.  Even if you add a little drop of poison to a glass of pure water it is still deadly.

II. Paul’s Wisdom Concerning the Deception (v. 7- Which is not another; but there be some that trouble (disturb) you, and would pervert (distort) the gospel of Christ)- Is there another Gospel? To answer like the Apostle Paul the answer is an emphatic no.  Paul says it best there is no other gospel of salvation than what was preached to you concerning Christ.  That gospel message says that God alone saves through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  The message of works maintaining salvation destroys the powerful message of the true gospel message by falsely proclaiming to mankind the false belief that we can save ourselves.  And if it is by our works and efforts then Christ died for nothing (Gal. 2:21- for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain). 

   If it had been in our ability to keep the moral law and standards of God then the death of Christ would have been needless because not only did Christ die for our sins but also fulfilled the Law in our behalf (Rom. 8:2-4a, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us). The truth of scripture shows us that it is not by our efforts or strength but by the powerful work of salvation made possible for us solely through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:6- For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly).  

   The false teaching was troubling and disturbing to the church here in Galatia.  We see the word for trouble here meant a great disturbance and distress.  It was tearing this church apart and it was tearing families apart.  It was causing all of this because it perverted the true gospel message making it into something entirely opposite of what it really was.  Whenever the gospel message or any biblical doctrine perverted it will cause that church to become unsettled and destroy people, families, and maybe a once thriving congregation (Titus 1:10-11- For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain) and the main reasons usually are for power and monetary gain.  

   There are many supposed Christian ministries on TV and radio that fall under the title of false teachers.  Many who preach “another gospel” of health/wealth varieties (prosperity, WoF), positive confession, and experience centered groups (signs and blunders, I mean wonders) that supposedly are preaching a message that has been hidden or suppressed until God has revealed it to them.  I’m not going to be able to go into them this time but needless to say they preach a false gospel that is destroying churches and families and causing them to fall into unbelief.  But Paul wants to be aware of them and the wisdom he shares is that although they do not openly contradict the Bible and denounce Christ but these demonic teachers so subtly distort and undermine the word of God, that they gradually lead people into error.  Never compromise the truths of the Word of God irregardless of how Christian it sounds because false teachers have an excellent teacher of deception, Satan (2 Co. 11:13-14- For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light).  Deception is one of the greatest tools that Satan uses.

III. Paul’s Final Warnings (Gal. 1:8-9- But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed)- There are so many false teachers and ministries out there that use every avenues of media to push their false doctrines of devils.  There was a so-called Christian revival meeting in Florida recently by a young man named Todd Bentley saying that God was going to use him to bring a world-wide revival. In fact he said that an angel had come to him named “winds of change” and that God was going to usher in this great revival through him.  I listened to some of his messages and what I noticed was a great emphasis on himself, his visions, his words from God, and his supposed healings.  But another thing I noticed was a lack of biblical preaching, lack of reading from the Bible, false experiences, and an emphasis on a sideshow performance of faith healing.  It was all emotional, all experienced based (truth dependent on false experiences rather than Biblical truth), and little if any preaching from the Bible (Mt. 7:20 - Therefore by their fruits you will know them).  I knew he was a false teacher first from his false teaching and preaching (angels giving him messages, erroneous and retarded doctrines) and false allegations of great healings (no evidence of these healings provided or proved) and later it became evident from the life he lived in private that became very public (he left his wife for another younger woman that was one of his assistants and this happened during this false revival). Paul has not only warned the church at Galatia this time but even before of false teachers but this is the warning that he speaks twice that if anyone preaches anything other than the powerful truth of salvation alone through Jesus  let them accursed.  This word accursed in Greek is anathema which means that which is devoted to destruction.  So what Paul is saying is if they are so devoted to destroying the gospel message and destroying lives by their false teaching let them go to their destruction and feel the wrath of God.  Strong words but that is the false teachers’ end.  

We will explore the false teachers and teachings next time but let’s leave with this.  Keep in God’s word, study God’s word, and know His truth because through this it will keep you from the troubling of false teachers and error. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”.

Sermons from Acts: Nameless Proclaimers

Nameless Proclaimers
Acts11:19-21

In this passage that we are going to look at this morning, we are seeing a great event in the early church.  The preaching of the Gospel to a completely heathen and pagan group that has no background at all in the knowledge of the one true God.  These unknown preachers who went to Antioch and boldly preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these godless Gentiles and witnessed first hand the awesome saving power of God.  This was the first fully Gentile church body and they have the honor and challenge of teaching and discipling these new Gentile believers in Antioch.

I.  Faithful Witnesses (vv.19-20) – these two verses show us two differing witnesses of the Gospel message. 
A. The Jewish Christians(v. 19)- they were still locked into the evangelism of Jews because there was no precedent for Gentile evangelism.  They would go into the different towns and find the Greek speaking (and influenced) Jews and share the gospel with them.  The first time that Gentiles were led to Christ was Peter going to the household of Cornelius and even then God had to reveal it to Peter that it was ok to do this.  And Peter was questioned by the Jerusalem church as to why he went to the house of a Gentile.  Just like Peter, God had to break them out of their religiosity and prejudice when it came to proclaiming the gospel message.  The church at Antioch began about seven years after the beginning of the church at Jerusalem. 
B. The Unnamed Proclaimers (v. 21)- At around the same time that Peter was preaching to the household of Cornelius, we have these ‘men of Cyprus and Cyrene’ preaching the Lord Jesus to the pagans of Antioch.  These men had the gift of preaching and obviously saved and the founders of the first Gentile church.  But there is something missing about these men in this passage.  The passage doesn’t give their names. Their names were omitted but it was a positive omission by the Spirit of God.  It shows that these men, who were Jews (probably Hellenistic Jews) that were more concerned that people (all people) find out about the name and message of Jesus Christ.  This group of Christian men (Jewish Christians) was not held back by Jewish prejudices.  They had a better understanding about the Gospel message and the Jesus’ command in the Great Commission to go, baptize, and teach all nations (means all people) better than the original twelve.  They didn’t have to be given a vision to tell all people.  These were remarkable men of God that preached Jesus to all people without prejudice because all people are lost and need Jesus (Rom. 3:23-For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God), that means that white people, black people, oriental people, middle eastern people, Jewish people, Hispanic people, Indian people, Eskimo people, Samoan people, and even people from west Tennessee are lost in their sins and need Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.  We don’t know their name or what they looked like; just their commitment to tell the lost and dying sinner there is a Savior.  And verse 20 says that there message was they “preached the Lord Jesus”.  There is no other message you can give to the lost.  Notice that they didn’t preach Christ, which is the Greek word for Messiah.  Remember, to the Jew it had great meaning and part of the theology and prophecies and promises of God in the Old Testament but to the pagan Gentiles it didn’t mean anything.  So they preached to them ‘the Lord Jesus’ that He was Savior and Lord.  The Gospel message is a universal message that can be understood and taught to all people and culture. How do we know this, because it has gone to almost all people and the Word of God translated into many different languages.  The gospel message is clear, the sinless Son of God suffered and died on the cross bearing our sins and on the third day He physically rose from the grave bearing our eternal life in Himself.
II. The Results of the Gospel Message (v.21- And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.) – What does it take to lead people to Jesus?  The pure gospel message, a Christian who is willing to be used of God, and the Spirit of God who convicts the heart and draws the sinner to the cleansing crimson stream of Calvary. 
A. The Message- Rom. 10:9-13 – “9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  - That universal message of the mercy, love, and grace of God in Jesus Christ communicated to sinners is what gives them the understanding that they are sinners in need of salvation from eternal judgment in hell and the only One that can save them from their sins and the judgment of sin is by faith receiving Jesus as their personal savior and Lord.  The pagans in Antioch heard the message of the Gospel and believed and most importantly turned to the Lord.  There are probably many who believe in Jesus but haven’t turned to the Lord to be saved.  As it says in these verses in Romans, we must believe in our hearts and put our faith in Jesus for our salvation.  Verses 12 and 13 says it best ‘whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved’, irregardless of our background, race, color, or social standing for ‘the same Lord over all is rich (rich in grace) unto all that call upon him’.  Any who has heard the message of the Gospel, repents and believes He is the only Lord and Savior and puts their faith in Him alone will be saved.  The object of the Gospel message is that Jesus alone saves and simple faith in His salvation that He purchased for us through the suffering and death on the cross.  Salvation that only comes through faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8,9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast).  The pure message of the Gospel is faith in Jesus Christ alone; nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.  It is not faith plus good works, nor faith plus baptism, anything added to the gospel message perverts the message.  Faith in anything else besides Jesus will not save. 
B. The Gospel must be communicated – God has called all of His children to share the Gospel message.  The message is ineffective if we don’t tell the lost about our Lord Jesus.  Romans 10:14 – “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? ”.  This sinful world will never learn of the love of Jesus if they don’t hear the message and won’t believe if they have never heard.  The word ‘preacher’ doesn’t mean only a pastor or missionary or an evangelist is the only one who can tell someone about Jesus, it means all of us.  All of us have been called and sent by Christ Himself in Mt28:19 and Acts 1:8 to be witness of Jesus and to proclaim the Gospel message to this lost world around us.  We share the message of Jesus Christ because we love our Lord Jesus.  Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel or use some excuse not to tell someone about Jesus.  (Rom. 1:16- For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes).  God uses us to share the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ and He works in the heart of the sinner. It is not by our power of persuasion that a heart of a sinner is saved but by the Spirit of God.  We are the messengers but we should be willing messengers of this powerful Gospel that has also changed our lives.
C.  The Power Behind the Powerful Message – (Romans 10:17- So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.)
The saving faith that is needed to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior comes by hearing the Gospel message and the conviction and drawing of the sinner to faith in Christ by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the power behind the gospel message and the Father will draw those whose hearts are ready to believe and receive Christ (John 6:44-No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him). A person who thinks that they can live like the devil all their life and reject the Spirit of God and His convicting power and the offer of the free gift of salvation and try to make a death bed confession might be surprised.  That person who rejects God time and time again might find himself rejected of God.  We see the wonder working power of God’s grace at work because it says of these pagans that many believed in Jesus Christ and they started the Gentile church body right there in Antioch.
   These nameless proclaimers of Christ, first of all was willing to be used of God and with the love of Christ shared Jesus with those who needed salvation and that was all people.  They understood that the Gospel crosses all barriers: color, race, social classes.  It crosses all boundaries and nations shining forth the Light of the World to those who are lost in the spiritual darkness of this world.  They understood whatever limitations they had that the Spirit of God overcame them and effected salvation in the hearts of the people.  Are we willing to be used of God like these nameless servants of Jesus Christ?

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Sermons from Acts: Paul at Athens

Paul at Athens

(Acts 17:16,17)

As we continue in the book of Acts, we come to Paul in the famous city of Athens.  We see Paul looking at the city of Athens, seeing the city full of idols of false gods, and the Bible says that his ‘spirit was stirred within him’ because it seemed every place he looked were these idols.  Because of this Paul began preaching Jesus in that city and he again used the strategy of going to the synagogues first preaching to the Jews and the ‘God-fearers’ (God-fearing Gentiles) then to the heathen of that city.  Today, we will discuss what Paul saw, what he felt, and what he did to reach that pagan city.

I. What Paul saw. (v. 16- “…he was beholding the city full of idols.)

   Paul was in the philosophical and educational center of the world at that time and it greatly influenced the Roman Empire. There waiting on his friends and fellow workers in Christ, Paul looked around him and saw in every corner, nook and cranny, anywhere someone could put an idol there was an idol.  Temples to false gods, huge statues, groves, and towering above it all was the Parthenon, which was the one of the greatest buildings of architecture that housed the massive statue of the patron goddess Athena.  It was the epitome of paganism and idolatry and here Paul is witnessing this massive city that is supposed to be the most educated and enlightened city in the world and it is one of the spiritually dark places in the world full of people that are spiritually blind to the true light of the Gospel.  

   Athens was the center of the world for it’s culture, art, intellect, and ideas.  This city influenced the whole Roman Empire in every area of life, politics, philosophy, and religion.  But in all its educational and cultural achievements it was a place of great spiritual blindness.  Could there have been places of worse condition than Athens? Probably so, but it was one of better examples of paganism and spiritual corruption.  One thing we can learn about this place is that it shows that without a doubt it is a place that is in absolute need of Divine revelation. Leave a man in society without a Bible and he will make a religion of some kind to try and fill the great void in their soul but it will be a corrupt religion that usually worships the creation rather than the Creator.  We see that Athens worshipped the works of their own hands.  They had a religion without peace, without light and without hope.  Something we can learn from what Paul saw at Athens is that irregardless of the highest intellectual minds and the highest excellence in the material arts that these things will not reveal  the true light of God’s love or salvation from sin.

   If you were to ask the greatest philosopher’s in the world and the most intellectual minds the question ‘What must I do to be saved?’, they could give no answer that could cleanse a soul from sin.  Of all the great artistic and architectural wonders of Athens although it may be pleasing to the eye it could not bring the joy and peace that comes from knowing the love of Christ.  Only through the Word of God proclaimed by the Spirit filled Christians can may know and see the glorious light of God’s love in Christ.  This is a picture of the modern western world today. Though we may not have all the idols of stone, wood, and metal we have the idols of worldly success, wealth, political power, fame or pleasure.  This is what Paul saw then and it is what we see now.

II. What Paul felt (v.16- his spirit was stirred in him…).

   In verse 16 we see that the sight of this city provoked Paul’s soul.  What does that mean?  It shows that the gross idolatry angered and grieved Paul.  This was a place of pagan worship and it usually involved perverted sexual practices, mutilation, drunkenness, or mind altering drugs.  Of course, any worship of a false god or goddess has a demonic spiritual involvement of some kind (basically worship of a demon).  The gross perversions and pagan idol worship angered and sickened Paul.  We must be like Paul when it comes to our society and be angered and sickened at the perversions that are going on around us.  Drug and alcohol abuse at an all time high, the party lifestyle of the rich and famous in Hollywood being played out all over the T.V.; the Paris Hilton’s and Lindsey Lohan’s addictions and immorality glamorized by the media.  The homosexuals parading around and flaunting their perverted lives out in front of the cameras and those who speak out and condemn their actions are shouted down by saying they are hate mongers.  Couples living together and thumbing their noses at God who has ordained marriage and marriages dissolving in divorce because of spouses who can’t obey the vow of fidelity commanded by God.  Young men and women who have children out of wedlock and don’t have fathers and being raised by grandma and grandpa because mom and dad refuse to raise them.  Sexual immorality destroying lives and STD’s at an all time high and the world thinks the problem can be fixed with a condom or a birth control pill.  

   Are we like Paul? Is there something stirring in your soul that is sick and tired of all the sin and perversion that is flooding our world and damaging our society.  Does it still anger you that this sewage of sin is flooding our homes through the TV, radio, internet, and other media outlets.  We were once a society that cared about our neighbors and cared about the people in our cities and towns and the condition of peoples souls.  Today, we don’t care who lives next door, if they stay out my business then I’ll stay out of theirs. A good neighbor was once someone we could depend on and help out if they needed help, today a good neighbor is someone who minds their own business and stays out of mine.  We once got up in arms if stores opened on Sunday and now they sell beer and liquor on Sunday.  Today, people would rather speak down on the church and Jesus and if the church openly condemns anything sinful we are told not to judge.   

   Do we still get provoked in our souls at the unrighteousness around us.  But most of all, are we burdened by the souls of the lost around us.  To see our neighbors and fellow citizens walk down the path of destruction blinded by sin and Satan does it stir our soul to tell them about Jesus (Mt. 7:13 ‘…wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”).  This world and the god of this world wants to keep the lost in spiritual darkness and keep them blind to the glorious truth of the Gospel (2 Co. 4:3-4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.)  We should be stirred by the same love and compassion of Christ that He has showed and given to us, because many are on that road to destruction.  It is true that we must guard our hearts and homes from the evil around us by the power and the word of God but we must also change our society by proclaiming the truth of God’s word and reaching mankind one soul at a time.  This sinful, idolatrous city provoked Paul to action and now we will discuss what Paul did.

III. What Paul did (v. 17)

   You have heard what Paul saw and you were told what Paul felt and now we will see that Paul did. He was active with his faith in Christ.  He just didn’t sit around and moan about the condition of the world around him.  He went and began to change his world around him and the way he did that was by the powerful, world changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Paul had a plan that he knew could change the lives and souls of that sinful city. It involved teaching, preaching, discussing, and sharing the gospel message.  It always had an impact on whatever city he went to.  We see it in Acts 17:4-6, we see Paul was teaching and preaching the Word of God and preaching Jesus is the Christ and Savior of mankind and we see the impact, “4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. 5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

6 but when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too”.  

   We see two things that happened when the word of God is preached: 1. People are saved and 2. People are offended.  This glorious gospel is what Romans 1:16 says is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”, but it will offend the reprobate and sinful society.  When we tell people about Jesus it condemns the sinner because it shows he needs a Savior.  Those who reject the message of Christ will usually hate us for Christ’s sake.  Remember what Paul did and what he preached Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, we see that in verse 18.

   Remember, God uses His children to reach the lost.  When the early church here in Acts was persecuted, His children went into different countries and lands taking the message of the Savior with them and changing the world.

   We must see and follow the example of the Apostle Paul.  When we see the sinful and idolatrous world around us openly defying God and His word, we must allow the Holy Spirit in us to stir our hearts and souls to action.  God can use all of us to change the world around us by His power; all we have to do is allow God to use us to accomplish His will through us.

Sermons from Acts: The Stoning of Stephen

The Stoning of Stephen

(Acts 7:51-8:1a)

We all know of Stephen, how he was the first martyr of the Church. We often read this passage and think about the seeming tragedy of his death. But, I want us to look at this passage in a different light. The tragedy that day wasn’t the death of Stephen but the crowd that stoned him. Stephen was not the victim that day, in fact he is not the victim at all, he wins. In death he is the victor, and though they live, they became the losers. Today, we will see that Stephen was a man who had grace to live and grace to die.

I. Stephen Before the Accusers- (Acts 6:9-7:1)

A. What we know about Stephen- Acts 6 tells of Stephen that he was one the seven men (of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom) chosen by the Apostles as the first deacons of the church. It goes on to tell us that Stephen was one who was “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit”, and that there were signs and wonders done among the people through Stephen. Stephen was a witness for Christ by sharing the Gospel and the life he lived before others. Stephen evidently went and taught and preached in some of the synagogues because certain leaders of the synagogues tried to debate with Stephen (many against one) but they were not successful, we see this in Acts 6:10, “And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke”; they could not handle his wisdom or his spirit. All their minds put together were no match for one Spirit-controlled mind. So we see that Stephen was a man of God who was full of the Spirit, full of faith, and wisdom and knew scripture and was able to effectively communicate it and was a Christian man that was held in high esteem by the church and the Apostles.

B. The False Accusations- We talked how the Jewish religious leaders lost a debate to Stephen and they did what many people do when they lose a debate and a confrontation with the truth, they slander and lie on Stephen (Acts 6:11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God”). They accuse him of blasphemy by hiring false witnesses against him to say so. When telling them about Jesus, Stephen does so with great courage and does not water down the Gospel message. But they falsely accuse him of blasphemy and have to hire false witnesses because they could not dispute truth, so they determine to silence the proclaimer of truth.

C. The Council- just like Jesus we see that they have falsely accused Stephen of blasphemy and not only that they seize him (false arrest-sound familiar) and they have convened a Council (kangaroo court) (Acts 6:12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council).

And here at this council they, just like they did Jesus, bring in the false witnesses (had to be two) and they tell their lies against him. These Jews mean to kill Stephen, because if they pronounce him guilty of blasphemy they can stone him. They bring the false accusations against him and they have this mockery of a trial and after all the false statements and lies of accusing him of being an evil blasphemer they look at Stephen and as they behold his face verse 15 says, “And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel”. Facing this fake trial and false accusations and the possibility of death, we see Stephen full of the Holy Spirit with the glory of God shining on his face. God rebukes them through his servant Stephen by allowing the manifest glory of God to shine on his face.

II. Stephen Answers and Defends the Gospel (Acts 7)

Acts 7 stars out with this verse, “7:1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?”, they so ‘graciously’ let Stephen answer and address his accusers, to defend himself. By the time he is done defending himself, they become the ones on trial for blasphemy. In his sermon, he says, in effect, "I believe in God, but you put God in a box. I believe in Moses, but you continually break the law that he gave us from God. I believe in the Temple, but if your forefathers hadn't desecrated it with worshiping idols, it wouldn't have been destroyed by pagan, godless peoples. This now in your third Temple, and guess who doesn't believe in Herod's temple?...God, who has had to keep wiping them out." So he turns the tables on them completely and indicts and condemns them. This sermon builds until it climaxes with the confrontation in verses 51-53, "51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it". He tells them the truth about the condition of their heart and how they failed to recognize the Messiah was in their midst, performed sign and wonders and miracles and they were so spiritually blinded they did not recognize their salvation, Jesus Christ. And they killed him just as they had killed the prophets sent to them from God before Him. He again tells them that they again are resisting the Holy Spirit and refuse to believe in the word of God and the Son of God, in fact he calls them betrayers and murderers. Stephen courageously speaks the Word of God boldly and proclaims the only Lord and Savior of all, he does so knowing full well of the consequences and still he does not flinch or apologize for the message of truth.

III. From Death To Life (Acts 7:54-8:1a)

A. Rejection- So what was the result of them hearing this message of truth? Where they convicted by the Spirit? Verse 54 says that, “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth”; it seems they heard the message and fully understood what he was saying. But the reaction was one who was convicted but not repentant. The ‘cut to the heart’ shows that the saw of conviction had ripped them through the middle. They knew that everything he had said was true. The ‘gnashed on him with their teeth’ shows the great rage and frustration they felt. They could not verbalize their hatred and anger and just ground their teeth in fury. Instead of repenting and yielding to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit they ground their teeth in fury at Stephen and at God. It reminds me of the verse in Matt. 24:51- And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In there spiritual blindness they chose to reject the glorious light of salvation. They hardened their hearts time and time again to the revelation of God’s salvation found only in Christ. They had rejected the Savior Jesus and now again they rejected the Gospel of Christ. Just like Pharaoh they hardened their hearts and rejected the word of God and just like Pharaoh God now hardened their hearts and rejected them. After the death of Stephen you see that the Gospel being preached to the Samaritans and Gentiles away from the Jews.

B. Full of Anger or Full of the Spirit- As Stephen is facing this hatred and anger, the Bible says that he was ‘full of the Spirit and looked into heaven’. He faced evil just like any Christian, through the power of the Spirit and looking unto Jesus for his help and strength. We can face life challenges and problems the way Stephen did or the way the Sanhedrin did (angry and blaming God), it’s up to you. Looking at these couple of chapters that describe Stephen, it’s clear that whenever it’s talks of him it said that he was ‘full of the Spirit’; it shows that he yielded every part of his life to the control of the Spirit of God. We need to heed the example of Stephen.

C. Vision of Christ and Derision of the Mob - now what was it that really pushed them over the edge to kill Stephen. (Acts 7:55-58, 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him). The situation was getting tense and Stephen looked to the Lord, the only place to look at such times and he beheld a sight that only very few had seen, the glory of God and Jesus at the right hand of the Father. The Bible says in Hebrews that after Christ had accomplished redemption, He went to heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Well, what is He doing standing up here? He sat down in terms of redemption (finished) but always stands up when His children are in trouble. It shows a wonderful truth, that Jesus has an active interest in His servants, it was as if Jesus was saying, “Stephen, I’m coming to your rescue!”. The proclamation of that vision to the Sanhedrin, pushed them over the edge. To proclaim that Jesus was at the right hand of the Father shows that He was the Messiah and risen from the dead and that He was God in the flesh. Maybe they remembered what Jesus had said at His mock trial, Mk. 14:61b- Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. They saw this as blasphemy and pronounced the death sentence for Stephen. It says that they, “57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him”, this really showed the condition of their hearts, they so resisted the Gospel message that they put their hands over their ears so as not to hear Stephen. They all ran upon him as a mob and took him outside the city to be stoned.

D. Stoning and Death of Stephen- Acts 7: 59 And they stoned Stephen- In Lev. 24:14, it says that stoning to take place outside the city and 24:16, says that stoning is the punishment for blasphemy. They also had to have the testimony of two witnesses for an execution to take place. Deut. 17:7 states that “The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people”. That what was needed by Law to stone a person. In the Rabbinical tradition of Jewish law, it tells us that drop from the stoning place was twice the height of a man. A precipice of ten feet with rocks below and one of the witnesses would push the criminal off into the stoning place from behind so that he would fall face first. Then, he would be turned over on his back. If he died from the fall, that was sufficient. If not, the second witness was to take a large stone and drop it on his heart. If this caused death, that would be the end, but if not, then the accused would be stoned by all the congregation of Israel. We see from the account they laid their garments at the feet of Saul, they did this so they didn’t have anything to hinder them from throwing the stones.

Verse 59, says that as they were stoning him, he called upon God to receive his spirit. He knew to be ‘absent from the body is to be present with the Lord’, and in verse 60 we read the Stephen’s forgiving farewell. So much of the love of Jesus was in him that he said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”, he asked Jesus to be merciful to them. He said in effect, Father forgive them; only a Christian could love like that, because the love of Jesus is shed abroad in his heart (Rom. 5:5). Lastly, we see what a peaceful passing Stephen had, “And when he had said this, he fell asleep”, fell asleep and awoke in the arms of Jesus in those hallowed halls of Heaven. Stephen faced evil and death and won the victory because he faced it with Jesus. He didn’t return evil for evil, but he faced it with the truth, forgiveness and grace of God. He is a great example for us as Christians.

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Co. 11:1 to “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”; we see the example of Stephen as he followed Jesus and he did plant the seed of salvation in one heart that day (read 8:1a), Saul. From Stephen’s uncomprising stand and death came Paul. St. Augustine said, “The church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen. From Stephen came Paul, and from Paul came the world. What will come from us, what will we do for God?

Sermons from Acts: Into All the World.

“Into All the World”
(Acts 1:8)

Last time, I posted about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the significance of the unique event of the coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The verse here in Acts 1:8 is a command by Christ to the Church corporately and individually; that we are empowered and commanded to go and be witnesses to all peoples. Today, we are going to see that the Gospel message is for all people, regardless of race, age, or position in life.

I. A New Dispensation (Acts 1:8; Matt. 10:5-7)
The book of Acts is a book of transition; a transition from Jew to Gentile, from Judaism to Christianity, from Judea to the uttermost parts of the earth, from law to grace. Think of those early Christians there in Jerusalem that have just entered into this new dispensation of grace. They have in their lives been living under the old covenant ways of worship by bringing and offering animal sacrifices for the atonement of their sins and they now know Jesus and by faith received Him as Savior for their sins (once for all).
Things have changed, what was once important or considered ritually clean or unclean are not in effect anymore. For example, Acts 1:8, what we have read, is significantly different than what we read in Mt. 10:5-7, “5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand”; now this is a lot different than what Jesus commands in Acts 1:8 (…ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth). This is a big difference, the disciples were told not to go to the Samaritans and Gentiles and preach the Kingdom of God, only to the Jew, the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But like I said the book of Acts is the official history of the transition from Old Covenant into New Covenant, from the chosen nation of Israel to the Church. The command given in this new dispensation of the Holy Spirit and the grace of Jesus is that the Gospel (good news) of the salvation in Jesus is not only for the Jews (Jerusalem and Judea) but also for Samaria (shunned half-breed Jews) and uttermost parts of the earth (the godless, pagan Gentiles). The house of Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah and now the chosen people of God would be from all peoples, tribes, and tongues. The early church and the apostles obeyed this command for Christ, even in spite of their previous prejudices. We see that they did become witness to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the world to all people.
II. Jerusalem and Judea (Acts 2:38-41; Acts 4:4)
(2:14- But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem)
Last week, we saw that in Acts 2:14-37 that Peter (awkward, bumbling, stumbling, Christ denying), now filled with the Spirit standing before a great crowd proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We see that the Jewish pilgrims being convicted by the Holy Ghost and asking them would they should do to be saved. Acts 2:38-41 says, “38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls”; what an amazing work of God that day to the people of Israel, 3,000 were saved and baptized in water and became part of the Church, the body of Christ.
Peter and John in Acts 3, were used by God to heal a lame man at the gate Beautiful but the greatest miracle done by God that day was after Peter preached to this great crowd around them and over 5,000 people were saved by the grace of God and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:4- 4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand; Romans 10:9,10- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation). The gospel witness of the apostles and the early church there in Jerusalem and Judea (Israel) was a strong and vibrant church not only proclaiming but showing the love of Christ. But it just didn’t stay in Judea. A great persecution began against the Church by the Jewish religious leaders there in Jerusalem and great men of God like Stephen were killed. This persecution did not put out the fire of Christianity but only made it spread outside of Jerusalem into other areas of Judea and into Samaria and other Gentile countries (Acts 8:3,4- 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and hauling men and women committed them to prison. 4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word).
III. Samaria (Acts 8:5-17) and Uttermost Parts (Gentiles: Acts 10)
A. Samaritans- Acts 8:5 says, “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them”; after the persecution starts and Stephen is killed. God extended the message of salvation to Israel first and the Jewish people rejected the truth. Sure, there was some that had came to salvation and there was the Jerusalem church but the message of salvation delivered to the Jewish religious leaders by Stephen was rejected by them and they killed Stephen because of the message. So God began to shut the door on Jerusalem and so began the spread of the Gospel because of it (‘they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word’). So, we see Phillip going to Samaria; Samaria was north of Jerusalem. Now the Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans because they had intermarried with Gentiles and were considered to be outcasts and half-breeds. To them a Samaritan thought so little of being a Jew that they had intermarried with the gentile and had polluted his racial identity. There was bad blood between the two and the Samaritans even had a rival place of worship to the temple in Jerusalem (remember Jesus and the Samaritan woman’s question). Now Phillip is there and he is preaching the word of God and the Bible says they believed in Jesus and was saved and baptized in water (Acts 8: 12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women). But there is something unusual that happens (Acts 8:14-17, “14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.) Remember, this was a time of transition and beginning of the Church. There was an interval between the Samaritan salvation and the coming of the Holy Spirit. They did not receive the Spirit until the apostles Peter and John laid hands on them. Why did this happen? There were two reasons, first, the it was for the apostles, who were Jewish born, to see that God had saved the Samaritans because they witnessed the Holy Spirit coming upon the Samaritans with their own eyes and that they understood they were part of the Body of Christ just like the Jewish believers were. Secondly, this showed the Samaritans the authority of the Apostles and that they were part of the same Church and it would give no reason for them to try and start a rival Christian group, and continue the age old rivalry and hatred that would have a Jewish church competing against a Samaritan church. So, God waited until the Jewish apostles Peter and John, the most significant ones, showed up, and then He demonstrated that these truly had been converted, and they were being baptized by the Holy Spirit into the same body as the Jews were in; the same Body of Christ, the same Church. It was also important that the Apostles were present so that the Samaritans would understand the power and authority of the Apostles, for they needed to be subject to the Apostles’ doctrines. That why the giving of the Spirit was delayed, to show that the Gospel was also for the Samaritans as well as the Jews, that they were as saved and had the same Holy Spirit, to be accepted and loved as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It can be best described by Eph. 2:12-14, “12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us”; for those who are saved by Jesus, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and the only walls of separation between us are the ones we put up.
B. Gentiles (Acts 10)- we see in Acts 10 we read of a Gentile named Cornelius who becomes the first Gentile convert. We all know the story, that Peter receives a vision from God bout all the ritually unclean animals that they cannot eat are shown to Peter and God commands Him to eat and Peter refuses by saying, Acts 10:14,15- “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean”, but God rebukes Him by saying (the NASB says it best), “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy”; God simply says that He is no respecter of persons. After the vision three men come to the house where Peter is and explained to him they were sent by Cornelius and that Peter was supposed to go and teach Cornelius about God. Because of this vision God had given him, he went to this Gentiles house. I imagine Peter had to swallow what was left of that Jewish pride that had already been dented by the Samaritans’ salvation. To a Jew, getting near a Gentile was a serious matter; they couldn’t eat a meal prepared by Gentile or a utensil or go into a Gentile house. If they had entered a foreign country and came back to Jerusalem they would shake the dirt off their sandals so the dirt wouldn’t be carried into Holy Land. But because of the God revealing this vision to Peter and Peter remembering the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8; he goes into the house of Cornelius and preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them. The result: Acts 10: 44-47- “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord”. Here we see the result of preaching the Gospel, lives are saved. The whole household of Cornelius was saved and God gives a sign to Peter and the ‘circumcised’ (the Jewish Christians with Peter) that they are saved, they spoke in other languages. This sign was for them to show that the Gentiles were now saved and got the same thing as the Samaritans got and that they got and we got (Acts 11: 15,17-18, "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? 18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life...). In Christ, we are all one saved and baptized in the Spirit and the Body of Christ (Gal. 3: 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus).
I am so glad that the grace and salvation is given freely to all who believe on His name. Regardless of color, race, age, or social standing we can receive this free gift of salvation by faith in Christ. Be you, Jew, Samaritan, or Gentile, we are all in need of Jesus.

Sermons from Acts: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 2:1-8)

This passage tells of the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by our Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit came and indwelt the 120 in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. This was the beginning of the Church and these were the first to be baptized by the Spirit. We will look at today what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and when it happens.

I. The Promise (Acts 1:4,5- “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”)
There are many places in the gospels where Jesus told the disciples that He would have to ascend for the Holy Spirit to come to indwell and empower them. This also reminds me of the promise to the disciples when He was comforting them with these words in John 14:16 - “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever”; you see the disciples had not yet received the Spirit. Jesus explaining to the disciples and them understanding what Jesus had said were two different things; they could not understand why Jesus was going to have to die, rise again from the dead, and ascend to the Father and leave there immediate presence (no longer physically with them like He had been). He told the disciples and showed them who He was (the Son of God, Messiah) and they did not completely understand what that meant (their own ideas of Messiah). Jesus told them He would have to die for their sins on the cross but they would not believe that because the unbiblical, popular belief was that the Messiah was going to set up His Kingdom by force and power, not die for lost humanity (they believed that they were spiritually fine, they didn’t see their sinfulness). Peter even tried to rebuke Jesus when He said He was going to die (Jesus told Him get behind me, Satan).
Jesus proclaimed that He was going to die and rise again from the dead after 3 days from the grave and no one understood it. And in talking to His disciples that after all this He would ascend back to the Father to reassume His glory and enthronement at the right hand of the Father (John 16:7- Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.); they still didn’t understand until it happened.
We see in John 20 that the disciples were in hiding after Jesus’ death and this was just after He had just rose up from the dead; we see Jesus coming to them comforting and reassuring them, and they are finally understanding what He has done and truly who He is and it’s all coming together for them and they know He is their risen Lord and Savior. John 20:20,21- “20 And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you…”; but He does something in verse 22 to remind them of the one promise that is yet to come, “22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost”; He was telling them that the promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was yet to come.
II. Place (where and when) Acts 2:4
A. Where - Jesus right before He ascends tells them in Acts 1:4 to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise from the Father. It says in 1:12-14, that they obeyed Jesus and was in Jerusalem in an upper room, all the 11 disciples and others and they numbered 120 (v.15). They were there obedient to the command of Christ. Obedience is the highest form of faith. They are there eagerly awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were prayerful, fellowshipping together, and just waiting for that blessed promise.
B. When (Acts 2:1-4) - the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was not a coincidence; it was for a reason. "Pente", "fifty"... 50 days after Passover, the feast of Pentecost, is celebrated for the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai, 50 days after the Passover and crossing of the Red Sea (birth and beginning of the nation of Israel) (Ex.19-20)... and it coincided with the days of the harvest of the wheat. Christians celebrate Pentecost as the coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2)... when the Church was born officially... and God recorded the laws, not on stone, like at Sinai, but in the mind and heart of every Christian, the law of love of Christ. This is the ending of the Old Covenant with the New and Perfect Covenant purchased and enforced by the Perfect Lord. He was the fulfillment of the Law that sinful mankind could not keep and His blood and sacrifice cleansed our sins and forever keeps us in the covenant by faith. Before, the Spirit’s work was without, temporary, and exceptional; now after this point and time on, the indwelling baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit now works within the believer (John 7:37-39 - 37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive…), indwelling is permanent (Romans 8:9- “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”), and now it is normal, involving all the Body of Christ (1 Co. 12:12,13- “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…”).
Under the Old Covenant God’s work had been external, but under the New Covenant it is internal (Heb. 8:9,10- Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people). The Day of Pentecost is a one time event, just like the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is a one time event, meaning once for all time.
III. Precedent (Acts 2:1-8)
A. When does Baptism happen?- I believe and teach according to God‘s Word, that we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time of salvation (The exact moment we are saved by faith in Christ, we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that means we are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Spirit and indwelled permanently by the Holy Spirit. But here we see that the disciples received it after salvation by Christ. We know that they were saved because Jesus said of the disciples in Luke 10:20 that, “…your names are written in heaven” and in John 15:3- “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you”. The Bible is not teaching that you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit after salvation (Pentecostals call it the doctrine of subsequence). This passage shows the transition of the Old Covenant into the New; and you are reading the birth of the Church. What happens here is because of this transition and it is also seen by the signs at Pentecost.
B. Signs- Sound of a rushing wind and appearance of fire and speaking in other languages was a unique wonder. God wanted to make known that something unusual was happening and this is why the signs. This was to let each in that upper room that they were part of a unique and dramatic event. God wanted the pilgrims in Jerusalem from different countries and surrounding regions to hear the message in their own dialects and languages. This was the birth of the Church, a new era and dispensation, and the New Covenant and a new people of God. This was an unique and unrepeatable event.
C. Peter’s Sermon and 3,000 saved. (Acts 2:14-26)- we see in these verse where cowardly Peter after He receives the indwelling Holy Spirit begins to preach Jesus and 3,000 people are saved (Acts 1:8-“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”).
In verse 37, we read the convicting power of the Spirit, because it says they were pricked in their heart. And they begin to ask Peter and the 120 what are they to do and Peter tells them to repent and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. And he tells them if they do, then they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. When they were saved they were at the same time received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the precedent that we see and are taught by the word of God. (Romans 8:9- “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”; and 1 Co. 12:13- “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”).
These verses show that we are all at the time that we are saved, we are indwelt and baptized into the Body of Christ and that just means we all have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Just like the 3,000 when we have received the gift of the Spirit at salvation, there was no signs or wonders or supernatural gift of other languages like the unique upper room experience of the 120. The greatest work and wonder is the miracle of salvation performed in the heart and soul of sinful man by simple faith in Jesus Christ.
The wondrous experience of Pentecost that happened to the 120 was a unrepeatable event. But for those who have been saved by Jesus, all have received, been indwelt, and empowered to live for Jesus and testify of his great work of salvation.

Resurrection Of Christ

Resurrection Of Christ

(1 Co. 15:3,4;12-20)

Verses 3 and 4 are the foundation of Christianity.  The death and resurrection of Jesus, it is our hope and the reason and ground of all we believe.  We looked at the crucifixion and death of Jesus in my post on the crucifixion.  We saw that our salvation and cleansing from sin was because of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross at Calvary.  But what about the resurrection, what does it mean to us.  Well, we know that it means everything for the Christian.  Because He lives we have salvation and assurance of eternal life.  

I. It Ensures Salvation From Sin

(1 Cor 15:17 KJV)  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

   If Jesus had not rose again bodily from the grave we would not had the salvation from sins.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then sin won the victory over Him and continues to be victorious over you too. If Jesus remained in the grave, then, when you die you would also stay dead. Furthermore, since "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), were you to remain dead, death and eternal punishment would be your future. The purpose of trusting in Christ is for forgiveness of sins, because it is from sin that we need to be saved. "Christ died for our sins" and "was buried, and ... raised on the third day" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). If Christ was not raised, His death was in vain, your faith in Him would be pointless, and your sins would still be counted against you with no hope of spiritual life.  It is Jesus who gives us spiritual life to us who are spiritually dead.   

   It says in Col.1:13,14 - 13  For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,  14  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  By the power of our resurrected Lord and Savior we have been delivered from sin and our sinful nature.  Because He rose from the dead, we know that Jesus is victorious over sin and we who by faith receive Jesus as Savior, knows that He gives us that victory over sin also.  

   Eph. 2:1-5 shows us exactly what Jesus has done for us and our sinful condition, “2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: 2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”;  we see in the first 3 verses that Paul describes just how Jesus has made us alive spiritually from our condemned state of our soul.  He says Jesus has made us alive from our trespasses and sins, from our spiritual bondage to worldliness, to the devil, and to our own sinful fallen state (spiritually dead).  Jesus defeated and destroyed the powerful affect of sin, destroyed the works of the devil, and has given us life for our death sentence.  

   Verse 4 & 5 shows us through God’s mercy and love He has made us, who are dead in our sins, alive in Christ.  If Jesus is to be called the Lord of Life, then He cannot be held down and defeated by death.  Jesus himself told Mary and Martha that He was the ‘resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live’; Jesus came not to make bad people into good people but to bring us out of our spiritual death into spiritual life.  That’s why Jesus said that He was ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life…’,  we were blind and could not see the way, we were living in our life of lies and didn’t know the truth, and we were spiritually dead and lifeless and incapable of having life till Jesus came, died, and resurrected to give us the Way to the Father, the Truth that only He could cleanse us from sin, and Eternal Life is found only by putting our faith into Jesus who is the Lord of Life, victorious over sin, Satan, death, Hell, and the grave.  If He was not victorious over death then our faith, our hope, our salvation would have been in vain.  If He had not risen from the dead we would have been trapped forever in the bondage of our sins and forever condemned to eternal death.  

II. It Ensures Our Eternal Life and Resurrection.

1 Co. 15:18-19; 18  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

   If Jesus had not victorious over death then death would be victorious over us all.  Every Old and New Testament saint, and all the faithful and prayerful saints you've known--every other believer in every age also would be in hell. Their faith would have been in vain, their sins would not have been forgiven, and their destiny would be damnation.   But because He is our Living and Risen Lord, we can rest assured in the peace of knowing that we have a ‘blessed hope’ and a resurrection from the dead.  Death is not the end for the child of God because Jesus has rose victoriously from the dead.  The grave, the power of death could not hold Him.  Jesus the creator of life is the Lord of Life and death could not hold Him bound up in the grave.  

   Without Christ's resurrection, and the salvation and blessings it brings, Christianity would be pointless and pitiable. Without the resurrection we would have no Savior, no forgiveness, no gospel, no meaningful faith, no eternal life, and we could never have hope for any of those things. 

   To have hoped in Christ alone in this life would be to teach, preach, suffer, sacrifice, and work entirely for nothing. If Christ is still dead, then He not only has no ability to save you in the future, but He can't help you now either. If He were not alive, where would be your source of peace, joy, or satisfaction now? The Christian life would be a mockery, a charade, a tragic and cruel joke. Christians who suffer and even die for the faith would be just as blind and pathetic as those "believers" who followed Jim Jones and the People's Temple, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, and Marshall Applewhite and the Heaven's Gate cult. 

   Since a Christian has no Savior but Christ, no Redeemer but Christ, and no Lord but Christ, if Christ is not raised, He is not alive, and our Christian life is lifeless. We would have nothing to justify our faith, our Bible study, our preaching or witnessing, our service for Him or our worship of Him, and nothing to justify our hope in this life or the next. We would deserve nothing but the compassion reserved for fools. 

BUT, God did raise "Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification" (Romans 4:24-25).  “Because Christ lives, we too shall live” (John 14:19). "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:30-31). 

   We are NOT to be pitied, for Paul immediately ends the dreadful "what if" section by saying, "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Paul said at the end of his life, "I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). 

   Those who do not hope in Christ alone for salvation are the real fools; they are the ones who need to hear your compassionate testimony about the triumph of Christ's resurrection. So don't forget the resurrection; rejoice in it and glory in it, for He is risen indeed.   

I want to end with this verse; (1 Cor 15:57 KJV) “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Because He Lives

Because He Lives

(Job 19:25-27)

We as Christians sometimes may not fully understand what happens to us when we die.  We know that because we are saved by Christ we will go to Heaven and forever be with Jesus and that’s true.  But sometimes we get confused by things like the resurrection, the rapture, and what part of us goes to Heaven when we die.  Today we will get a better understanding on what happens when we die.

I.  What happens to our soul when we die?  (2 Cor 5:8 KJV) - We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

When we read this verse we understand it simply for what it says.  Paul says simply he is confident of this fact that to be absent from the body (death for a Christian) is to be present with the Lord.  It is a without question according to the scripture that at our death, our soul, our spirit leaves this body and goes into eternity with our Lord.  We see Jesus’ words to the thief that was crucified beside Him, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 KJV).  When we die, our soul goes to Heaven immediately.          There is no waiting period, there is no soul sleep (7th Day Adventist believe, some cults), the Christian is immediately in the presence of God in his eternal reward of Heaven.  You see death for the child of God should not be feared, it will come if we are not raptured.  We should a great confidence in knowing that because our Lord has saved us he has also guaranteed that we will live in our eternal home with Him in Heaven.  

Paul said this about facing death, Phil. 1:21-24, “21  For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22  But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23  For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24  Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you”.  Paul was about to soon face a martyr’s death and he knew it was soon but he expressed it so wonderfully, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  His desire to see his Lord and enjoy the wonders of Heaven was what he would encounter when faced his death but he also knew that he had to stay a little longer to finish God’s work and God’s will to the church at Philippi.  

For the Christian, death is the doorway we step through to our eternal destiny with our Jesus in Heaven.  Our promise of Heaven is secured by death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We understand this and find great joy at knowing that Jesus has not only saved our souls but He has also guaranteed our eternal life and our eternal home.  What great love and great gifts of God’s grace that we have received because we have by faith received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

II. What happens to our body after we die? 1 Thess. 4:13-17, “13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

   At death, our bodies go into the grave and remain until it is rejoined with the spirit.  As these verses declare, we understand that this will happen at the rapture of the church.  This is the redemption of our bodies and it is the finalized work of salvation and the perfection of our bodies.    When we trusted Christ for our salvation here on this earth, He gave us a new, redeemed spirit, He cleanses our soul from sin and makes it new; we read 2 Cor. 5:17 - ‘17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new’.  But we still live in this feeble body of flesh and as a Christian we should eagerly await the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23 - 22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.)  The redemption of our body is also called the glorification of our body and again repeating myself it is the finished and complete work of salvation that was begun when we became recipients of God’s salvation.        When we receive our glorification then we will forever be free from sin, sickness, and death. This new redeemed body will not be like our old, sin cursed body.  To understand this better we need to read 1 Cor. 15:35-38,42-49  “35  But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36  Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37  And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain; perhaps wheat or some other grain.

38  But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

42  …The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45  And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46  However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

   Paul is comparing us to seed.  He is saying that our bodies are only a mere glimpse of what we shall be.  We know what the seed of a watermelon looks like and what a watermelon looks like, and yet it no ways resembles each other but we know that the fruit came from the seed.  The fruit is absolutely identified with the seed.  We will know each other in Heaven but it will not be the old me, it will be the new and glorified me.  When we receive our glorified body it will not resemble our old one, there will be no sin, no defect, no sickness, no pain, or discomfort at all in it. We will have a body like our Jesus (1 John 3:2 - 2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is).   

   We know from the verses we read in Thessalonians that we will be raptured, the dead in Christ will rise first and then we which are alive and remain but here in 1 Cor. 15 we read these verses, 51-57 - 51  Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

   There is great victory of salvation though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by His finished work of salvation by His suffering and death on the cross.  And by His resurrection from the grave three days later it guarantees that our Lord is the Lord over sin, death, and the grave.  1 John 5:4 - …this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Our faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the world, our sins, our death and the grave.  It is because of Jesus that I can find hope in life eternal with Him.  John 11:25-26 - …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Twenty-eight years ago, I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Because I believed He was the resurrection and the life and I believed He was the only way to the Father and eternal life.  By faith in the person and work of Jesus’ Christ.   

III. Review - Today as we have looked at death in view of God’s Word, we now know that death is only the doorway into the next life, eternally at home with our Lord God to praise and serve Him forever.  That one day we will face death and immediately our soul will be in the presence of God and our body will be in the grave until the time appointed (the Rapture) where we will receive the glorification of our body (the redemption of our body) where the redeemed, sinless body will reunite with our redeemed soul to live in a redeemed Heaven and Earth (Rev. 21:1-4 - 1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

   You see it be a glorious place in our new home where we can totally and completely enjoy it in our new glorified body.  Death is sometimes fearful to us because it is unknown to us because we have not experienced it yet.  But when we do, we know that Jesus will be with us every step of the way (Heb. 13:5 - for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee).  He is with us every step of the way in our walk of salvation (Phil. 1:6 - 6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ) and He will keep us secure in His salvation until the day of completion in our Heavenly Home.

   Today, if you don’t have this assurance of your salvation you can make it sure today.  If you think ‘I don’t know where I will go when I die?’, today is the day of salvation.  Christ is very present here today and He welcomes all to the cross for forgiveness.