No Other God

And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
Acts 12:6

Last week, we were greatly encouraged as we read of Peter’s miraculous deliverance from prison.  It looked like his execution was certain.  After all, he was day and night chained between two of Rome’s finest!  What possibility was there of escape?  The situation was indeed impossible for men, but we are reminded that with God, all things are possible! (Mat 19:26) Too often, we sell God short.  Even when Peter, free from his bonds, showed up at the doorstep where the church was praying for him, they didn’t believe Rhoda’s news that he was at the gate! (Act 12:13-16) As one brother said, it was as if they had been praying for Peter’s peace and ease in death without even considering that God would in fact set him free.  Thank the Lord that He is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”! (Eph 3:20)

I heard from one dear sister who attends this Bible study that she found out last week she no longer has a job.  My heart sank at first, but God immediately began to flood my mind with His word.  I thought it would be appropriate to share some of the verses God led me to send to her.  This reminder in Acts 12 of God’s great ability in spite of our inability is appropriate as we struggle with these changing times.  Remember children, our reason for rejoicing is not in our outward circumstances but rather in the knowledge that our names are written in heaven! (Luk 10:20) Here are some further thoughts that I pray will encourage our hearts:

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Mat 16:18 …and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Jer 32:17 Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Remember church, God’s love for you was so great that He gave His only begotten Son for your sake!  That truth prompts the question: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32) No matter how bad it looks, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom 8:37) I hope you’re having the same problem I am right now…I can’t help but smile when I think about God’s great love for me! 🙂

Jamie

“…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”
Ephesians 4:13

There is one singular desire for the church–to be like Jesus. How often we have prayed, “Lord, make me like You!” We are all headed towards that glorious end. And though “it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,” we know this, “that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1Jo 3:2) Until that time, we must remind ourselves that He is the pattern. God has predestined us “to be conformed to the image of His Son,” (Rom 8:29) so with this glorious goal in mind, we shouldn’t make the mistake of measuring ourselves by one another.

As we studied in Acts 11 last week, we saw God’s record of Barnabas. We read, “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith,” and through his labor, “a great many people were added to the Lord.” (Act 11:24) It was by his efforts that a man named Saul came to be accepted by the church in Jerusalem (Act 9:26-28) and who later would serve the church along side Barnabas in Antioch. (Act 11:25-26) But as time went on, we would come to know Saul as the Apostle Paul, and Barnabas would fade from the spotlight as God began to bless Paul’s ministry.

The point is this–if Barnabas had begun to compare himself with Paul, he might have viewed his ministry as a failure. Much like John the Baptist when Christ began His ministry, Barnabas would decrease as Paul would increase. We have no idea how Barnabas’ ministry ended. Were many more souls saved under his preaching? Was he responsible for more church plantings among the Gentile? We don’t know, but we do know the record we have of God. Barnabas “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”. He was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ mightily used by the Lord, period! Comparing ourselves to others will only lead to pride or discouragement. What matters is what God thinks of us.

Remember, God is the Creator. He formed our physical bodies and He is the One fashioning the spiritual body of Christ. In 1Co 12:16-18, we read: “And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” You are exactly who you are supposed to be in Christ. Don’t forget it! When Jesus told Peter how he would glorify God in his death, Peter looked at John and said, “What about him?” Jesus said to him, “ If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” (Jn 21:22) It’s spiritually unhealthy to measure ourselves by one another. We’re actually setting our sights too low. Christ is our standard. We must fix our gaze on Him!

Jamie

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Colossians 4:5-6

Last week, we hardly got into Acts 11 in our Bible study because it was clear that so many were under spiritual fire.  We spent much of our time encouraging one another to stay the course, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. (Heb 12:2) One thing we found to be the case is that we know the truth.  We know what the word of God says, but sometimes we need to be reminded, don’t we?  That’s exactly what the apostle Peter said in 2Pe 1:12-13: “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.  Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you…” So, I’d like to do some reminding today, and simply let the word of God, which we already know, strengthen us in our hour of need.

Our text reminds us to “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”  Flesh is as grass.  Here today and gone tomorrow.  Our time on this globe is brief in the big picture.  Use that time wisely!  Store up treasure that is eternal!  Remember that most often those individuals in the flesh that stand against you are “those who are outside”.  They need a Savior!  You’re not simply dealing with an adversary, you’re dealing with an eternal soul!  You’ll need wisdom to do that.  God says ask for that wisdom, and He’ll give it. (Jam 1:5) Yes, there are enemies.  Jesus sent the disciples forth saying, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.”  Therefore, they had to be “wise as serpents” while also being “harmless as doves”. (Mat 10:16) Don’t forget that Jesus came to save men’s lives not destroy them, so as you deal with those who resist you in this world, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

The trials shouldn’t surprise us.  “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Act 14:22) The trials are simply an opportunity for us to show we have a foundation that is sure and steadfast in Jesus Christ.  It gives our words power, our faith validity, when we stand firm in calm assurance though the world around us crumbles.  We have an inheritance that cannot be taken away!  What should our response be to that fact per Heb 12:28?  “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”  Let us press on in simple obedience to the Lord.

May we remain at peace while others are gripped by anxiety.  May we show grace and mercy while others are rendering evil for evil.  Remember that Christ, while hanging on a cross, prayed for forgiveness for the ones who put Him there!  That’s not natural.  It’s supernatural!  When we’re overlooked, when our care and faithful service is ignored, remember Jesus’ example.  “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” (Heb 12:3) Your labor may be overlooked by the world, but when we labor as unto the Lord, our labor is never in vain! (1Co 15:58) Commit these things unto Him.  “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” (1Co 4:5) Don’t work for the approval of men, but work rather for the glory of God.  Those who do so will one day hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” (Mat 25:23)

Jamie

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”
Acts 10:34-35

We ought to all be praising God and singing “Hallelujah!” after reading the above verses!  What hope would any of us have if God showed partiality?  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! (Rom 3:23) We’re not up to par with His standards.  Surely, if He had any prejudice, none of us could dwell with Him in eternity.  Thank God that our natural birth has no bearing on our eternal well-being.  Whether a member of the royal family or a child of a beggar, no one is born fit for the courts of the King of kings!  But, praise be to His holy name, God shows no partiality for “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”! (Rom 10:13)

The Roman centurion Cornelius had some pretty major blind spots.  When Peter first entered his house, we read that, “Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.” (Act 10:25) Worshiping anyone or anything other than God is idolatry!  Worship is reserved for God alone.  Just ask the angel at whose feet John fell in Rev 22:8-9.  The angel’s quick response was, “See that you do not do that…Worship God.”  Peter didn’t let Cornelius stay in his ignorance and error.  He did instruct him against that behavior stating, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” (Act 10:26) However, Peter didn’t belittle him and rebuke him harshly for his foolish actions.  Peter saw instead a man that God had accepted, so how could Peter refuse him?!!

Oh, my brethren, I fear we are often too quick to draw lines, to judge and condemn!  Cornelius was walking faithfully in every bit of the light he had.  Yes, he lacked understanding, but that’s the whole reason Peter was there!  Have we crossed the paths of souls that might have benefited from the light God has given us, but our prejudice kept us silent and separate from them?  Have we crossed the paths of others that had greater light than we do, yet our prejudice kept us from hearing and benefiting from their words?  God forbid that either be so!  Listen to God’s record of Cornelius earlier in the chapter: “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.” (Act 10:1-2) I dare say that Cornelius had a greater witness than many claiming the name of Christ today though he still lacked much understanding!

In Act 18:24-28, we meet a man named Apollos who was “eloquent” and “mighty in the Scriptures”.  He “had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.”  Apollos was teaching all he knew, but in light of the revelation of Christ that God had made known in that age, he was a bit behind the curve.  When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, we read “they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”  Now if either Apollos or Aquila and Priscilla had let prejudice keep them from one another, things never would have turned out as they did.  Apollos would have stayed in darkness, and the church never would have benefited from his labor; however, Aquila and Priscilla’s patience with him in his ignorance along with Apollos’ desire to know God better made it possible for him to become a mighty preacher of the gospel who “greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”  May we exhibit the same care and patience with others as well as the same desire to learn and grow in Christ, remembering what Peter learned that day he encountered Cornelius: “in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

Jamie

About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
Acts 10:3-4

My brain just isn’t what it used to be.  It resists soaking things up like it once did.  If my mind as a child was like a sponge, I think somewhere along the way it was coated with Teflon.  Few things seem to stick any more.  Most items just slide right off!  My cellphone now functions as my memory.  If you need me to remember something, you’d better make sure I enter it into my calendar before we part ways.  I enter that important item in my phone, and often I don’t think about it again until my phone buzzes to say, “Don’t forget!”  I thought about my phone reminders when I read the verse above.  That’s what the word “memorial” means in our text—”reminder”.  Cornelius’ prayers were like my phone reminders, pop-up messages before God crying out, “Lord, remember me!”

There’s an analogy I like even better in the word of God.  In Rev 5:8, we read, “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev 5:8) The imagery here is that the prayers of God’s people are like incense.  In Rev 8:1, there is silence in heaven for 30 minutes.  It’s like God’s addressing the entire heavenly host with his finger to his mouth saying, “Shhh!”  So, what’s the important event requiring such quietness?  We read on, “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” (Rev 8:3-4) It’s like when we come home from church on a Sunday afternoon and my wife has had the crockpot going since we left the house.  That smell is overwhelming, and immediately you’re ready to eat!  When the sweet incense of the prayers of the saints fills the nostrils of our Creator, things begin to happen in the earth for we read in v. 5, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth.  And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.”

How glorious is that picture, dear saint?  Our prayers are a fragrant reminder of our need before God.  Even more glorious is that God is ready and willing to both hear and act on our behalf!  Just listen to a few of the verses from Psa 34 written when David was on the run from Saul and encountered King Abimelech, lord of his enemies the Philistines.  David writes, “This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” (v. 6) “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” (v. 15) “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (v. 17) God remembers his children.  His heart is moved on their behalf as they cry out for deliverance!  How blessed to be remembered by our God!!  In contrast, how awful the state of those who rebel against Him.  Though the righteous are associated with remembrance, the wicked are forgotten.  “The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” (Psa 34:16)

I have labored for years among you to declare the sovereignty of our God.  Isa 52:7 says that part of my job as a preacher is to declare, “Your God reigns!”  And so He does.  As Nebuchadnezzar came to understand, “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.  No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?'” (Dan 4:35) The Lord says in Isa 46:9-10, “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'” The scripture is clear.  God does as He pleases and rightfully so.  No one can question Him or restrain Him from His purposes for He “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11); however, be encouraged church that it is His will to work through your prayers!  James writes that, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  He cites Elijah as an example when he prayed, and it didn’t rain for three and a half years!  We may think, “Well, that was Elijah.  He was a super-saint!” But James encourages our hearts by reminding us that he “was a man with a nature like ours”. (Jam 5:16-18) The power wasn’t in Elijah but rather in the God of Elijah Who heard his cry!  Don’t get caught up in the busy rat-race of life, dear soul, and lay aside the means through which God has chosen to work–the prayers of His people.  It’s no wonder that Christ taught that “men always ought to pray and not lose heart”. (Luk 18:1)

Jamie