Category: Weekly

“…how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery…which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel…”
Eph 3:3-6

The Jews of Jesus’ day were a bit nearsighted.  In their minds, it was all about them!  After Jesus fed the 5000, many of them recognized that this man had to be the great Prophet the Scriptures had foretold (Jn 6:14 cmp Ac 3:20-23).  Their excitement about the Messiah, however, was based on a desire to have national Israel restored to its former glory because v. 15 says, “when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone ”  This misunderstanding regarding Christ’s purpose in coming was so common among the Jews that even the disciples prior to Pentecost were asking, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Ac 1:6) But God had bigger plans!

God’s plan to build a glorious church made up of both Jews AND Gentiles was not a new idea, but it was a hidden one as our text in Ephesians reveals.  God has the right to keep secrets!  In fact, Pr 25:2 says it is tied to His glory.  “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter…”  God further displayed His greatness in the mystery concerning the Gentiles by hiding it from Israel while also telling them long before that it would come to pass!  In Is 49:6, as the Father foretells the work of the Son, He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.”  It was too small a thing for Christ to only be a Savior in Israel.  God had bigger plans!

When the Holy Spirit began to dwell within the church following Pentecost, passages like Is 49 began to be understood by the apostles.  In fact, Paul quoted it after the Jews at Antioch had rejected the gospel in Ac 13:46-47:

Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth. ’”

In the next verse, we find the response that should be on the heart of every child of God today.  “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” (Ac 13:48) Rejoice with me today, believer, because God had bigger plans!  He’s too great of a Savior to be limited to a small number!  Praise God that He declares, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other.” (Is 45:22) May we with joy and confidence go forth, proclaiming the word of God, knowing that He will make it effectual to redeem a people “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation”! (Rev 5:9)

Jamie

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Acts 2:36

Man, if left alone, is perfectly content to skip and frolic all the way to hell!  Without the convicting work of the Holy Ghost, man’s goal is to do whatever is most satisfying to his flesh as much as he possibly can.  Don’t disturb him with thoughts of eternity!  He wants to be consumed with this life and all the pleasures it can bring him.  He longs to be like the man whose fields brought forth such an abundance that he could build bigger barns and say to his soul, “take your ease—eat, drink, and be merry.” (Lk 12:19) The problem is that man proved to be a fool because that very night his soul was required of him! (v. 20)

Now, some of you grimaced as soon as you read the word “hell” above.  Hell is much too uncomfortable to be mentioned!  Some of you consider that type of preaching and teaching to be old-fashioned.  “Maybe our great-grandfathers could appreciate ‘fire and brimstone’ messages, but that type of preaching isn’t for this modern day!  We’re much too sophisticated for that language today.”  But, in Rom 11:22 we are instructed to consider both “the goodness and severity of God”!  Our preaching must be balanced enough to present God in his entirety—yes, a God of love, but also One of judgment; otherwise, we’re misrepresenting our Lord!  After all, the Lord is timeless.  His word is relevent in every age, and He preached: “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Lk 12:5)

As the apostle is preaching the gospel in Acts 2, he makes sure that his hearers know that they are guilty of the blood of the Jesus and that the One they killed and hung on a cross is in fact the Lord and the Christ!  In other words, they are sinners!  It is this issue of sin that is most critical in the lives of the lost, and our message must bring their sin to bear upon them so that they understand their need of a Savior.  Jesus didn’t come to give us world peace.  He said, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Mt 10:34) He didn’t come to fix our broken homes.  “For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother- in- law and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” (v. 35-36) He didn’t enter our world to simply heal our physical infirmities.  The only reason He ever did that was to show He could do something far greater! (Mt 9:6) So, why did He come?  “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Tim 1:15) If you find a man who knows he’s a sinner, then we have a message of hope for him!

Jamie

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Acts 1:14

We have an interesting group in our text above.  About 120 people were gathered in that upper room, waiting for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and among that group, joining together in prayer and supplication, were men and women.  What’s the big deal with that fact?  Well, jewfaq.org states the following concerning Jewish rules regarding prayer: “According to Jewish Law, men and women must be separated during prayer, usually by a wall or curtain called a mechitzah or by placing women in a second floor balcony.”  I don’t read of any walls in our text!  In fact, Gal 3:28 explains “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  I understand that functionally, men and women have different roles in God’s kingdom (1 Cor 14:34-35, 1 Tim 2:12) for now, but positionally, we are all one in our relationship to Christ.  In fact, men, we are to learn from the women how to properly relate to Christ because spiritually, as members of the church, we are the bride and Christ is the husband! (Eph 5:32) Thank God for the oneness that all God’s children enjoy in Jesus Christ!

The wall separating men and women in the synagogue wasn’t the only one that Christ tore down.  Eph 2:14-16 says, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”  The two groups that were separated according to v. 11 were the Gentiles and Jews.  Gentiles were limited to the outer court of the temple and not permitted to enter where the Jews were allowed to worship.  No more is this distinction made in our approach to God for we are all on equal footing before the Lord!  In fact, this plan was part of the mystery of God that was hidden from the beginning.  Just listen to Eph 3:3-6: “…how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel…” Similar to the fact that all the church is spiritually feminine, we have all in Christ become spiritual Jews per Rom 2:28-29: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

Finally, there is one other wall of separation that the Lord abolished through His death.  There was an area in the temple that even the average Jew was not able to enter.  Not even every priest could enter here.  In fact, per Heb 9:7, the “high priest went alone once a year” into this most holy chamber.  In the tabernacle, this area was where the ark of the covenant was placed, and it was here that God dwelled in His glory.  This portion was separated from the rest of the temple by a veil, but do you remember what happened when Christ the mighty Maker died!  Lk 23:45 says, “Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.”  Hallelujah!  The place of most intimate communion with God is now made accessible to those who are in the eternal High Priest, Christ Jesus!  “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-22) May we this day enjoy all the benefits made accessible by the blood of the Lamb of God, confessing with our mouths AND our lives, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev 5:12)

Jamie

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Act 1:8

Last week, as we reviewed what we had previously read, we considered one of the clear evidences of the giving of the Spirit of God.  Every one possessing the Spirit will be a faithful witness of Jesus Christ!  God’s children confess Christ, and He in turn confesses them before His Father. (Mt 10:32) “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God…” (1 Jn 4:2) But for every true thing, Satan has a counterfeit!  His ministers disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness (2 Cor 11:14-15) and preach in Jesus’s name as well, but beware, dear soul.  They are preaching another Jesus! (2 Cor 12:3-4)

To be a witness of Christ means we must faithfully represent Him.  We can’t change who He is to make the gospel message acceptable to a wider audience!  As Paul told Timothy, our job is to simply, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.” (2 Tim 4:2) In other words, whether the word is acceptable to the taste of those who hear or not, just be faithful to preach it, and make sure you don’t change it to suit their tastes!

The English preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote an article in the 1800’s entitled “Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats”.  In it, Spurgeon rebuked the churches of his day that had shortened their sermons and added concerts and drama to attract the masses.  He observes, “The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.”  He saw this trend beginning over a hundred years ago.  He would no doubt be shocked at the forms of entertainment in churches today and just how little faithful, gospel preaching takes place!

One of the clearest pictures of Christ in the Old Testament is Abraham’s son Isaac.  “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering…” (Gen 22:2)  Remind you of another Son who was made a sacrifice?  In Gen 24, Abraham sent his servant to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac.  It is a beautiful picture of God sending His servants to call individuals to come to Christ and become part of His spiritual bride, the church.  Concerned that the young woman might not be willing leave her home and come to Isaac, the servant asked, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”  Abraham was emphatic: “Beware that you do not take my son back there.” (v. 5-6)

Do you see the analogy?  We have a responsibility to declare Christ to the souls around us.  We invite them to come, but they must leave their world behind to meet Him–we are not to change who Christ is to suit them!  We are called to be witnesses of Him.  Tell them of His glory and majesty, but don’t make Him out to be anything He’s not.  What if they won’t come?  God’s response is the same as Abraham’s to his servant in v. 8: “And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”  Your oath is fulfilled as long as you faithfully declare Christ as He is, handling the word of God truthfully!  “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitful, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Cor 4:2)

Jamie

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Act 2:38-39

We have previously considered the great hope in Peter’s response in Ac 2:38 to those who were guilty of the blood of the Son of God.  We now turn to the audience that he is addressing.  We see clearly in Ac 2:5 that he was speaking to “Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven,” but when Peter declares there is forgiveness of sins, he expands his audience to include in that promise “all who are afar off”.  There is little doubt then, in the context of this passage, that by including those “who are afar off”, Peter is extending the gospel message to the Gentiles; however, there is a thought in that description that applies to every member of the human race for we are all born “afar off” from God!

When man sinned against God in the garden of Eden, the consequence of that sin was separation.  In Gen 3:24, we read that God “drove out the man”.  Leprosy was the literal disease in biblical times that separated men from others, and it was a picture of our spiritual disease of sin which separates us from God.  We are like the ten lepers of Lk 17.  When Christ entered their village in v. 12, “there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.”  In their diseased state, they were cast out of society lest they should infect others, and their entire existence was described as one “afar off”!  But God is greater than our disease, O sinner!  Though disease initially kept them separated from Christ, by the end of His visit, we find a healed leper praising God and giving thanks “at His feet”! (v. 16) Jesus’ healing power brings us near!

Only those that realize their separation are candidates for this cleansing.  The Pharisee that entered the temple to pray in Lk 18:10-12 saw himself as being near to God.  While he was busy listing his reasons why God was so blessed to be near him (“I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers…”), the tax collector cried out to God “standing afar off“! (v. 13) He had no worthiness of himself to draw near to God, and simply begged, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”  His prayer was the only one God heard!  Jesus said that this man who stood afar off was brought near to God for he “went down to his house justified”. (v. 14)

Now is the acceptable time for cleansing, sinner.  Now there is hope of being brought near to God.  Cry out to Him for cleansing while there is still opportunity!  In Lk 16:23, we find the rich man suffering in hell while Abraham and Lazarus enjoyed eternal comfort in communion with God in paradise.  What was the rich man’s position compared to theirs?  “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”  He was forever “afar off” from the mercy of God!

What were you before God saved you, Christian?  You were among those “having no hope and without God in the world.” (Eph 2:12) I’m so thankful that passage doesn’t stop there!  “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (v. 13) Jesus’ blood has brought us near!!  If you are yet without that cleansing, embrace this promise that Peter declared on Pentecost, for the promise is to you and “as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Ac 2:39) And, this promise will never be revoked for those that are in Christ Jesus because “He who promised is faithful”! (Heb 10:23)

Jamie