Sunday, April 19,
2015, 9:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Seek the Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 13 (selected vv. ESV).
A Word of
Encouragement (quoting vv. 26-41)
While a number of prophets and teachers in the church at
Antioch were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to them and
told them to set apart Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work to which God had
called them. So, they were sent off with the anointing of the Spirit of God and
in the power of the Spirit within them.
In Pisidian Antioch, upon entering the synagogue on the Sabbath,
Paul and Barnabas sat down. They read from the Law and the Prophets. Then the
synagogue rulers sent word to them saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of
encouragement for the people, please speak.” So, Paul stood up, commanded
everyone’s attention, and then he spoke.
He addressed his remarks to the men of the nation of Israel
and to the Gentiles who worshiped God. He asked that they listen to him. Then
he shared with them the history of Israel leading up to the coming of their Savior,
Jesus Christ, whom God had promised.
“Brothers,
sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been
sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their
rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the
prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And
though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have
him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they
took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the
dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from
Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what
God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by
raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You
are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
And
as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to
corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I
will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
Therefore
he says also in another psalm,
“‘You
will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
For
David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell
asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised
up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that
through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone
who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the
law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come
about:
“‘Look,
you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for
I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if
one tells it to you.’”
What is the Good
News?
Jesus Christ, God the Son, left his throne in heaven, came
to earth, took on human flesh, and suffered and was tempted in like manner as
we suffer and are tempted, yet without sin. At around the age of 30 he began
his earthly ministry. He selected 12 men to be his close followers, disciples and
companions, who would follow him and work alongside him in ministry, though
they were not his only followers (disciples). He traveled to various places
healing the sick and afflicted, raising the dead, delivering the demon
possessed, comforting the sorrowful, and preaching repentance and faith in him
for the forgiveness of sins.
He taught his listeners that they must humble themselves and
have child-like faith in him if they wanted to see heaven. He said that if
anyone wanted to come after him, he must deny himself (his self-life), die
daily to sin and self, and follow (obey) him. He said that if we hold on to our
old lives of living for sin and self, we will lose them for eternity, but if we
willingly die with Christ to sin, we will gain eternal life (See: Lu. 9:23-25).
He told them that his sheep listen to his voice, he knows them, and they follow
(obey) him (See: Jn. 10). He said that if anyone loves him, he will obey his
teaching, and that anyone who keeps (obeys) his word will never see death (See:
Jn. 14:23-24; 8:51). He also stated that if are not willing to participate in
his death, i.e. in dying to sin, then we have no life in us (See: Jn. 6:53-58).
Jesus had numerous people who followed him and who
appreciated his miracles and his teaching, yet he had many enemies, too. His
greatest opponents were not the people out in the world who made no profession
of faith in God, though. His most severe opposition came from within the temple
of God and from the leadership of the people of Israel, who were God’s chosen
people at that time. They hounded him at every opportunity, tried to discredit
him, tried often to trap him, and made numerous attempts at trying to lead his
followers away from him and to them. They were jealous of Jesus and his
popularity, they felt threatened by him, and they were fearful that if he
continued to gain followers for himself and for his message that their own
positions of power could be taken from them. They also hated him because he told
them the truth about their sin, and because he didn’t follow their man-made
rules or their interpretations of the law of God.
They hated Jesus so much that they plotted to take his life.
Even one of his disciples, Judas, handed him over to them to be crucified. He
was arrested, given a mock trial, spat upon, mocked, slapped, beaten and hung
on a cross to die, although he had done no wrong. When he died, our sins died
with him. When he was raised from the dead, he conquered death, hell, Satan and
sin. In his death, and in his resurrection, he provided our redemption so that
we could go free from the penalty of sin (eternal damnation), so we could be
delivered out of slavery to sin, and so we would be now free to walk in Christ’s
righteousness and holiness in the power and working of the Spirit within us.
This is God’s grace to us. This is freedom!
When we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our
lives, we willingly turn from (die to) sin, we are transformed of the Spirit of
God in him giving us new life in Christ, and we are empowered of the Spirit of
God to now walk by the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh (our sinful
desires). His grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for his
return. As well, Jesus Christ died “to redeem us from all wickedness and to
purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” And,
He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave himself
up for us (See: Ro. 6-8; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14; 1
Pet. 2:24-25 & 1 Jn. 1-5).
This is the “good news,” not just that we escape hell and go
to heaven when we die, but that we are set free from slavery to sin, and we are
now free to walk daily with Christ, and in his righteousness and holiness, and
all because of what he did for us. Amen!
Take Care
After Paul had just declared Jesus Christ to be the
fulfillment of the promise to Israel of the Savior, and after he had proclaimed
to them forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus, and that they were
justified (made right with God) through belief in him, he gave a word of
warning or caution to them. He told them to take care that what the prophets
had said did not happen to them. And, then he quoted from Habakkuk 1:5.
In context, Habakkuk was referring to a judgment of God on
the people of God to punish them for their spiritual adultery, their unchecked wickedness,
and their immorality. God was sending to them the Babylonians, “a ruthless and
impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not
their own.” These people were “a law to themselves” and they promoted their own
honor. Habakkuk then questioned God’s justice in all of this. God responded to
Habakkuk by telling him to write down the revelation, and to “make it plain on
tablets so that a herald may run with it.” God told him that the revelation
speaks of the end, and will not prove false.
Many prophecies of old had more than one fulfillment. Many
of them spoke both of a time present and the time of the end. The fact that the
Babylonians are described as those who “sweep across the whole earth,” speaks
more of our present time than it did of their time. And, such “Babylonians” do
exist in our world today, too. They are often referred to as “The New World
Order,” which is comprised of world leaders from multiple nations, the elite,
wealthy and powerful of the world, bankers, and CEO’s of corporations, et al.
The USA is a big part of this New World Order which is presently sweeping
across the whole earth seizing dwellings not their own and forcing people to
bow to them or face the consequences.
I believe Paul, in quoting the Habakkuk passage, was warning
of judgment via God’s divine instrument of judgment if they did not take God/Jesus
seriously, and if they did not turn from their sins and believe in Jesus Christ
as their Savior. The warning today, I believe, is not just for those who have
not declared faith in Jesus Christ, but is also for those who make a pretense
of faith or who have bought into a false gospel, but have never turned from
their sin and thus have never been born anew of the Spirit of God. Yet, since
the message in Habakkuk was to God’s people, I believe there is also a warning
here to the complacent, rebellious and spiritually adulterous church of today.
God takes sin seriously, which is why he died for our sin. He doesn’t wink at
sin in his children, but he will discipline and chastise those he loves (See:
Rev. 2-3), so be earnest and repent.
Seek the Lord / An Original Work /
July 20, 2012
Based
off Isaiah 55
“Come
to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen
to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And
your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give
ear to Me, and you will live.
I
have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash
in the blood of the Lamb.”
Seek
the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let
the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let
him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely,
God pardons him.
“For
My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor
are your ways My ways,”
declares
the Lord, our God.
“My
word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It
will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My
word will accomplish all that I desire,
And
achieve the goal I intend.
You
will go in joy, and be led forth in peace.
The
mountains will burst into song… before you,
And
all of the trees clap their hands.”
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