Talk of JESUS .com

Tag: acts

  • The Gospel: Preached by Peter

    The Gospel: Preached by Peter

    “Listen carefully, all of you…

    Acts 2:

    Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost

    14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. [That is, 9 a.m.]

    16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

    The Spirit echos God’s voice through the Prophet Joel.

    IF God speaks to us through the Prophets of the Old Testament, do we then seek to understand how God warns us even now of the refinement to come?

    Peter spoke to these men of Judea of what is written in the Prophets centuries earlier. By the Spirit, Peter then preaches the Gospel: Jesus IS the fulfillment of scripture. He IS the Messiah of God!

    “LISTEN,” Peter instructs. This moment in the spectrum of God’s eternal time is important to your eternal soul. You know the scripture… (Do you?) … here is how God the Father used Jesus the Son as the Sacrifice for our sins.

    22 “Men of Israel, hear these words:

    Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

    24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

    Peter is saying through the Spirit, ‘YOU crucified the Very Son of God!’ Yet even though you did, it was God’s plan. AND God raised Jesus from death!

    IMPOSSIBLE; yet NOT for GOD.The SON of GOD cannot be held even by death.

    Peter then continues by the Spirit to point to the proof of Scripture, referring to David from a Kingdom a thousand years earlier.

    29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.

    32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

    33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

    THINK about this, Peter instructs. David predicted this of Jesus, his descendant.

    34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

    “‘The Lord said to my Lord,
    “Sit at my right hand,
    35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

    Jesus frequently referred to himself as, ‘Son of Man;’ literally meaning a ‘son of Adam.’ Jesus, through the womb of Mary (God incarnate) was a son of man, just like me… just like you.

    Jews (like us, so often overlooking our sin and remembering only the heritage of our forefathers) often referred to themselves as: Sons of Abraham, or Sons of Moses, or Sons of David.

    Many of us are proud of our heritage of birthright.  We hide our heritage that SIN came into this world as Sons of Adam.

    Jesus came into the world so that we might have a new heritage to a sinless second Adam.

    Remember: ‘Israel is God’s new name for Jacob. Remember: ‘Judah’ is a son of Jacob (not just the place of Jerusalem). Peter speaks to these CHOSEN men as chosen followers of the Living God. Peter preaches why WE, chosen by God, must bow down to Christ Jesus, the ONE risen from death by God the Father.

    36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

    37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

    What will YOU DO, to make Jesus your Lord?

    (It is not enough just to say so, while you continue to live in the ways of the wickedness of the world.)

    38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

    39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

    40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

    41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

     We are sorry that Jesus had to go to the Cross for our sins. What must we do?

    “Repent and be baptized…”

    Repent: to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins

    Baptized:  the act of baptizing produces a permanent change…

    Have you truly repented of your daily sin?

    Have you been ‘permanently changed’ in the name of Jesus Christ?

    What must you do?

     

     

  • Fire of the Holy Spirit

    Fire of the Holy Spirit

    Acts 2: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

    (It has been fifty days, nearly two months since the crucifixion and resurrection.)

    2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

    The Apostles are in a room, worshiping, sharing in a feast to the Lord.  The sound of ‘a rushing mighty wind’ comes from heaven.

    Is it just a storm outside?

    It would be of little note if the wind beyond the windows were not a mighty rushing wind.

    Does your heart tremble in awe at the sound of a mighty rushing wind? … the gathering of clouds into a powerful storm?

    Not only is this mighty wind beyond the walls of the place where the Apostles are gathered; the rush of the mighty wind filled the entire house!

    A hurricane, a cyclone has filled the house; yet the walls have not crumbled and the house is not consumed.

    Would you not fear for your life?

    NOT the Apostles. These had worshiped the risen Lord who had been taken up into Heaven, even upon a cloud. No doubt, the Lord would speak to each Apostle.

    Would Jesus say, “Peace?” Would He say, “Do not fear?”

    3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.

    4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

    The Mighty Breath of God passes through the house of worship and breathes the fire of God into those present!

    The Apostles had witnessed many times the intimacy of the relationship of God the Father with their friend and Lord, Christ Jesus.

    How had Jesus always been able to know the will of God the Father?

    Through prayer and the Holy Spirit, a conversation of intimacy with God.

    Now each Apostle was filled with the same Holy Spirit descended on Jesus when John baptized Him in the Jordan.

    The Apostles receive the baptism of the fire of the Holy Spirit!

    Now, each is equipped to take the Gospel into any part of the world. Soon after their encounter they speak to men in crowds who hear an Apostle speaking as if in their own language.

    How can ten men of ten different languages stand and hear one Apostle speaking, each in his own language?

    With God all things are possible.

    By the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues – a miracle possible only through God – the intimacy of the Holy Spirit makes possible an intimacy with the risen Christ Jesus.

    Acts 2:5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together…

    Note that others outside the room where the Apostles were gathered heard this mighty sound and came to see what it was that caused such a mighty wind.

    … and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

    Besides the evidences of this day of Pentecost, the Apostles would demonstrate more miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit.

    The Apostles now taught with the Power and Authority of the Living God, through the free gift of salvation given through Christ Jesus, our risen LORD!

     

  • The Ascension

    The Ascension

    Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

    4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

    The crucified and risen Christ Jesus walked with, ate with, and instructed the disciples for more than a month.

    We know that Jesus spent these precious forty days not only instructing the Apostles how to take the Gospel into all the world, but also instructing other true disciples of the early church.

    1 Corinthians 15: … Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

    6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time…

    Jesus’ instruction to the Apostles, now to be led in unity of Christ’s purpose by Peter, would have been frequent and private as He had done throughout His three-year incarnate mission leading to the Cross.

    These same Apostles had witnessed Jesus transfigured and standing with Moses and Elijah. These same Apostles had witnessed the love and power of hundreds of miracles. These same Apostles had witnessed Jesus (and then Peter briefly) walking on the Sea of Galilee!

    The Apostles, disciples of the Way, Jews and Romans had witnessed His horrific crucifixion; and now more than five hundred had witnessed Jesus’ glorious resurrection.

    Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

    7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

    9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

    road-to-emmaus10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?

    This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

    The Power and Majesty of God Almighty: once again evident to mere mortal men.

    MapBethanyJerusalemReturning to Luke’s description of Jesus’ ascension in his first scroll:

    Luke 24:

    48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

    50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.

    51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

    52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.