Acts 10 Summary - He Commanded Us To Preach

Verses

• 1+ (See v2,4,9) When the Lord did these great things, people had been praying so much.
• 10+ (See v28) "You know how that it is an unlawful thing..."
• 36+ The Word Which God Sent
• 44+ Baptism Was "Commanded"

Meaning

v42

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God [to be] the Judge of quick and dead.

The other day, I was walking by a man who was outside. I had tried to preach the gospel to him before, and I think he acted like he agreed with it, but wouldn't pay attention to do anything about it. I prayed about whether I should preach the gospel to him or not.

I saw a sign on a telephone pole for a lost puppy, and it said, "reward". That sign meant so much to me. I thought of the story of the little lost lamb, and I thought of the promise of a reward from the Lord.

Application

I went ahead and gently told the man "the shortest gospel" (from Acts 16:31,) even though he didn't seem to be listening.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Warning: Bad Teaching

References

1. Colossians 2:8
2. Hebrews 13:9

Colossians 2:8

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Beware

I am warning you. Be warned about bad teaching.

any man

It could be somebody you think you can trust.

vain

The word vain makes me think of fluff. It looks all big on the outside, but there's nothing to it. Bad teaching doesn't make any difference in light of doing people any real good.

deceit

Dishonestly characterizes bad teachers, but it's not easy to tell that bad teachings are bad. Don't be tricked.

after

What are the teachings all about? Things people do? Things in this world? Or Christ?

the tradition of men

People have habits of doing certain things. Good teaching is about Jesus, not about special things certain people do.

the rudiments of the world

There are things in this world like foods, drink, and holidays, that people use to distract from Christ. They want to interrupt and talk about these things, so we can't tell people the good news about Jesus.

not after Christ

This is how you can tell good teaching from bad teaching. Is it from Jesus, and about Him, or not?

We should never think that Christ, himself, is old and boring. That's 1 way bad teachers trick people, by bringing all different kinds of flashy new and exciting teachings, instead of the good, old fashioned, plain and simple truth.

Christ is better, and we shouldn't think, "Oh, we always talk about Christ, and say He's great and everything," and get tired of that.

Hebrews 13:9

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For [it is] a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

carried about

Our hearts should be established instead of us being carried about.

divers and strange

Bad teachings are about all different kinds of things.

doctrines

"Doctrines" means things that people teach.

it is a good thing

If people teach bad things, they don't do anybody any good. There's good things to teach and to learn, and good teaching actually does people some good.

grace

"Grace" means that God has just given us the free gift of Jesus, not because we earned or deserved it. This is opposed to certain people having to do certain things, like things of this world, like in order to please God or to be saved.

meats

It was illegal for Jews to eat certain kinds of food. Jews could eat meat from certain animals, called "clean" animals, but it was against the old law to eat meat from other "unclean" animals.

Bad teachers tend to argue and waste time and trick people so much today. They want to talk all about all different kinds of things that don't really matter or do anybody any good.

This is just like the traditions of men and the elements of this world that the other verse (Colossians 2:8) taught about. There are bad teachings about which kinds of food people should or shouldn't eat, what people should and shouldn't drink, whether people should observe certain holidays, or the Sabbath, and all kinds of things like that.

have not profited

Remember the other verse (Colossians 2:8) said "vain deceit"? Well, this is really the important point. These bad teachings don't do anybody any good. Jesus Christ, by His grace, makes a difference in people's lives. Only by Him can we live a different kind of Holy life; Even free from the slavery to sin!

which have not profited them

You can look at people's lives and tell what kind of a difference the things they believe have made.

You can look at the lives of the people who bring you bad teachings, and sometimes they'll be using bad language and sinning in other ways. Bad teaching hasn't done them or anybody else any good, and it won't do you any good.

Never get bored of "Christ." Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Saved by the Blood

Saved by the blood of the Crucified One!
Now ransomed from sin and a new work begun,
Sing praise to the Father and praise to the Son,
Saved by the blood of the Crucified One!

Glory, I'm saved! Glory, I'm saved!
My sins are all pardoned, my guilt is all gone!
Glory, I'm saved! Glory, I'm saved!
I am saved by the blood of the Crucified One!

Words: S. J. Henderson, 1902.
Music: Daniel Brink Towner (1850-1919)
Moody Bible Institute

mp3 file
midi file

Who Am I?

1 Chronicles 17:16-27

I originally took this note at 2005 12 01 0803.

Acts 9 Summary - Jesus came to save sinners

Observation

v1-30 Saul Saw Jesus
v31-43 "many believed in the Lord."

Meaning

The first part of this chapter just confirmed to me how Jesus came to save sinners (1Tim 1:15.) That made me think of how much I've been forgiven.

We should Love sinners and tell them the good news about Jesus. No matter how evil they've been, Jesus came to save sinners.

Application

v29 says, "he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus." I'm going to keep spending my time telling people the good news.

Take heed to yourselves

Deuteronomy 11 v16

Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

"Take heed"- Pay attention, beware. Don't let your heart be deceived. Don't turn from the Lord and serve and worship something or someone else as God!

What the Lord Requires

Deuteronomy 10 v12,13

And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

The Lord only listed 7 things here, that He required of His people Israel. I think of this list, as 7 things that the Lord requires of myself, and of us, His people today.

1. Fear the LORD your God,
2. Walk in all His ways,
3. Love Him,
4. Serve the LORD your God with all your heart,
5. Serve the LORD your God with all your soul,
6. Keep the commandments of the LORD, and,
7. Keep His statutes.

This list, or these 2 verses, would probably be good to memorize.

v13 The Lord promised that He commanded Israel, those commandments and "statutes" that day, for their good. Now I don't know exactly what a statute is, or how it's different from a commandment. That might be a good thing to study. But the point is that God promised that it was for their good! "For your good," He said.

It's as if the Lord God is speaking to me personally, this morning, promising that His Word which I hear and read in my Bible is good for me. He's so Loving and generous and merciful and unselfish, even though He's God, and He's all powerful and all-knowing, and made everything.

Praise the Lord.

Acts 8 Summary - Great Joy - Give Heed

Observation

v1-4 There Was a Great Persecution
v5-8 There Was Great Joy
v9-13 Simon Himself Believed Also
v14-24 Your Money Perish With You
v25-38 He Preached Unto Him Jesus
v39,40 He Went on His Way Rejoicing

v4 This chapter talks again and again, about how they preached the Lord Jesus Christ, to many people, in many places.

v37 "...I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." This is a great example of a confession of faith.

Meaning

v2 I think that burial is important. And I think that great lamentation, over the right thing, is actually good. That's because this verse teaches that devout men did these things.

v6 This verse teaches that there were people that believed. v31 This 1 even desired the preacher to come to him. There may be some that will even desire us to come to them. We need to be ready to follow through when people are open.

v35 Sometimes I don't understand what I read in the Bible. We can, better, if we realize that Jesus is the point.

Application

v8

And there was great joy in that city.

v39

...he went on his way rejoicing.

I found these verses very striking when I read them. I wish I had "great joy", and joy that isn't empty, deceitful, or about nothing worthwhile. So I wanted to see how this came about.

v5

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

v35

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Both of the times there was joy, were when somebody preached Jesus Christ to them. My application is to be like the people in Samaria, and like the Ethiopian. To give heed (v6,) observe the things the Lord does, and believe (v12) "the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ," with (v37) all my heart.

I originally took these notes at 2006 03 14 0953.

The Gospel? Again?

1 Corinthians 15:1,2

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

I grew up with the gospel being preached to believers all the time. One time I decided to be a good Berean. I prayed and searched my Bible to see if that was the right thing to do or not. The Lord gave me these verses. God said, "...I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received...". God didn't only repeat what He had already told them, but He told them the gospel again, even though they were already believers.

He emphasized how needful it is to "...keep in memory what I preached unto you...".

Ephesians 2:11-13

Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

In these verse, God said, "wherefore remember..." about the gospel. If you're all for Jesus, the good news about Him shouldn't get old and boring for you to hear- or declare.

I originally took these notes at 2005 12 03 1312.

There is a Great Reward

Psalm 19:11

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward.

Psalm 19 is talking about the Lord's Words: the knowledge, and the speech and language of the voice. The "line" and the "words" of the glory of God and His handiwork.

This Psalm has just been talking about the Lord's law, testimony, statues, commandment, fear, and judgments.

The Lord's servant is warned by these things. That's a good thing. I've definitely experienced these things to be true in my life.

This is a great and precious promise:

There is a great reward in keeping the Lord's Words.

Psalm 19:11

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: [and] in keeping of them [there is] great reward.

the cause that is too hard for you

Deuteronomy 1:17b

...the cause that is too hard for you, bring [it] unto me, and I will hear it.

Moses had just been setting judges up over the children of Israel. Moses told them to bring the causes to him, that were too hard for them.

We don't have Moses today. This speaks, Spiritually, about the Lord Jesus Christ. In this verse, we have a great and precious promise. The Lord Jesus calls to you and I.

"The cause that is too hard for you"- I definitely have 1 of those. If you do too, you already know what it's talking to you about. Jesus invites, no, commands you, to bring that cause that's too hard for you, to Him.

"Bring [it] unto me"- The way I do that is praying. Just talk to the Lord, and tell Him your cause. Pray to Him about it, and ask Him about it. Praise the Lord, He promises, "I will hear it."

I've definitely found that to be true in the experiences in my life.

Deuteronomy 1:17b

...the cause that is too hard for you, bring [it] unto me, and I will hear it.

Acts 7 Summary - Don't Grieve the Holy Spirit

Observation

v1-7 God Spoke.
v8-16 God Gave.
v17-29 God Nourished.
v30-33 The Voice of the Lord Came.
v34,35 The Lord Sent.
v36-43 "the works of their own hands."
v44-50 "the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands"
v51-60 He looked up.

Meaning

This morning I was in Numbers 33. Verse 55 says, "But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them [shall be] pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell." That warned me to deal with my sin. Acts7:51-53 This convicted me of a sinful thing I said.

Acts 4:29,30 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
"And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

Psalm 19:14(a) "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."

Application

I emailed someone this afternoon, to apologize to them, for the sinful thing I said to them.

All Things in Christ

Rev 21:7a "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; ..."

Eph 1:10-11 "...all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance..."

Psa 84:11 "...no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

Rom 8:32 "...all things."

I originally took these notes at 2005 06 11 1327.

Acts 6 Summary - Give Yourself Continually

Outline

v1-4 The Priority of the Word of God and Prayer
v5-15 "a man full of faith"

Meaning

v2 Teaching and preaching the Word of God is very important.

Giving food to poor disciples is a good thing. I've done little good things before, as excuses to stop telling people the good news. I think of the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).

Prayer and the serving of the Word is more important than other business.

Application

v4 I know the Lord wants me to serve Him in the Word and prayer. At other times, He also wants me to help make and serve food, and take care of clothes, and all that good stuff.

When it's time for the more important business, of prayer and the Word, I'm not going to leave it, to do other good little things.