Acts
1:7&8
What is the
Responsibility of a Disciple?
Introduction:
Evaluation
reporting system. NCOER/OER.
Many people
value who they are by what they do (I make a list for my -1)
Some value
who they are by what they know.
But rarely
does anyone value who they are by who they are.
In the 1st
ch. of Acts Jesus was just about leave the earth for good. These were His last words. His disciples were questioning Him about the
last days, the Kingdom, etc. Jesus
demonstrated He was more concerned about who we are, rather than what we know
or what we do.
1A
Know (v. 7)
1B "Not your concern" (1 Thes. 5:1)
Many people
base their personal worth on knowing dates (first and last parts of Bible hard
to understand)
The apostles
asked Jesus about this--they believed it was important for them to know
The phrase
goes, "Knowledge is power," but God is not interested in how much
power we gain from esoteric knowledge
Jesus said
"It is not for you to know (two things)"
2B Times (cronoV)
1C A space of time, duration of a period, a
particular time or season
2C Denotes quantity
Illustration: A rating period
3C We all have our lives planned out just the
way we want them, but God is not held to that time frame
3B Seasons (kairouV)
1C A fixed time, definite, the time of some
decisive event (even IC didn't know when He was returning--Mk
2C Denotes quality
Illustration: Time of rating
3C Sometimes we do not get what we want when we
want it, but we find out later God had a better plan
Illustration: My father and God's hand
4C We are worried about:
-
when will I get a job
-
find that right guy/girl
-
be promoted
-
when will my parents get back together
-
when will my brother or sister turn their life around
-
when will I get that assignment
- when will my hurting stop
-
when will we endex
if
we knew what was in store for us and what we had to go through in the future,
many of us would have balked--but having now passed through
4B Which the Father has placed in His own
authority
1C It's good to
know God is in control, we foul things up so bad
2C
2A
Receives (v. 8a)
1B But, alla--strongest adversative, for a
radical comparison, diametrically opposed
2B Power
1C There have been many people do seemingly
great things in their own power, but they cannot ID as Disciples of Christ
because they did not use the power of God.
2C JU 13:24-25; 14:5-6, 19; 15:14-15; then 16:19
he broke the third vow, and 16:20-21
3C Jesus told his disciples to wait for the
power of the Holy Spirit because He knew they didn't have what it took to
fulfill his command.
3B The Holy Spirit having come upon you
Illustration: "Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph.
5:18)
- I used to think being
filled with the Spirit was dynamic exuberance, until I read Gal. 5:22.
- Sin nature--"Let
not sin reign . . ."
3A
To Be (v. 8b)
1B Witnesses (martureV)
1C Concerning Jesus; He told them in no
uncertain terms is all 4 gospels and Acts to preach the gospel
2C Many times we try to appease God so that He
will accept us; our peers place honor
Illustration: Henry Ford and Assembly Line Salvation; Jesus
said "Be Witnesses"
3C A. Judson in
4C We should do things out of love and not
fear--"We love him because he first loved us"
5C John 4 and acceptance
- We are
accepted in the beloved based on our relationship with Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:6)
-
"There is therefore now no condemnation . . ." (Rom. 8:1)
2B In
3B In Judea and
4B To the end of the earth (gh) (ch. 13-28)
Conclusion:
The Army has its system to determine
how well we are doing at our job:
Evaluation Reports (1 Sam. 16:7).
But with God this is not the case.
Jesus said it is not what we
know. Nor is it what we do. But it's who we are that really counts. BE a witness for Jesus Christ.
Preaching
portion: Acts 1:15-26
Subject: Matthias
1A Saved
2A Steadfast
v. 21
3A Selected
Acts 2:1-11
Transitional
Book
Holy Spirit
in Acts
|
chapter |
location |
tongues |
imposition |
water bapt. |
apostles |
who |
|
2 |
|
yes |
no |
no |
all |
Jew |
|
8 |
|
no |
before pn |
before pn |
Peter/John |
Samaritan |
|
10 |
Ceasarea |
yes |
no |
after pn |
Peter |
Centurian |
|
19 |
|
yes |
before pn |
before pn |
Paul |
? |
-
unbelieving Jews were present at all
- apostles
present at all
Wait, Mary
and Martha; “Not by might…”; Joel 2:28; Jn 14:16 and 26. God doesn’t call us to be busy, only faithful
(1 Cor 4:2)
Pent.—third
great Israelite feast mentioned in Lev 23 (harvest fest 50 days after
Passover); the Lord was our Passover lamb, thus this Pent. was to have greater
significance
OT
Pent: birth of nation (Ex 19:5); NT
Pent.: birth of Church (Acts 2:41-47)
OT Pent.: slaying of 3k people (Ex 32:28); NT
Pent.: saving of 3k souls (Acts 2:41)
2:1, with
one accord (12x in NT, 11x in Acts; demonstrates unity of purpose among early
disc.)
2:2,
wind=spirit (same word); Jn 3:8--three ways spirit is like wind: invisible, not totally predictable, you can
see effects
2:2, fire
(Mt 3:11/Lk 3:16—JB foretold of one who would baptize “with the Holy Ghost, and
with fire”); Moses and burning bush; Fire consumed offerings; Pillar of fire
for protection; fire tests and disciplines
OT: pn would come and go; NT: pn stays; Jn 14:25-26 and 16:13-14 talks
about the “paraclete”; Rom 8:9 says we have all the Spirit now; but Eph 5:18
commands us to be “filled with the Spirit” as wine controls us when we are
drunk; Young preacher complaining that Moody has a monopoly of the Spirit; Rom
12:1-2, yield yourself
2:5, Jews
coming from the Diaspora to celebrate the Feast of Weeks in
Peter’s
boldness (proof of resurrection)
Acts 8:1-13
No Pain, No
Gain
Illustr.
235
1-4, The
Pain
Persecution
was the way God spread the church (His institution designed to further His
kingdom), Acts 1:8
X was a
threat to
Paul wanted
to stamp out any movement that laid claim to the covenantal tradition while
failing to observe the rituals. He meant
it for evil, but God meant it for good (Joseph). It may even be that Stephen’s martyrdom (the
first for Christians) was the price paid for Saul’s soul. The Reformation was much the same way.
Larry King
Show and suffering:
Job 36:15 He delivers
the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity.
Is 48:10 See, I have
refined you, but not like silver; I have tested you in the furnace of
adversity.
Rom 5:3-4 And not
only that, but wed also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering
produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces
hope,
Rom 8:18 I consider
that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory
about to be revealed to us.
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
5-11, The
Gain
Simon made a name for himself, not God; Ireneaus names him as the founder of gnostisicm; Eusebius: Samaritans thought of him as a the supreme God. But “the declaration of the truth prevailed and overpowered all, and the divine word itself, now shining from heaven upon men, and flourishing upon earth, and dwelling with his apostles, prevailed and overpowered every opposition” (Book 2, Chapter XIV).
Here, those
who were alientated from the covenant (Sam.) were accepted.
THE
Acts
8:26-40
Philip, led by the Spirit, failed
not to submit himself totally to the work of the Lord. His is an example to be followed by every
God-called evangelist today.
No work can be done unless one puts
his hands to it. Thinking about work
just takes up idle time. Jesus commanded
His disciples to GO into all the world preaching the gospel. But without the personal contact, the
"Go" would have no effect.
People relate to people--when approached in the right way. When personal contact is made, the preaching
of the gospel should be in the forefront of the evangelist's mind. find out what condition that person's soul is
in. After a conversion, it strengthens a
new convert to make a public profession of faith. One of the best ways of doing this is by
water baptism. The work of an evangelist
is never done--God is never through with him.
The urgency of getting out the gospel is inherent in him and he must
move on.
I. The onset of the work: GO (v26)
A.
Commanded by the Lord (v26)
B.
Carried out by men of God (v27)
1. Prophets (Isa. 6:8, Eze. 3:14-15)
2. Disciples (Acts 13:2-4)
II. The
relationship of the work: JOIN (v29)
A.
Personal contact a must (v31)
B.
Probing minds need explanation (v34)
III. The heart of the work: PREACH (v35)
A.
Principle mode for proclaiming the gospel (v35)
1. Used by Jesus (Matt. 9:35)
2. Used by Paul (Acts 9:20)
B.
Powerful influence when done in the power of the Holy Spirit (v29)
IV. The
fruits of the work: BAPTIZE (v38)
A.
Follows conversion (v37)
1. A part of the great commission (Matt. 28-19)
2. A picture of Jesus' death, burial, and
resurrection (
3. A prerequisite to joining the Church (Acts
2:41)
B.
First act of faith (v38)
V. The
continuation of the work:
A.
The convert rejoices (v39)
B.
The cycle continues (v40)
How many people have knocked on your
door asking how to be saved? That's why
God has ordained it to be the other way around.
People don't care about salvation unless prompted. As we go we should carry the gospel in our
heart. Whenever we make a personal
contact, we can give out that gospel as seed, and trust God for the
results. If the person has made a
genuine decision, he or she will want to make a profession. This can be done most effectively by water
baptism. The work of an evangelist never
ends for then we see Philip moving on preaching ". . .in all the cities .
. ."
If you are not called to be an
evangelist, you still can do personal work.
You may not be given authority to baptize, but you are given the command
to preach the gospel to all creation. Go
house to house, make personal contact, give out the gospel and move on to the
next.
Acts
15:1-21
All Are
Welcome Here (first great threat to the unity of the church)
Intro: Okinawa sign:
1. 14:27, God opened the door.
God opened a “door of faith” for the Gentiles
They couldn’t do it themselves (Eph 2)
2. v 1, Legalists tried to close it.
Certain individuals said “Get circumcised (keep the Law) or
you cannot be saved”
Some of the early believers still looked upon X as a
movement within Judaism at this point
3. vv. 2-4, Paul, Peter, and James reasoned with
the legalists.
Paul and Barn. went from
Didn’t shove it down their throat
vv. 7-11, Peter (remembering Cornelius) said all are
now saved through Grace
No distinction
Notice he said "we shall be
saved like them", not "they shall be saved like us"
Peter was once distancing himself
from the Gentiles (Gal 2:11)
This should close the book on
salvation by works or faith plus works
The law never saved anyone
The law’s ministry was condemnation,
not justification
By the law is the knowledge of sin,
not salvation from sin
The true gospel of grace teaches
that Christ finished the work necessary for salvation on the cross
All a sinner needs to do is receive
Him by faith
The moment human merit or works are
introduced, then it is no longer of grace (Rom 11:6)
Under grace, all depends on God and
not on men
If conditions are attached, then it
is no longer a gift but a debt
Salvation is a gift; it is
not earned or merited.
vv. 13-21, James quotes from Amos 9:11 and encourages
a compromise
The whole church participated in the
ultimate decision
James (the pastor)
demonstrated the authority of the pastor’s position in the church—neither Peter
nor Paul could overrule his decision
Christ is “the head over all things
to the Church, which is His body …” (Eph. 1:22, 23)
The pastor is the shepherd and the
bishop or overseer of the flock—his authority in the church, as God’s leader,
is a moral and spiritual power, not a legal one (he has no Biblical right to be
autocratic, dictatorial or domineering)
Abstaining from idols, from
fornication, from things strangled, and from blood related to particular pagan
offences which were especially objectionable to orthodox Jews (Lev 17:10-14)
This advice did not have to do with
the subject of salvation at all--that issue had already been settled
This advice had to do with fellowship
between Jewish and Gentile believers. While obedience to these instructions was
not a condition of salvation, it was certainly of great importance in avoiding
sharp cleavages in the early church; Rom 11:17-20; Rom 14
4. The church agreed to keep the door open
15:2, dissention and debate; 15:22, consent of the whole
church
Why was the decision of the Jerusalem Council so important?
A decision that circumcision is
necessary for anyone to become a Christian would have compromised the truth of
the gospel
Instead of a gospel based on
salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, it would have become one
based on salvation by works (the Law)
The Jerusalem Council decreed, therefore, that the Gentiles
should make four reasonable concessions of their own:
This first great threat to the unity of the church ended
instead with rejoicing and encouragement
Concl: The doors were closed for me in
Acts
16:3-24 (6/17/07, APG)
Controlled
from Above
Intro: Cross-Stitch
1. God Closes Doors: v. 6--The HS forbade Paul, Timothy, and Silas
to speak the word in certain parts of Asia on this second journey (modern-day
They attempted to go into
The Spirit of Jesus did not allow
them
Has this
happened to you?
2. God Opens Doors: v. 8--They went down to
Paul had a vision: a man of
So, they immediately crossed over to
When God
closes a door, He opens others. It may
be just around the corner—don’t give up (Churchill) (Prov 24:16)
3. God Uses Those who are Obedient: v. 11--They sailed from Troas to Samothrace,
Neapolis, and finally
After several days, they went out to
the river and spoke to the women who had gathered there
The Lord opened her heart to
listen to Paul
Her household probably included
servants and other dependents, perhaps some of the women of v. 13
Have you
ever known God to be pulling you one way or the other? If you are not obedient, your life will be
miserable.
4. Immediate Suffering may Result from Following
God: v. 16--When they returned to the
same place one day, they met a slave-girl (slavery had little to do with race
in the G-R world; was not permanent; a way foreigners became citizens; debt
slavery; people sold themselves into slavery; were not on the bottom of the
social ladder--day workers were; were teachers, writers, sea captains, etc.;
were essential to the economic success of the nation; Paul is a slave--Rom 1:1
and 2 Cor 4:5; Christ was a slave--Phil 2:7) who had a spirit of divination
(Python—used for the serpent that guarded the Dephic oracle and later was slain
by Apollo; the word came to designate spirit of divination, then also a
ventriloquist, who was believed to have such a spirit dwelling in his belly)
and brought her owner a great deal of money
She would follow Paul and his
company, which annoyed Paul
Paul exorcised the spirit
Her owners took Paul and Silas
before the magistrates, accusing the Jews of unlawful behavior (inciting a
riot) and introducing an alien religion
Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten
with rods, flogged, cast in prison with their feet in stocks (Roman citizens
were not to be scourged without appeal; stocks forced the legs widely apart
unto a position which soon became intolerably painful)
But God used all this to save the
jailor (teleological ethics) (Joseph; Ph’p 1:12-14) and pave the way for
Christians to follow
All that live Godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution (2 Tim 3:12)
The world will hate you (ACLU, etc.)
Cross-Stitch. Are you looking at the other side. God has something wonderful in the works for
you.