Saturday 020825
Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.
Since the beginning of this study, our vision has been that we are ONLY going to follow what is found in the Holy Bible, that pertains to us, and we realize that it’s ONLY from our own effort that we put into this study, that we’re going to take anything away for our own use.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
Acts 11:1-3, 13:16-43, 15:1-5; Ephesians 2:8-9.
We’re trying to stop looking at what ‘MAN’ is telling us we need to do and get back into the Word and see what God is telling us we need to do.
The reason for that is because in the end, it is what God has said and not ‘man’ that will determine if we are going to live a life with Him or if we are going to live a life of torment as we’ve been foretold in Revelation.
And then ‘ULTIMATELY,’ the choice is up to us, WHO ARE WE GOING TO CHOOSE.
The way we ended our last lesson with Peter changing his ways and stepping outside of that ‘Jewish’ made box, so it is with so many today caught up inside their man-made churches and denominations just waiting to pounce on their congregation of people.
Acts 11
vs1 ‘…And the apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God…’
vs2 ‘…And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him…’
vs3 ‘…saying, thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Version)
And Peter fell back into the box that had kept him boxed in, all the days of his life, except for that ONE time.
So, we’re going to jump forward to Paul’s 1st missionary journey in:
Acts 13
vs16 ‘…Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen…’
vs17 ‘…The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it…’
vs18 ‘…For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness…’
vs19 ‘…When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took about 450 years…’
vs20 ‘…After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet…’
vs21 ‘…Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years…’
vs22 ‘…After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will…’
vs23 ‘…From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus…’
vs24 ‘…after John had proclaimed, before His coming, a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel…’
vs25 ‘…And while John was completing his course, he kept saying, what do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie…’
vs26 ‘…Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent…’
vs27 ‘…For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the declarations of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him…’
vs28 ‘…And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed…’
vs29 ‘…When they had carried out everything that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb…’
vs30 ‘…But God raised Him from the dead…’
vs31 ‘…and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people…’
vs32 ‘…And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers…’
vs33 ‘…that God has fulfilled this promise to those of us who are the descendants by raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm: You are My Son; today I have fathered You…’
vs34 ‘…As for the fact that He raised Him from the dead, never again to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: I will give you the holy and faithful mercies of David…’
vs35 ‘…Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay…’
vs36 ‘…For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, and was buried among his fathers and underwent decay…’
vs37 ‘…but He whom God raised did not undergo decay…’
vs38 ‘…Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you…’
vs39 ‘…and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses…’
vs40 ‘…Therefore, see that the thing spoken of in the Prophets does not come upon you…’
vs41 ‘…Look, you scoffers, and be astonished, and perish; For I am accomplishing a work in your days, A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you…’
vs42 ‘…As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people repeatedly begged to have these things spoken to them the next Sabbath…’
vs43 ‘…Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and urging them to continue in the grace of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
And just as fast, we’re going to move on to Acts 15 where Paul returned to Jerusalem to meet with the original apostles.
Acts 15
vs1 ‘…Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved…’
vs2 ‘…And after Paul and Barnabas had a heated argument and debate with them, the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue…’
vs3 ‘…Therefore, after being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all the brothers and sisters…’
vs4 ‘…When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them…’
vs5 ‘…But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, it is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to keep the Law of Moses…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
These men in Jerusalem were still Jews. They still practiced in the Jewish rituals, celebrated the Jewish holidays and practiced the Jewish customs.
So too do many of our man-made churches today and their religions still practice the Jewish customs and practices.
Where do you think communion comes from? The apostle Paul didn’t teach us this practice.
We are going to get out of the Old and we’re going to teach the NEW news that we have been given by God Himself, taught to our teacher, the apostle Paul so that when that day comes, when we hear that ‘SHOUT,’ we will be able to stand and be ready for our future with Jesus Christ.
All we need to do is read, study, and BELIEVE what God has given us.
For FREE, nothing extra is expected from us.
We have got to be willing to leave our past behind us. We MUST step outside of the box we have been kept in for a long, long time.
It is on that day when we MOVE, on that day when Jesus says to us ‘FOLLOW ME,’ we can grab what we have and present ourselves to Him.
The number one verse I think we should ALL follow is Ephesians 2:8-9 ‘…For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
And one time for that ‘UN’ believer out there that only reads the AKJV:
vs8 ‘…For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God…’
vs9 ‘…not of works, lest any man should boast…’ AKJV (Authorized King James Version)
To that man that looks at the words but doesn’t listen to what God is telling him…
… do you see that part where we are told we don’t have to do anything extra other than have FAITH in God and BELIEVE in Him …
… can you explain for us what ‘NOT OF WORKS’ mean to you …
… what do you think those words should mean for us, FOR ME?
Keep your Bibles always open and study the Word of God for yourself. Don’t allow yourself to listen to another man telling you what the word is saying … you stand up and YOU TELL HIM WHAT THE WORD IS SAYING!!!
I love ALL of y’all. Be blessed. Stand FIRM in your beliefs in God.
Get yourself out of that man-made box you’ve been kept penned in for so many years.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>