A COVENANTED PEOPLE
#635 A COVENANTED PEOPLE
Scripture Acts 6:1-8; Ephesians 5:13-16, NIV Orig. September 5, 1976
Passage:
Acts 6
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Stephen Seized
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Ephesians 5
13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Introduction
Have you ever considered the diversity of backgrounds from which the apostles came. Several of them came from a background of having been commercial fishermen. That is somewhat to be expected when Jesus began his ministry in Galilee. Others, however, represented other trades. There probably were farmers, such as farmers were in Galilee. There were tradesmen. One could not find an abundance of formal education, but what they lacked there, they made up for in determination and common sense.
As different as they were in social grace, they were even more different in personality. Phillip was this kind of fellow you remember, who tried to calculate the cost of feeding the thousands on what mental computer he did have.
Matthew was the most typically human. It didn’t matter to him where his livelihood came from, so long as it came. The scripture is strangely silent on whether his wife had anything to do with it.
Simon Peter? I think he did not readily understand himself. Available immediately to any cause he considered worthwhile. He had the knack of wanting to wade in and bash a few heads if it took that to accomplish his purpose. If his motivation flagged, however, then he was going to be the first one out the back door.
Time doesn’t permit further discussions of these man-like creatures with whom Jesus labored. A brief look at the one area of their lives in which they were in total agreement, may be helpful. Someone has put together a survey on how they died.
· John—extreme old age in Ephesus
· Peter—crucified by Nero
· Andrew—on a cross in Achaia
· James—thrown from a pinnacle of the temple
· Bartholomew—flayed alive in Armenia
· James the Elder—beheaded at Jerusalem
· Thomas—with a lance at Coromandel
· Phillip—hanged in Hierapolis
· Matthew—by sword in Ethiopia
· Thaddeus—shot with arrows
· Simon—on a cross in Persia
· Judas—hanged himself
The only thing that brought unity to the diversity of their lives was Jesus. To have walked with Jesus made them fearless patriots of His cause. When we have a source, there is a danger that the further we get from that source, the less able we will be to comprehend it. It becomes of fundamental importance, that we let this SOURCE continually manifest HIMSELF through our
lives as different as they are.
I. The Day of Vision Brings Insight into the Things that Separate Us.
Acts 6:1, “There arose a murmuring because of these neglected widows.” Ephesians 5:13, “All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light.”
We have spoken before of the two kinds of murmurings: There is the murmuring of the malcontent; there is also the murmuring of concern. The Greek seems to call to mind a more private rather than a public outcry.
Vision has its beginning, does it not, when we acknowledge our problems and begin to deal with them in light of faith and reason. The first practical solution to that ancient problem in the church at Jerusalem was a [recognizing] of responsibility. And please don’t make the mistake of assuming that it called for a separation of laity and clergy: The greater the depth of spiritual energy to be exhausted, the more necessary for that person to commit himself to prayer; it became a vital spiritual responsibility for every believer to support the active ministries of others in prayer.
It is more than a question “Do you pray for your pastor?” that I raise this morning. Do we pray for those around us? Do we pray for our deacons, or do we just throw barbs or murmurings at them? Do we pray that Sunday School teachers will be able to communicate the love of Jesus through what he or she does?
With what power the Word of God separates the eternal and the variable. The eternal, you remember, is what we are by virtue of the Word; the variable is what we do with what we are. It is the eternal which must address itself to the variable, and not the other way around. Ephesians 5:13, “Whatsoever doth make manifest is light”—that which brings openness and honesty. In the church, neither our organizational structures nor our moral [prohibitions] are to be considered eternal unless they are given credence by the Word of God.
In the world, the believer is to put his confidence in that only that comes under the scrutiny of the Word.
II. A Day of Visitation.
The leadership of God—the seven were called out not by the apostle but by the multitude of believers:
· Concern about church program—support it or change it
· Concern about the inactive
· Concern about the lost
· Concern about our own lives.
Every person in his place (Nehemiah 4; Acts 2:1). Henry Drummond told the story of shipwrecked men adrift on the great ocean in a small boat. After several days they were growing weaker. In the night, [they saw] the masthead of a ship. [They] had a lantern but only one match, slightly damp.
I have on the corner of my desk a stack of cards (200)—Soul-Winning Commitment Cards. If one of ten had kept that pledge we would have baptized 50 or more. We say mean things about draft card burners but we have burned our commitment cards. God’s promises are not written and signed. Our promise need not be written to be kept.
An endeavor of cooperative faith reaches across membership lines—man in town unreached because he overheard a fellow church member make an unchristian remark about him; it reaches across church lines; across denomination lines.
III. A Day of Victory
· And the Word of God increased
· And the numbers of disciples multiplied
· And priests were obedient to the faith
· And Stephen did great wonders, a man full of faith and the Holy Ghost
Closing
We are familiar with the unfortunate expression “a cross I must bear.” Yet these words are spoken with dismay, perhaps even discontent. The vision, visitation, and victory I have spoken of this morning have to do with our [bearing] a cross. But this cross is a burden as wings are a burden to a bird, or as sails are a hindrance to a ship.
Drummond
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT—What Baptists Believe
#792 GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
What Baptists Believe
Scripture Luke 3:16; Acts 2:33, NIV Orig. 3/6/1983
Rewr. 3/23/1988
Passage:
Luke 3
16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.
Acts 2
33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Purpose: In a message accentuating Baptist Beliefs, here calling attention to the person and work of God the Holy Spirit.
Keywords: God, Sustainer Series, Baptist Beliefs Holy Spirit Trinity
Introduction
Grady Welch, our Director of Stewardship for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, used to tell about a church down in one of our CenLa parishes that discovered oil on its property. I went through that parish last week and saw some of those wells pumping still. The church was just a small one as numbers go. And even thirty years ago, the return would be considerable. A hasty business meeting was called, and the membership closed except to the families of members who might come on profession of faith. They were going to divide the income among themselves, and didn’t want people to join expecting to get in on the spoils.
William Temple long before had written well relative to the church and its relation to community. “The church exists primarily for those who never go near it,” he declared. How sad it becomes when a church exists to pay tribute to itself. It exists to exist.
As God the Son came into the human picture to intercede with God the Father for our salvation, even so, God the Holy Spirit came, following the human Jesus in a renewed display of Spirit presence. His purpose was and is to magnify the work of Jesus in the world. His work inside the church must be mutually directed toward those who are outside the church, and never can be exclusive of them.
Dr. James Stewart wrote, “When a church is not worried about those who never go near it, . . . that church may be flourishing, but it is certainly not Christian.” This message deals with the place allowed the Holy Spirit in our lives.
I. We Must First Acknowledge the Scriptural Declaration of God the Holy Spirit.
I remind you that the Holy Spirit is spoken of as God in the Scriptures. Consider the case of Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5:3,4, “Ananias, . . . you have lied to the Holy Spirit . . . . You have not lied to man but to God.” Wrong done to men. Wrong done to the faith. But chiefly, sin against God.
It is positively asserted also. I Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” Hieron is the temple precincts. Naos is the place where God and man come face to face. Before Christ only the designated priest could enter. The believer is where lost people encounter God.
I remind you as well, that the Holy Spirit is given the attributes of God. We know that God is life. Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free.” We know that God is truth. John 16:13, “When he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you to all truth.” We know that God is love. Romans 15:30, “I urge you brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit . . . (pray) for me.”
And I remind you that the Holy Spirit is assigned the works of God. The work of God in creation: Genesis 1:2, “The Spirit of God was brooding upon the face of the waters.” The work of God in undergirding Christ: Matthew 12:28, “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God then the Kingdom of God has come.” The work of God in redemption: John 3:5, “Except a man is born of . . . the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” Titus 3:5, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. The work of God in renewed faith: Romans 8:11, “He who raised Christ from the dead . . . will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.”
II. We Must then Understand that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person of the Godhead.
He is more than just a positive influence. It is true that the word for spirit is the same as for “wind, breath,” and as such is a [gender-neutral] word. But references to the Holy Spirit find this [gender-neutral] word accompanied by a masculine pronoun. John 16:13, “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” As with other references where the Holy Spirit is intended: John 14:26, “The comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, . . . he will teach you all.”
The Holy Spirit is never referred to in Scripture as an “it,” nor must we. He is a person. He has personality. We perceive of mind, will, even emotions. Intelligence—I Corinthians 2:10f, “The Spirit searcheth . . . the deep things of God. The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit.” Will—I Corinthians 12:11, “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing . . . as he will.” Emotions—Romans 15:30, speaks of the “love of the Spirit”; Ephesians 4:30, calls attention to the fact that he can be “grieved.”
III. Finally, We Must Grasp a Personal Relation with the Holy Spirit.
He is a seeking, searching agent for God even in man’s lost estate. Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the . . . renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
Thus, the Holy Spirit is the major influence both before and after conversion.
The Holy Spirit comes into our lives at the time that we receive Christ as Lord. Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” There must be genuine repentance—not guilt for getting caught; not a tear-jerking confession at impressing someone; [but] repentance before God. There should be a covenant of trust that eventuates in baptism. [In] this interwoven tapestry of faith, repentance, remission, trust, baptism, there is the assuring gift of the Holy Spirit.
There are yet other applications of the Holy Spirit’s influence. The above is the “gift” of the Holy Spirit. There are also “gifts” of Holy Spirit: Romans 12:5, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ . . . having then, gifts according to the grace given”; Hebrews 2:4, “distributing the gifts of Holy Spirit." And there is the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit; this is the mellowing of our lives, growing in Bible knowledge and Christ-likeness.
During a time of rowdiness in our convention, an evangelist (James Robinson) wrote to [the] Baptist Message (3/1983) a letter of apology for verbal attacks he had engaged in on those who disagreed with him. “My eyes were distracted to focus more on the cancer in Baptist life than the cure.” “I’ve become more concerned about my own sin than the sin of others.”
The “filling” of the Holy Spirit is an imperative of faith. Ephesians 5;18, “Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Spirit”: Submission to His authority; few are full—it is complete submission; the Holy Spirit’s work is to magnify Christ—to be full of the Holy Spirit is to be full of desire to praise and honor our Lord.
Conclusion
Dr. F.B. Meyer gives a classic example of the work of the Holy Spirit. The young daughter of a prominent individual had started to take piano lessons. The parents of the little girl fussed over her even though her playing was more painful to non-family members than pleasurable. They would allow her to invade the gathering of their friends to “play" for these guests. Some started looking for excuses to get away early before the little girl started.
On one occasion, an eminent pianist was present. Instead of leaving, as some did, he took a place on the bench by the little girl. He began filling the void of the child’s discordant notes. In fact, it turned into very beautiful music. People who tried to leave were returning.
After a few minutes at the piano, the musician led the little girl around the room to receive the thanks and the praise of the other guests. So said Dr. Meyer, “The Holy Spirit helpeth our infirmities.” (Romans 8:26)
Alternate Conclusion
I read someone account of Will Campbell’s story in Brother to a Dragonfly1, of the Easter chicken. An acquaintance bought a purple chicken for his little girl at Easter. She loved it, for a little while. Then the chick began to feather out. Underneath that purple down, began to appear little pin feathers, and they were not purple, they were red. It was an awful picture, and the little girl no longer found it appealing. So, the chick went out in the chicken yard.
But there it was out of place. Some of the purple still showed. The other chickens knew it was different. It became this man’s parable of the church.
For a while, the other chickens resisted this one. They pecked it, chased it over the yard, generally, made its life miserable. At first the chick didn’t fight back. It was the new kid on the block. But even before all the purple was gone, the chick was bigger and stronger and knew that feed went to those who struggled for it. It just became like all the other chickens.
His point was, “Who needs an Easter chicken?” Or, “Who needs the church?”
But Preacher Campbell tried to point out that it was good because it still laid eggs. “Yeah, Preacher Will. It lays eggs. But they all lay eggs. Who needs an Easter chicken for that? And the Rotary Club serves coffee. And the 4-H Club says prayers. The Red Cross takes up offerings for hurricane victims. Mental Health does counseling, and the Boy Scouts have youth programs.”
The underlying question came clearly through. The parable was contemporary. “What unique thing does the church do?”
Don M. Aycock, Symbols of Salvation2
______________________
Temple: https://williamtemplefoundation.org.uk/about-the-foundation/archbishop-william-temple/
Campbell: https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/B/Brother-to-a-Dragonfly
Aycock: https://www.amazon.com/Symbols-salvation-Don-M-Aycock/dp/0805451900
1Campbell, W. (2018). Brother to a Dragonfly. University Press of Mississippi.
2Aycock, D.M. (1982). Symbols of Salvation. Broadman Press.
THE TRUE MEANING OF PRAYER
#781 & 781a THE TRUE MEANING OF PRAYER
Scripture Luke 18:1; Acts 4:31, NIV Orig. 4/16/1980
Rewr. 9/23/1987
Passage:
Luke 18
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
Acts 4
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Purpose: Beginning a series on the subject of prayer using John Bunyan’s seven-fold description of prayer.
Keywords: Prayer
Timeline/Series: Prayer
Introduction
Christians the world over are familiar with the name of John Bunyan. Almost without exception, however, we associate him only with Pilgrim’s Progress, and are totally unfamiliar with his equally heartening book on prayer, Prayer,1 where he gives us one of the significant definitions of prayer, and his seven-fold prayer concern.
“Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to His word, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God.”
1. Prayer is sincere.
2. Prayer is sensible.
3. Prayer is the affectionate pouring out of the soul to God.
4. Prayer is through Christ, and in the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
5. Prayer is for such as God has promised.
6. Prayer is for the good of the church.
7. Prayer is submission to the will of God.
I. Prayer is Sincerely Pouring Out One’s Soul to God. Acts 2:46, “They . . . did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.”
Few things in our lives make a difference like deeds done either with or without sincerity. It is New Testament simplicity. Romans 12:9, “Let love be without dissimulation.” I Corinthians 10:21, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils.” It was vital to the sense of the supper: I Corinthians 5:8, “Let us keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity.” Leaven achieved taste, but it represented artificiality. Relation to God was to disdain such misrepresentation.
On the day before Passover, the Jews were to light a candle and ceremoniously begin a search for anything that might spoil the dough.
Even so, sincerity is an integral part of prayer. Psalm 66:17-18, “. . . If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Jeremiah 29:12-13, “Ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” When Nathaniel came to Jesus, John 1:47, “Behold an Israelite, in whom is no guile.”
Sincerity is simply being the same in a darkened corner alone where none can see, that we are before the face of all the world.
II. Prayer is Sensibly Pouring Out One’s Soul to God. Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication . . . , let your requests be made known unto God.”
Sensibility understands life’s pressing needs. Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” There is a time for want of mercy. There is a time for stating confession. There is a time for a bold word of intercession. Few have not prayed for Christianity.
There is a time for a joyous declaration of thanksgiving. Daniel 9:4, “And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession.” Genesis 32:11 (Jacob), “Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother.” Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving.”
781a
Romans 8:26-27, 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
III. Prayer is Affectionately Pouring Out the Soul to God. Matthew 6:21, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Colossians 3:2, “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Things done out of love bring satisfaction: God, family, occupation, avocation. Psalm 42: 1, “As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”
To thus view God, in prayer, with devotion is to pray to one who loves, and who will perform to our good. Daniel 9:18b, “. . . We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.” Romans 10:11, “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Isaiah 66:13, “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.” Jonah 4:9, “Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?” V11, “Should not I spare Nineveh, that great city [without] discernment?”
IV. Prayer is Pouring Out the Soul to God through Christ and with Assistance of Holy Spirit.
We have established the following: Sincerity, Sensibility, and Affection.
Now the believer addresses God where He has made Himself the most vulnerable. It our sin that constitutes the communication gap. But the sinless Son has the Father’s ear. Matthew 18:20, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I.” John 14:13, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, [to the end that] the Father may be glorified in the son.”
Daniel grasped this special efficacy. Daniel 9:17, “O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, . . . for the Lord’s sake. . . .” v19, “O Lord, hear, . . . for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.” Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
To claim Christ’s name before God is to claim His blood, is to claim His righteousness, is to claim His victory over sin, is to claim His intercession in our behalf. Ephesians 1:6, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
A newspaper article datelined Birmingham told of a little four-year-old boy taken in a stolen car. Asleep on back seat, parked in front of Women’s Hospital, the car was taken. A few hours later, the car was recovered but not the boy. Police speculated the thief abandoned. A disabled vet was searching near the site. On the porch of a deserted house he saw bundle of rags. Stopped, on crutches in semi-darkness, the bundle moved, showed fear. But the man called the lad’s father’s name, and told him he was taking him to his daddy.
V. Prayer is the Pouring Out of the Soul to God for Such Things as He has Promised. Psalm 37:4, “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
The Character of the Promiser: Hebrews 10:23, “For He is faithful that promised.” For the sake of His own word. For our sake of redeemable humanity.
The Content of the Promise: II Peter 3:13, “We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” It states His integrity. It qualifies the human search.
The Certitude of the Promised: I John 2:25, “This is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.”
VI. Prayer is the Pouring Out of the Soul to God for the Good of the Church.
Jesus prayed for the church. John 17:9f, “I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me.
Paul uses prayer in this sense. Philippians 1:4f, “. . . Prayer . . . for your friendship in the gospel . . . being confident . . . that . . . he will perform it.”
We must pray similarly. Romans 15:30, “. . . Strive with me in your prayers to God for me.”
We must not presume some divine accountability. God’s will is for our own good. Satan is working to disallow His will.
VII. Prayer is Pouring Out One’s Soul to God, Submitting to the Will of God.
Matthew 6:10, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.”
I John 5:14f, “This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us; and if we know that hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Links:
1Bunyan, J. (2022). Prayer. Banner of Truth, Puritan Paperback Series.
IN COVENANT TO GROW
#472 IN COVENANT TO GROW
Scripture Ecclesiastes 12:10-14; Acts 10:35 NIV Orig. 3/3/1968
Rewr. 10/1969, 9/20/1976
Passage:
Ecclesiastes 12:
10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd.[a] 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Acts 10
35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Introduction
I read an article last week that began, “The old taboos are dead or dying. A new, more permissive society is taking shape.” One man was quoted as saying, “The emphasis is on the senses and the release of the sensual. All the old codes have been broken down.”
Let me tell you about two men whom I knew. About 15 years ago one was working on the then-new Red River Bridge in Alexandria. He lost his balance and fell 86 feet to the river bank, not into the water, or soft mud, but onto a pile of plywood sheeting that had been used on pier forms. I saw him a few months back, and one who didn’t know would say “the law of gravity has broken down.”
Another, not yet old enough to vote, jumped from a plane as a paratrooper only to look up and face the horror of an unopened chute. To see him today one who didn’t know would say “the law of gravity has broken down.”
I, for one, am glad that prudery and hypocrisy in morality are dead or dying. But to think that we can exist without morality and codes of conduct is as foolish as saying that we can exist without gravity and natural law.
Let us not think that out of the ashes . . . (illegible).
I. Growing in Community Consciousness. Psalms 15:1-33, “Lord, who will abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.”
Walking circumspectly. The word “circumspectly” means looking about cautiously in all directions. It is like the soldier on patrol—the needing to keep in contact with his unit, his primary duty is to search for hidden danger. Not an injunction to search for inconsistencies in others. A warning to stay away from threats, temptations.
Just in our dealings. A word with many meanings. For our use here it is to be consistent, impartial. We are to treat all men fairly. We are to take advantage of none. Romans 12:17, Provide things honest in the sight of all men. I still get amused at these movies that continue to beset us. The Indian chief speaks to the army major and says, “White man speaks with forked tongue.” It is too often true.
Faithful in our engagements. We could begin by saying it is an injunction for the deacon to take the office seriously. Active, energetic, faithful. We could call attention to laity on part of church workers—absenteeism about 25%. Sometimes I think preachers have created some of the problem. We left impression that the record is tithing—the very Sunday you lay out may be the Sunday God needed you for something great.
Exemplary in our deportment. God does not call us to go on crusades against the sins of the world until we have learned to deal with our own sin. But God is not ashamed to have any forgiven sinner, no matter how heinous his sin, to speak a word for Him.
Christlikeness is the order of the day. Living so as to reveal God’s love to those around us and those we chance to meet.
II. Growing in Family Faithfulness. Genesis 18:19, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do what is right and just.”
Maintain family devotions. This does not refer to grace at meals. Let us observe grace at home and abroad in the land. It is a time of planned Bible devotion. A parent or parents and children, reading together the word of God. Praying together for greater grace. (More strength to use prevailing grace.) It is one of the most difficult acts of Christian consciousness. I don’t know how often we have started on a few days, and some interruption or other [gets in the way]. Teaching our families to love and respect, but not worship, the Bible.
Religiously educate our children. It is first of all a job to be done at home. Most tragic verse in Bible is Jeremiah 7:18, “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” We stop helping them in school work when they get beyond our school experience. Could this be the reason you do not help them in their spiritual exercises?
Then there is Sunday School. Sunday School is a Bible teaching organization—the sincere application of Bible truth is the teacher’s first responsibility. Gossip handled tactfully and discreetly. Training Union is Training for Christians. You say “I don’t get anything.” Of course not, you don’t give anything. You don’t enjoy it. You enjoy Ed Sullivan more.
Missionary organizations—115 million lost Americans above age of accountability.
Avoid all tattling, backbiting, excessive anger. This does not refer to temporary occasions of misunderstanding: husbands and wives, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, teachers and parents, neighbors, relatives, any two people who spend time in association or chancing a misunderstanding.
This speaks directly to the person who delights in someone else’s troubles. It also directs us to seek accord when occasions of misunderstanding arise, and room is left for anger, but not excessive anger.
III. Growing in Personal Perceptivity. Haggai 1:7, “Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways.” I Corinthians 11:31, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
Maintain secret devotions. A time of reverent study. I Timothy 4:13, “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” A time of quiet meditation.
Seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances. This you must settle at home in quietness of your own life.
Abstain from the sale of and the use of intoxicating beverages. Anything that limits our performance as a person, anything that weakens our witness. New Orleans pot party—2-year-old killed on Friday—mother reported him missing 7 hours later. Charged with negligence.
Closing
Morality is the way a man reacts in regard to his fellow human beings. For the Christian, morality is the effort to advance the Kingdom of our Saviour.
Article 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice—A man is chargeable and punishable for bringing discredit upon the military establishment.
Paul’s admonition to Timothy—Endure as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
HAPPENSTANCE AND HOWBEIT
#843 HAPPENSTANCE AND HOWBEIT
Scripture Acts 4:1-22 Orig. 1/6/79
Rewr. 1/17/87
Passage: The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. 5 The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’[a] 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
Purpose: Continuing with the Acts study for Adult Church Training, here showing the emergence of a full-blown persecution of the early church leaders.
Keywords: Opportunity Proclamation Opposition Persecution
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
Most of us know very little about persecution in any form, much less about religious persecution. There are many places, however, that it is being experienced today.
The struggle between Jew and Arab is, at its heart, a religious confrontation. The full-scale hostility in Lebanon is drawn with Muslim, Christian, and Jew; and divergent sects within these major religions are opposing their own people. The struggle in Ireland is a struggle between Protestant and Catholic. Many people are being persecuted because they are of one religious leaning rather than some other.
In the early days of our own history, there was serious restriction placed on some religious groups by other religions. You may remember that the Maryland charter had to do with settling Catholic people where they would not be an infringement on non-Catholics. Baptists had great difficulty settling into many of the early land grants. The holders of the grants were wealthy Englishmen. They were of the Church of England. Therefore, preachers of a more fundamentalist persuasion were simply not welcomed.
Even in Virginia this was so. The state is strongly Baptist, home, by the way, of our Foreign Mission Board. But some early Baptist preachers--including Jeremiah Moore, Aaron Bledsoe, and Lewis and Joseph Craig--began to preach Christ. Because they had no Episcopal license, they were arrested. Patrick Henry came to the Court House to defend these men. He stood before the gathered crowd, held up the indictment, and said, “What is the indictment against these men? Preaching the glorious gospel of God! Great God! That is the indictment. Are there no thieves going around unarrested and unconvicted? Are there no murderers upon whom to visit the vengeance of the law, that you must indict and try these men for preaching the gospel?” (S25p49-Fcrd).
Opposition. V3 “And they laid hands on them and put them in hold.” Take a moment to re-examine what was happening among the disciples. Notice the strong link with the temple. A woman in New Orleans spoke of the new-found charismatic faith of her son, studying for the ministry. “Well,” she said, “I’m not much into church.” They take opportunities where they find them, not attracting wealthy, learned, influential people. Every one is a ticket to others. The onlookers are the ones to whom Simon Peter spoke after the healing, and their friends and family who were not present.
Those opportunities were to be occasions where they magnify the Lord. The crucifixion marked their sin. They could not sweep it under the rug. Jesus has given them proof of resurrection. They can no longer evade the question. Acts 3:13 “The God of our fathers hath glorified His Son, Jesus. 3:16 “And His name, faith in His name, hath made this man strong.”
We are no more than a matter of weeks since the crucifixion. The one essential difference now is that Jesus is known to be alive. They were instructed in Acts 1:4 to “wait for the promise of the Father.” They started with 120 (Acts 1:15). They added 3,000 after Pentecost (2:41) and another 5,000 after this healing (4:4).
Notice “howbeit” in 4:4 KJV. Things are beginning to tighten up, but the Holy Spirit more than compensated for their disadvantage. From here on, the pressure mounts, but they will suffer no lack of God’s promise. The officials who gather quickly here, are the same ones who brought sentence on Jesus. They thought that what was done to Jesus would bring His followers to their knees. It did, but not in submission: rather, in prayer.
Suddenly, the fear of dealing with Jesus again is causing them anguish. In 2:22, 3:6, and 4:10, Jesus Christ is referred to as “the Nazarene” or “of Nazareth.” Priests were the religious power structure. They were men of wealth and learning. Many of the Sadducees were priests, wealthy landowners with the most to lose if Rome was forced to intercede. The high priests rejected resurrection to keep order in the temple.
Then Comes the Oration. V8 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them.” Those already mentioned were joined by others. It is the court called the “Sanhedrin.” Most of you have been to Eureka Springs to see the Passion Play, or Calhoun. The Sanhedrin were the officials. 71 high priests were ex officio members of the Sanhedrin. The rulers were high priests’ families. At first the position was hereditary. Between 37BC and 67AD there were twenty-eight high priests, all but six came from four families. (A50p36)
The elders were respected leaders. Of this oration, understand that when the Word is faithfully proclaimed, God blesses it. Acts 6:4 “We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word.” 2 Corinthians “God . . . hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word, be instant in season.” 5,000 men became believers. Women may or may not have been present. These went home to families who likewise would believe.
We must not overlook the jailing. Peter, with the gift of speaking out of turn and regretting it, and John, who had the great gift of loving people: These two are suddenly locked away, remembering their Lord’s night of trial and passion; remembering, also, that Jesus prepared them for this. Luke 21:12 “they shall lay their hands on you, and bring you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. . . . I will give you a mouth, and wisdom.” Luke 12:12 “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what to say.”
Simon will be the spokesman, and his message will not change. He concentrates on ”the Sent One.” Fifteen times in John, Jesus so uses “pempantos.” Again, meaning that the Jewish fathers crucified Jesus, and that He arose for the dead, that faith in the Jesus of this victory—crucifixion and resurrection—resolves the sin problem.
The actuality of the oration is that Christ is seen in the life of the proclaimer. V13 “They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” William Barclay (A50p38) gives us the three salient points of Christian defense: (1) Defense of unanswerable fact—the healed man; (2) defense of utter loyalty to God (obedience); and defense of a personal experience.” H.G. Wells said “The trouble with so many people is that the voice of their neighbors sounds louder in their ears than the voice of God.”
Thus, Opposition Becomes Oppression. V18 “and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” Here is the first instance of the satanic determination to silence the message of salvation in Christ. We see it in the commercial world’s interest in Santa Claus rather than Jesus.
The political world silences the gospel because it is controversial. Remember the news item from Jackson about the lighted windows in a state office building in the shape of a cross. Some universalist could see it from her home and was offended. A Christian businessman turned on his lights.
The ACLU says “It’s okay to smoke pot, or to jeopardize industry, but don’t talk about Jesus anywhere but at home and church.”
Madeleine Murray O’Hare says, “I want to be free to teach people atheism, but teaching about God should be restricted.”
And for all these years, the song goes on. Peter and John couldn’t be squelched. V20 “We cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard.” History’s clearest mandate is in the resiliency of the word.
Ken Chafin wrote The Reluctant Witness, about learning to apply the word (R33p14): the need for simple basic (related) Bible study; the need for spiritual growth; the need for some basic skills; and the need for practical experience, under supervision.
***THE CONCLUSION TO THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***
A WORD FITLY SPOKEN
#842 A WORD FITLY SPOKEN
Scripture Acts 3:12-26 NIV Orig. 11/29/79
Rewr. 1/2/87
Passage: 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. 17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’[a] 24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’[b] 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Purpose: Continuing study from the Book of Acts for Church Training, calling attention to the opportunity of the early church to speak the gospel creatively.
Keywords: Christ Lordship Crucifixion Resurrection
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
Given a title, this study would have to be “A Word Fitly Spoken.” You probably recognize it, however, as taken from the Book of Proverbs (25:11). It is a beautiful statement from one of the most used, and least abused portions of scripture. The lines of holy scripture roll off the tongue as beautifully as a highland brook rolls out of the hills. It captivates us with its meter as well as its message.
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in vessels of silver.”
The ability to speak a needed and necessary word at the appropriate time is a rare and unique gift. It is like a table vessel of great beauty and filigree, containing fruit that is at its highest degree of loveliness as well as taste. One can almost find it unnecessary to bite into such fruit to be able to taste this delectable flavor. In times of great duress or decision, words can be like that. When the right word is spoken, all parties involved feel the constraint of propriety.
It was particularly important to the early church, not only that they had the right word for the times in which they lived, but that they might also deliver it in a timely manner.
“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.” 2 Timothy 4:17.
So, a man was healed, miraculously, spontaneously. A crowd gathered, opportunistically. Simon seizes the occasion to share. They are at the Temple, just inside the gate called “Beautiful,” upon a colonnade known as Solomon’s Porch. Simon spoke to the people about Jesus. Remember, Jesus had spoken from this very place, perhaps to some of these very people. He responded to their questions about His being the Messiah.
“The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe…”John 10:23.
Another stone is about to be added to the wall of disbelief that the Jews are building around themselves. They rejected Jesus, Himself. They are about to reject this opportunistic message about Jesus. The persecution and dispersion of the believers grows daily more intense. Now is the time for “a word fitly spoken,” for before many weeks have passed, opportunity will have come and gone. For now, let’s look at Simon’s message and examine it.
I. First of All, Let Him Define What has Happened. V12f “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look you so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob . . . glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered up . . . the faith through Him . . . has given this perfect soundness.”
The men of Israel are made to face the stark reality of the crucifixion. They were the ones responsible for Jesus’ death. We must be careful not to hate the Jew for this (anti-Semitism). But it is historically inaccurate not to say so. The Jews are the ones who forced Pilate to withdraw his release order.
Read Luke 23:4: “I find no fault in this man.” Hearing that he was from Galilee, Pilate sent Him to Herod, v7. Herod sent Him back, v11. “Pilate, . . . wishing to release Jesus, . . . called out to them. But they shouted, saying ‘Crucify Him.’” V 20-21. “Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.” V24.
They were the ones who disowned their own religion and demanded that a criminal be set free. Peter’s message does not remind them of the remote past. It shares what is intensely recent and similar to the Pentecost message. Acts 2:23 “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.”
The early church would not lose sight that crucifixion was history’s most heinous crime. Pilate and Herod both tried to avoid it, they had seen the injustice. People like us, you and me, overcome by emotions--anger, resentment, and misplaced zeal--voted for a criminal and crucified love.
How often in history it has happened: Hitler. Khomeini. Qaddafi. Returning some disbarred to the legislature.
The men of Israel are given cause to face up to the resurrection. Without the resurrection there would have been no church. All they had to do was show evidence of the body of Jesus. Read “The Passover Plot” and “Saved by His Life.” There is proof that Jesus is alive. There is incontrovertible evidence that His life empowers today in healing and reconciliation.
Central to this proclaimed word was the power of the risen Christ. Special power accompanied specific circumstance. It is reasonable to expect such power. If it is not present, our circumstances do not merit it, or faith is inept. The spokesperson must not ever let himself get between the Healer and the candidate. As to healing, the channel could be only a channel, and could demand no advantages. As to spoken word, the spokesperson was forthteller or foreteller, maybe.
William Barclay (A50p31) reveals the secret of the Christian life. “The Christian knows that so long as he thinks of what I can do and what I can be, there can be nothing but failure and frustration and fear; but when he thinks of ‘not I, but Christ in me,’ there can be nothing but peace and power.”
II. Peter Next Demands that They Consider the Meaning of this Miracle. V17f “Now brothers, what you did was done in ignorance, . . . [what] God foretold . . . He has thus fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and be converted.”
Note the care with which he speaks in love. Oh it is a warning. But its urgency is that of love and mercy and forgiveness. What they did was done in ignorance, but ignorance is no longer justifiable. They have witnessed more proof of integrity of the gospel. John 15:22 “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”
With the same measured care, he implores them to repent. Metanoe’o means “to perceive afterward,” to change one’s mind. In the New Testament change is always for the better. It is a changing of the mind resulting in a whole change of life. Luke (9 times), Acts (5 times), Revelation (12 times)—eight of these are in messages to the churches, as in 2 Corinthians 12:21.
It is a changing of the mind resulting in a whole change of life. If they do not, they are in danger of losing the ability to repent.
John Greenleaf Whittier wrote:
“Forever round the mercy seat
The guiding lights of love shall burn;
But what if, habit-bound, thy feet
Shall lack the will to turn?
What if thine eyes refuse to see,
Thine ear of heaven’s free welcome fail?
And thou a willing captive be,
Thyself thy own dark jail?”
This redeemed understanding is that repentance eventuates in Positive Consequence. Sins of the past will be blotted out. V19 “that your sins may be blotted out.” Paul uses the same word in Colossians 2:14, exaleipho—“having wiped out the handwriting of requirements against us.” Ink used on papyrus had no acid, and didn’t “bite” the paper. It was simply wiped away.
Additionally, the presence of the “living” Lord will uniquely sustain them in life. This message is the sounding of alarm and hope. John 9:41 “Jesus said, ‘If you were blind you would have no sin; but now you say “we see;” your sin remains.’” John 15:22 “. . . they have no excuse for their sin.”
There comes on the scene an obligation to repentance which, remember, means more than to “change one’s mind.” It means, also, to follow the path of a different drummer. William Barclay (A50p33) wrote “he lays down the inescapable truth that . . . very special privilege brings . . . very special duty; . . . to do what they like, but . . . what God likes.”
Repentance, then, effects new circumstances. Past actions are put under a different set of controls. Future events take on a redeemed flavor. Repentance is the last thing people want to do, the first thing they are directed to do. The thing least in evidence, even in the lives of concerned believers, is the most necessary thing.
Peter now brings up the subject of the coming again of Jesus. He has spoken in love. He called upon them to face up to the crucifixion and resurrection. He implores them to repent. He does not conclude without reminding them that this Jesus is coming again. There is no gospel that does not proclaim these necessary things. Most of the world knows of no such destiny. They think not at all of a Saviour come among them, to live and die, and to live again in victory over death, and to appeal to them to repent of sin, and live in Him.
The Hebrew believers waited and expected all Israel to be saved. They ministered to that end. V20 “And that he might send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus.” Could the kingdom have come then with their repentance? Are we in a great holding pattern awaiting the redemption of Israel? They already rejected Jesus. They will reject Peter here today. Acts 4 will see the beginning of persecution, and the further hardening of Hebrew hearts.
Peter then concludes with three valid points. (1) He insists that everything that has happened was foretold by the prophets, referencing Deuteronomy 18:15-22. “How can we be sure of the prophet?” V22 “When what is foretold comes to pass.” (2) He reminds them of their heritage. They are children of the prophets. They are children of the covenant. They are children of promise. V26 “And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” That promise appears over and over in the Book of Genesis: 12:3, 18:18, 22:18, 26:4, 28:14. What has brought joy to so many is yet despised by Israel. (3) Finally, he lays down the parting declaration that special privilege brings special responsibility. Acts 18:26 “Unto you first God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Conclusion
And as they speak (Acts 4), One is speaking and He is speaking for all, and all are speaking in Him. Think what such a concept would do for us today.
THE CHURCH AND A HEALING MINISTRY
#841 THE CHURCH AND A HEALING MINISTRY
Scripture Acts 3:1-11, NIV Orig. 11/2/79
Rewr. 12/4/86
Passage: One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.
Purpose: Continuing a Bible study from Acts, showing the beginning surges of healing as it existed within the early church
Keywords: Faith Healing Ministry
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
What interest do you have as a believer in the practice of Christian healing? Most contemporary church members seem to be satisfied to avoid it altogether. Part of the reason seems to be that it is not needed in the 20th Century as it was in the first. As little as fifty years ago, even the most visionary practitioner of medicine could not foresee the strides that medical research would take in our lifetimes.
I see no reason, however, not to conclude that there is yet far more to be done, than has ever been done before. Diseases that were unknown a century ago are prevalent today. Some bludgeoning human ailments capturing headlines today, were virtually unknown twenty years ago (Alzheimer’s, HIV, Legionnaire’s Disease).
There are other reasons why many people see a charismatic gift of healing as unimportant. It is so often viewed in the pin-striped suit of big business or as a feature in the practice of snake-handling. It is associated, almost in its entirety, with people who are often viewed as charlatans. We hear of it, elsewhere being conducted to the end that hair may grow on bald heads, and that legs might be lengthened to eliminate back pain. This takes place sometimes within sight of cancer hospitals, and homes for the incurables.
Jesus healed because He believed absolutely in the power of God to heal. The disciples undertook the continuation of that ministry because they were able to believe that He was the healer, and that He would heal, that He was the only One who could. This may be where our faith breakdown comes. Oh, we believe in the power of God to heal, alright; but He usually is not our only alternative.
Great good was done in the early church by experiences of miraculous healing. What a loss it would be if God chose to bless His contemporary church in the same way, and we have become too proud, or too indifferent, to accept the gift that He wants us to have.
I. First, We Must View the Circumstances. V1 “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.” Chapter two allowed us to focus on the importance of the spoken word. He reminded us that a new day had come. He related that day to Jesus’ life and ministry. He declared the supremacy of grace over law. He called his hearers to personal commitment.
Now another, and different opportunity has come. Luke records how healing is being used. It starts with emphasis on prayer. For the devout Jew, there were three special hours of prayer: The day began at 6a.m., and the first prayer was to be practiced at 9a.m., the second at 12 noon, and the third at 3p.m. Prayers could be said at any hour, but these were special, and if in the temple, even more so. How important to good practice are the habits learned in childhood? We see Jesus accentuated some of these.
What we may know about the man to be healed are that he was lame from birth; he was the ward of public generosity—he had friends who helped, but except for them or in hard times, he was without; it is likely that the disciples have passed this man before but had no eyes with which to see—now, with redeemed sight, they see opportunity.
II. Secondly, We Must Look at the Character of the Event. Look for a moment at the disparity between place and person, the beggar in the temple. The temple was of white marble in grand design. Started by Herod in 20 BC, some 50 years prior, the inner court was sacred and worked on by 1000 priests; the temple itself was not yet complete. Amidst all this lay the beggar. He was there because people in a worshipful mood are always the first to show compassion. Remember that the beggar, doubtless, had no idea who these men were, and did not ask for healing. The disciples could not help materially. They were living under a common fund among believers. Note that the healing was precipitated in the name of Jesus. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” In 2:22f, Peter links his message to Christ. The same bond is forged again. The miracle accomplished here was instantaneous and complete. The Greek word estereothesen means “to make firm.” The medical term steroids comes from the same word; all-American Brian Bosworth was unable to play because of steroid use.
III. Next We Must Measure the Consequences of this Miracle. V9 “And all the people saw him walking and praising God.” We note a man overwhelmed by his good-fortune. He doesn’t have someone else’s experience to try to mimic, or to compare with his own. How often do we try to make something of faith that was not meant to be? (Copying another.) Or how often do we keep faith from taking a natural turn?—“Walking, and jumping, and praising God.”
A central tenet of our faith is joy. Luke 1:14’s angelic announcement—“Thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at His birth.” John 15:11,”These things I have spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Note also that God receives the praise of this man’s outspoken witness of faith. We mentioned the angels’ announcement in Luke 2:13. “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God." The believer is expected and commanded to offer such praise. Hebrews 13:15 “Through Jesus, . . . let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess His name.”
Such praise is linked with healing and may just be one of the clearest determinants of healing. How ennobling to find physicians who believe, and more so to hear of a surgeon who prays for his patient, or the believing patient who thanks God for whatever condition confronts him or her. The praise of God is the noblest rite of faith.
There is such an outpouring of emotion that a crowd quickly gathers. In this very place, Jesus was questioned by Jews. John 10:23: “If thou be Christ, tell us plainly.” V25 “I did, ye believed not. The works I do bear witness, . . . ye believe not.”
IV. Finally, A Conclusion. V10 “. . .They were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.” We perceive the compassion of Christ for all hurt things. The Latin word for compassion is a compounding of 2 words meaning “to suffer with” (cum passus). Matthew 8:17 quotes Isaiah 53:4 “He the weaknesses of us took, and the diseases bore.” Jesus seems clearly to have determined that pain and illness are intruders. Dr. James Stewart reminds us that there is no instance of Jesus turning away saying, “I am sorry friend, I cannot heal you, because God wants you to suffer.”
Healing as a reflection of faith was related to Jesus’ sinlessness, His moral perfection. If we were more like Jesus, perhaps our work would be more like His work. Matthew 17:20 tells of the epileptic boy the disciples could not heal. “Because of your lack of faith.” The mighty works of Jesus were the Father’s answer to the faith and obedience of His Son. In Jesus, the power of God was present and unimpeded. John 3:34 GNV: “The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words, because God gives Him the fullness of His Spirit.”
As Christians, we must relate ourselves to a world torn, not only by sin, but also by pain and disorder, and disease. Healing of the body must also be a vital ministry of faith. Such healing portends a larger healing of the broken spirits of people.
Conclusion
A religious magazine shared the story of a Scottish minister, and of a dream that he had dreamed. As he walked down High Street in Aberdeen, he saw a shop never seen before. Entering, he discovered that an angel was the clerk, and he inquired what they sold. The angel replied, “Everything your heart desires.” “Then,” said the dreamer, “I want peace on earth, and an end to sorrow, famine, and disease.” “Ah,” said the angel, “but you do not understand. We do not sell fruits here, only seeds.”
THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
#840 THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
Scripture Acts 2:40-47, NIV 12/2/1986
Passage: 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Purpose: Continuing a Church Training study in Acts, here leading the group to visualize the heart throb of the early church.
Keywords: Bible study Church Fellowship Ordinances Worship
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
George William Benson, in his book The Cross: Its History and Symbolism, gives us a rather poignant picture of how the cross has found its way into our lives. He wrote (pp 14-15):
“Throughout all Christendom the cross appeared. It stood upon the altar of the churches, was carried in religious procession and woven into the vestments of the priests, pictured on canvas and on stained glass, in frescoes and mosaics fashioned with rich craftsmanship, and hung upon the walls of cathedrals which were themselves built in the design of a cross. On every spire and many gables were crosses of iron and stone, and in the churchyard they marked the meeting places of the dead. Everywhere were wayside shrines and crosses of wood and stone, market crosses of sculptured marble and Sanctuary crosses to which man fled for refuge.
“The Crusader’s sword was cross-hilted and every knight dedicated his sword upon the altar and wore a cross upon his breast, as he went forth upon a crusade.
“The escutcheons of most ancient families bore it in varied forms and appeared frequently on the coins and medals of the calm. The crowns of kings and nobles were almost invariably surmounted by a cross.
“The prevailing use and influence of this supreme symbol of Christianity is remarkable. The study of its origin, history, and symbolism is an investigation full of value and interest.
“The cross is a symbol more universal in its use and more important in its significance than any other in the world.”
All of this has happened, to our benefit, in the passing of time and Christian history. For the early church, it was adorned in their memory, and not on their person. It was a daily reality and not a piece of jewelry. It was a reminder of the man who wore it, and of His message, and of their responsibility to both keep it and to share it.
I. The Gospel was Meant to be Proclaimed. V40 “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’”
Remember, this is the fourth part of which that early preaching consisted. It was a firm call to decision.
2:21 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
2:36 “Let all the house of Israel know.”
2:38 “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin.”
2:40 “Save yourselves from the corrupt generation.” These passages denote the place of human will and the problem of generational influence.
2:17-20 are an announcement of the “day of the Lord.” The supreme message of preparedness should be heard in the announcement that these are the last days and Jesus is coming.
2:22 is an affirmation of the rudiments of Jesus’ life. What a joy to walk where Jesus walked. What a blessing to witness things truthfully and decorously done. The study of the word ought to be the easiest thing for a Christian to do. The greatest thrill is when family or friend begins to take interest in His life.
2:29-30, finally, authenticate grace and law. David was dead: Undeniably a great man and leader, but dead and in his tomb. But Jesus was alive. Many had seen. Remember, all the Romans and Pharisees had to do was to produce the body.
The proclamation of the gospel remains central. Whatever other great truths we believe, whatever programs we espouse, and if in any ways we are legitimately different from the New Testament church, we have no choice but to preach the gospel. It relates man’s sin to the cross. It lays man’s sin burden bare. It reveals God’s love. Re-read v23 “Him, being delivered.” It demands personal and social adjustment. Carnality is a common, correctable condition. The Gospel forecasts the Spirit’s involvement. It liberates us from the past, equips us for the future.
II. The Instrument of Its Proclamation was to be the Local Church. V41 “Then they that gladly received His Word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about 3,000 souls.”
We have not yet experienced “church.” Acts 5:11 distinguishes ecclesia “church” from ekcaleo “the called ones,” thus, “the set apart.” All we lack here is the word itself.
The badge of participation was baptism. Baptidzo meant to put beneath or to bury. Repentance (v38) is to be assumed, and its primacy is established. There were 3000 converts (all Jews). It should be noted here that such display should be reserved for Gentiles, but these are Jews drawn readily. In fact, it was this repentance and baptism which formed community. Not even “the scandal” of the cross restrained them.
Note the three action words found here:
Belief—“they that received the word.” Not pistueo belief, which means “to trust.” Rather apode’comai, which means “to welcome,” more than mental credence, with unreserved acknowledgement.
Baptized—Jews submitted in the belief that the new Israel had arrived. Of the 3,000, some had heard Jesus; some had been healed or ministered to; some were at Golgotha. Others were waiting for this “new Israel.”
Added—prosetethnsan, “to place beside.” “Those added” came to equality. Medical science chose this Greek word to convey meaning to artificial limbs “prosthetics”—the limb is added, and new life is assured.
III. All Derived Local Churches Would Have this Very Excellent Model. We first see the community in preparation. As the apostles had been told (Acts 1:4), “do not depart, but wait for the promise.” Even so, the larger community continued steadfast in doctrine: didache—teaching (inside), and kerygma—preaching (outside).
They continued steadfast in the breaking of bread. Consider all the times of meals—Emmaus in Luke 24:30; the eleven (Luke 24:36); beside the sea (John 21:12f). It is a time of togetherness. In a Passover meal, the mood was joy. See Exodus 12—the lamb slain in the afternoon, eating in an evening celebration: the joy of deliverance and the joy of Christ’s presence.
They continued steadfast in fellowship. My son-in-law defined being in Jackson, Mississippi, for the LSU/Ole Miss game, and the uniqueness of the Mississippi State game. Whose company do we enjoy?
They continued steadfast in prayer. How serious are we about prayer meeting? People would run the preacher off who suggested canceling, but they never attend. FM highlights calling people to pray. Call 1-800-44FAITH—Pray.
Next, we see the community in proclamation.
The church witnesses by her unity. In v41,”there were added,” and in v44, “and all that believed were together.” The first goal is community. Mennonites came to East Carroll Parish from Kansas where they could not family farm if they were not family. Conditional unity is primary. Perhaps the only other goal is self-determination. Now that we are together in unity, what do we do with this energy? The Devil works at broadcasting church squabbles. Baptists move on the cutting edge of effectiveness because of our prudent self-determination. For this reason, we hear of more Baptist churches in trouble. Our convention impasse is the result of the drive for truth. Self-determination has produced polar positions.
The church witnesses by her fellowship. V46 “And they, continuing daily . . . did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” Be careful of what fellowship consists: People who take active leadership roles; those who give financial support; those who have little to give physically or emotionally. What about those who are inactive? Determination of fellowship is the experience of the lordship of Christ. The last and least link in fellowship is the gathering called “fellowship.” We fellowship in groups, large and small, where the substance of relationship is in our link with, to, and through Christ, who died for us.
The church is to witness by her organization. V47 “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” We have considered self-determination. Beyond that is the need of ministry. To our constituency, it is a program based on Bible education. We also minister to other people, first through Bible education. The Sunday School class is the best means to share and to meet needs. There is great importance in enrollment based on five principles of growth (Flake Formula): Know possibilities; Enlarge organization; Provide space; Enlist and train; Go.
The church is to witness by her training. V42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” Every opportunity must be taken to train people for their tasks: Consideration of spiritual gifts; keeping believers in interest areas; organized study for training (ex, James in early February Sunday School); use of Church Training for unfragmented training. Every believer should have the desire to improve and grow. 2 Timothy 2:15 reads: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.”
The church is to witness by her place of worship. V46 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple. . . .” Much might be said about the place of worship. We must certainly do no worse by our Lord’s house than by our own homes. We are to treat the building with respect through upkeep and necessary maintenance.
The church must witness by her worship. V46 “And they continued daily with one accord in the temple . . . praising God.” Being dignified, inviting, and compelling the church honors God. Acts 5:42 “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not stop teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
The church is to witness by her ordinances. V41 “Then they that gladly received the word were baptized: . . . And they continued . . . in breaking of bread.” We honor our Lord by every visit to the baptistry. It means we are sharing our faith with the family and beyond. It is a picture of death to the old things, resurrection to the new. We honor Him by forays to the Lord’s table. By holding up broken fragments of His life and conditioning ourselves to His blood, we glory in that He is alive.
The church is to witness by her membership. V38 “Then Peter said, ‘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 Spirit.’” Membership in the community of faith means three things: Repentance, the initial act of faith; Baptism, link of obedience and community; and Holy Spirit, the empowering agent for service. We don’t “have” the Holy Spirit as a magic talisman, the Holy Spirit is to have us, to use major and minor gifts as it suits God’s purpose.
The church is to minister by her name—“First Baptist Church.” Church means reaching out to others; Baptist means determining our own destiny; First should tell more than the time of beginning (history), it also means first in ministry.
The church is to witness by her contributions. V45 “And they sold their goods and parted them to all as had need.”
…The remainder of this lesson has been lost…
ANSWERS
#836 ANSWERS
Scripture Acts 2:1-13 Orig. 10-4-79
Rewr. 10-20-86
Passage: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Purpose: To lead Church Training in a study of the Book of Acts
Keywords: Bible Study Holy Spirit
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
Acts, chapter one, introduced the church. It identified the meager beginning and the handful of Jesus’ followers who took great comfort in meeting together in a small, second story room in Jerusalem. Chapter two introduces the Holy Spirit who will infuse power into their lives and turn them into living dynamos of personal witness.
We have already discussed the fact of the relationship of the Holy Spirit to this book.
Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Holy Spirit
Acts of the Ascended Christ
It is interesting that in the combined 68 chapters of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, there are thirty-four references to the Holy Spirit. In the combined chapters of the writing of John, there are twenty-one references. In Romans and 1 Corinthians, there are thirty-two. But in Acts alone there are fifty-six occasions of the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is to be the means to the end of communicating the gospel. The disciples are instructed to wait, and they are content to wait, in the “upper room” until they are infused with this power of gospel enablement. The church, if it be the church at all, must have the capability of communicating the message.
Some time ago I watched a special TV program, “I Heard the Owl Call My Name.” It was about an Anglican vicar with a terminal disease. He had been sent to the village of Kingcome in British Columbia. The bishop had reasoned that if the young vicar was to learn, he must learn rapidly, and he needed a hard place to serve, and Kingcome was that. One incident, in this true story, was of an elderly lady named Marta Stephens who had been there longer than anyone else. She had seen the procession of vicars who had come and gone, who had done their best, and who asked to be relieved. After worship one day, the vicar, whose name was Mark Brian, said to her, “Mrs. Stephens, tell me something. Do you remember the first man who came here for the church?” She replied, “Yes, he had a long, white beard. He had to learn our language so he could teach us his.” It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to learn the language of “others” so that we can teach them our language and His.
I. First, We Must See the Introduction of the Holy Spirit. V1 It was Pentecost and an undeniable spiritual presence surprised and surrounded them. We must first measure the significance of Pentecost. Judaic roots spring from Leviticus 23:15 where it is referred to as the Feast of Weeks and counts the passing of seven Sabbaths. It is called Pentecost because it begins 50 days after Passover. Spiritual harvest lay waiting.
Farmers must employ harvest equipment. Farmers, tractors, and combines were the only ones who could get in the fields. With the river rising, 23 pickers in one field was an awesome sight to see.
At one of the great festivals, every male Jew within 20 miles was legally bound. Others were expected to try. Travel conditions were ideal. Keep in mind these travelers to Jerusalem.
II. Now, the Significance of Unity Among the Disciples. They waited for they-knew-not-what. They knew a galvanizing “joy” when they were together. Acts 1:13 told of the return to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, to an “upper” room. Perhaps the room where Christ had graced their fellowship. So, 11 or 120, coming and going, but always back to this place.
The contemporary church must recover this sense of togetherness. It begins with an unbridled love for Jesus. It understands the need for the Holy Spirit’s leadership. Notice there is total equality: “they were all together,” “it filled all the house,” “resting on each of them,” “all were filled with the Holy Spirit.”
III. Now, an Attempt to Sort Out what Happened to Them There. The elements of this event included (1) tongues of fire (a symbol of God’s presence—see Exodus 3:2 and Deuteronomy 5:4); and (2) the “sound” of wind--not wind but sound, or pneuma (spirit or wind). This is a consequential, spiritual event. (We try to describe it concretely.)
R.L. Maddox wrote, “God in the form of the Holy Spirit came upon the people. Did the Christians sigh under the weight of the first breath of wind? Did the lamps flicker? Did strands of their hair rustle like angels’ wings? Who knows? But they would talk about that day for the rest of their lives.”
There is no evidence that they would ever try to re-capture or repeat the experience, but similar events happened among the “aliens” in Samaria (Acts 8:14) and the gentiles in Caesarea (10:44-45). Frank Stagg (B104p52) surprises us. “The great release of power on the day of Pentecost is not in the least to be minimized, but it evidently did not stand out so uniquely for first century Christians as for some of us. It is not mentioned in extant first century Christian writings outside the second chapter of Acts.” There were enduring problems. Some were afraid they would not so encounter; others were afraid they would.
Let’s back up and spend a little more time on “cloven tongues of fire.” “Cloven” means parted, divided. What was there, we will never know. What they saw, they described. And what it symbolizes, we can depict. We can only go back in time, “down into Egypt to see Moses leading God’s people.” A thing is done that was never done before. Exodus 13:21 “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud; . . . and by night in a pillar of fire.” Cloud and wind by day, fire by night.
IV. Then there is the significance of the “filling” and the “speaking” that followed. V4 “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in other tongues.” Thus is magnified the reality of Christ’s presence. Thus is amplified the need of yieldedness on their part to His will. Thus is qualified that function of proclamation of the gospel. Remember the Holy Spirit is not “It.”
Pentecost was necessary to get Christianity out of the Aramaic language. The big question has to do with the meaning of the “tongues” experience for the future of the church. The Holy Spirit did not have his inception at Pentecost.
Psalms 51:11 “Take not thy Holy Spirit”
Isaiah 63:10 “Vexed his Holy Spirit”
John 20:19-23 “Receive the Holy Spirit”
Genesis 1:2 “The Spirit of God moved”
Nor was glossolalia the matter. What is really at issue? Upholding our position to the rebuke of any other? My Holy Spirit encounter is normative, therefore you seek? Trying to tie the hands of the Holy Spirit?
What happened at Pentecost? People heard the gospel. They came to understand and believe. He magnifies the proclaimed word. Do we seek for Him to do so? Do we wait upon media blitzes? When believers are “filled” with the Holy Spirit, when they speak in “tongues,” do others become targets of Holy Spirit ministry?
What is not the Holy Spirit? Wind is not the Holy Spirit. Fire is not the Holy Spirit. Language is not the Holy Spirit. They were evidences of His presence.
Why the Spirit came—To empower Jesus’ teaching. To convict of sin. To comfort. To consecrate for service. To guide the Christian life.
CHRIST THE JUDGE
#491 CHRIST THE JUDGE
Scripture Acts 17:31, NIV Orig. 4-28-68
Rewr. 2-20-91
Passage: For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
Purpose: Continuing a series for Easter on Jesus’ nature, here seeing Him as the One in whom ultimate judgment must rest.
Keywords: Christ Judge Judgment Revival Nature of Christ
Timeline/Series: Easter/Other
Introduction
Most of us, because of inoculations administered when we were children, have little fear of such diseases as small pox and diphtheria. However, contagious diseases are still a great concern. We are reading about the cholera epidemic in Peru. The Centers for Disease Control reports on other problem areas in the world. Here in our own country, HIV is a terrible risk. Deviant sexual behavior is not its only source. Every winter, millions of people regularly take flu shots in a sometime fruitless attempt not to catch the flu during the peak-susceptibility cold weather months. We want to think of ourselves as invulnerable to disease.
Thankfully, some things have been brought under control. Others are as death-dealing as ever they have been. We must be sensible in our approach to health. We must generate a healthy lifestyle. Even with one, we are not completely invulnerable.
One of the myths of the ancients was that of a man named Achilles. He was the son of Peleus and Thetis. His father was noted for bravery during the Trojan Wars. Because his mother perceived that he would follow in his father’s steps and would thus face danger, she feared for his vulnerability. While a baby, she dipped Achilles in the River Styx, presumably to thus cover him with a shield of protection. He was thus submerged over the entirety of his body except the one spot on his heel where she held him. The myth informs us that it was in that heel years later that Achilles was mortally wounded.
In our day, even, an Achilles heel is a personal weakness for which there seems to be no solution. We can protect ourselves and our families from a few of life’s dangers, but not all. We may spend a fortune in the process and yet be vulnerable.
The question raised by all of this is, “What good is an almost invulnerability?” Why would people work with such determination to protect themselves from the vicissitudes of life, and pay no mind to the facing of the judgment of God? It is this judgment that we seek to address this morning as a part of the nature of Christ.
I. It is a Judgment of Appointed Time. “He hath appointed a day.” There are places in the world where time means little. People live in routine existence. Sameness controls their lives.
For most of us, everything is by appointment. We work appointed schedules. Our children practice ball, music, art, taekwondo, by appointment. We even meet our friends by appointment.
A four-year-old told her parents, just after her fourth birthday, that she wanted a baby brother for her next birthday. As if by appointment, on her fifth, he was born. Her mother was barely home from the hospital when the girl said she wanted a sister for the next one. On that very day a little girl was born. The little girl came breathlessly into the room, but was interrupted by her mother asking, “Susie, how would you like a puppy for your birthday, next year?”
The judgment of God will be by decree. John 5:28f “The hour cometh in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; they that have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”
II. It is Likewise a Judgment of Universal Scope. “He will judge the world.” Every evil scheme will fall under the searching eye of God. Paul had been brought out of Berea by his friends because of dangers. They came here to Athens. Doubtless, the same message that drove him from Berea, he preaches here. Remember, these are the philosophers, scholars, learned men. Architecture, art, philosophy know no equal. There are no advantaged people before God. The message is the same to all.
Read the message preached in Acts. The life of Jesus, the death, forgiveness. Why would Jesus go through the struggle of the cross if it meant nothing? What it means is forgiveness. What it means is deliverance from the resurrection of judgment.
III. It is a Judgment Administered in Righteousness. “He will judge the world in righteousness.” There is much injustice in our world. History alludes to its presence in every time, clime, and culture. Hitler is a prime example. Russia represses the Baltic States.
There are evident Biblical examples. Psalmist: 73:6-8 “Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; the imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock, and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high.” In v16 he continues: “it was too painful for me, until,” he said, “I remembered what is in store or them.”
How many times the man on the street has no idea what really happens in the halls of Congress, in the state house, among the military tribunals, in our private enclaves. –But God knows, and justice will be done.
IV. It is Judgment Administered by a Chosen Agent. “He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.” Christ is this specially chosen vessel on the basis of his character, because His talk and His walk have been without sin. His knowledge is flawlessly accurate. An Anglican burial service contains the words: “holy and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal.”
The 19th century Scottish preacher Alexander Whyte wrote “The righteousness of God is that righteousness which His righteousness requires Him to require.” How does this measure against John 8:15 “I judge no man”? He meant “to divide,” “to separate.” John 8:15, again. “You judge after the flesh. I do not.”
It is human to issue rewards on the basis of favoritism. But Deuteronomy 1:17 reads “You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.”
V. It is a Judgment Consummated in Hope. “Whereof He hath given assurance to all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.” Paul speaks of what they now have experienced. It was not so clear before. Job: “If a man die, shall he live again?” David: “I can go to him, but he cannot return to me.”
But it is clear now. Jesus, who was dead, lived again. Herein, the Christian witness is different from all others. For the Hindu, reincarnation offers only a proposed re-birth to a higher caste, or as a bug. Communism has a dead saviour whose coffin was a shrine.
The New Testament, however, declares that the resurrection brings the believer into a state of grace. Philippians 3:8f “. . . I count all things but loss, . . . that I may win Christ, . . . That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.” Acts 17:18 “He preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection.” John 11:25f “I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” I Peter 1:3 “His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Conclusion
Donald Barnhouse tells of an encounter on the Celebes Island with a boy and a small monkey. The boy was selling the animal that he had trapped with a handful of rice placed in a gourd. The monkey placed its small hand into the opening for the rice, but once clutching the object of its desire, he could not pull the hand free through the small opening, and was thus captured. Sin is the object of our desire. Jesus enables us to be set free.