Acts: Tell them the Gospel

What is the most powerful message you’ve ever heard? How did it affect you and how did you respond? Peter had just declared the gospel to the awestruck crowd. He spoke of God’s purpose in the death of Jesus and the prophecies that He fulfilled. He talked of the Lord’s resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Then he proclaimed that “God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:14-36). And the people believed him. “They were cut to the heart . . .” meaning they felt pain and deep sorrow because they had rejected – and even crucified – God’s Son, the Messiah they had long awaited.

But here’s the important part, [they] said . . . ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” (v. 37). The message convicted them and moved them to respond. Peter answered with the essential elements of conversion: “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” (v. 38). Repentance, baptism, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit.  

There’s an important lesson for the church here. When the gospel is proclaimed simply and clearly, people will respond to it. Peter didn’t add theatrics – he just told them the truth. They were sinners and deserved God’s wrath, but in love, He sent His Son to bear the punishment for their sins. He died and rose to life for their forgiveness and eternal life. If they will believe this, repent of their sins, and submit to baptism they will be saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.  Respond they did: “about three thousand were added to their number” (v. 41).

There is one more important point to Peter’s message. Luke said that He “warned and pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’” (v. 40). Charles Spurgeon said, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” Beloved, you and I live among a corrupt generation and we need to warn and plead with the lost to repent and come to Jesus. We can’t afford to soft-pedal the gospel. We must tell them the truth. Their eternal destiny hangs in the balance.

Hebrews: The Beauty of Baptism

I was baptized when I was about 9 years old. And 10 years old. And 12 years old. And 35 years old. I constantly thought I was too dirty for God, so I would be dunked again. Baptism became a ritual for me. I would have made a great Pharisee. That is the idea behind the author of Hebrews’ inclusion of baptism in his “elementary teachings” in Hebrews 6:2: “Let us leave  the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of . . . instruction about baptistms.” 

Once again, remember that he is writing to Jewish Christians who were raised in all the Jewish traditions. The Jews were a people of The Law –the Mosaic Law and the Levitical laws as given by God, but also the additional laws that were established by the Pharisees and Sadducees. And they were BIG on cleanliness.  They had a ritual of washing their hands before eating bread. Of course, handwashing before meals is simple hygiene, and the origin is biblical and reaches back to the tabernacle and the requirement of cleanliness for Aaron and his sons.  But they had turned it into an elaborate ritual that became a law unto itself. The Jewish Christians had come to regard baptism in the same way. It was a ritual – a spiritual routine that had been elevated to a much higher priority than intended. You can see the first notes of this in John 3:25-26.

Jesus was baptized at the start of His earthly ministry. Matthew 3:13-17 details the event. But John was baptizing “for the repentance of sins (Acts 19:4) and Jesus was sinless – in fact, John at first refused and said that he (John) needed to be baptized by Jesus. Yet Jesus said, “Let it be so now, it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (v. 15). At His baptism Jesus identified Himself with the sinners He came to save and the Father identified with the Son He sent to be man’s Savior.

A young girl was baptized at our church on Sunday and our Pastor reminded us that baptism doesn’t save us or make us right with God, but it publically identifies us with Jesus whose blood is the only saving power in heaven and earth.  Beloved, don’t count out the beauty of baptism, but don’t count on it to save you. The blood of Jesus is enough.

Hebrews: Hold On

“Do you want goldfish?” Joy’s mommy asked her. “Yeah!” she answered enthusiastically. “I’ll give you some if you take two more bites of spaghetti.” She quickly shoveled in two forkfuls and beamed at her mother with noodles hanging out of her mouth. Some might consider that bribery, but in our house, we call that toddler negotiation. If you do this, I’ll do that.

When the author of Hebrews used the word “if” it’s wasn’t arbitration as if God is negotiating with us. ”If” as it’s used here is a statement of fact. “We are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast” (Hebrews 3:6b). That doesn’t mean if we hold on to our faith, then God will save us. It means we prove the genuineness of our profession of faith if we hold fast to the courage and hope we claim to possess.

I just rewrote that last statement because I originally said, “if we hold fast to Jesus with courage and hope.” The Holy Spirit stopped me. “Look at that verse again. What do those words mean?” Courage in this verse means boldness, confidence, and public openness of speech. With that in mind, look back at the end of this verse, “. . . courage and the hope of which we boast.”  A “profession of faith” is a public statement – not that we “chose Jesus,” but that we are confident that He will do what He promised – to save us now and eternally.

As an example, he referenced the Israelites who rebelled against Him by questioning His faithfulness. Quoting from Psalm 95, he said that they “hardened their hearts . . . during the time of testing in the desert.” They whined and complained and doubted God every time they come up against a challenge. They asked, “Is the Lord with us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). Why? Because “they have not known my ways.” They doubted God because they didn’t know Him.

As believers, we should grow in our faith. Our confidence in Jesus should become deeper, not more shallow. If we begin to doubt Him and question His faithfulness we should reconsider the genuineness of our profession and whether or not we really know Him.

Because “if” you know Him, Beloved, you will love and trust Him. All the way to the end.