7/27/14 YEAR OF EQUIPPING TO SERVE
God wants to save him??????? Her???????
God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.Last week we looked at the fact that God wants to use all believers. Today we look at the fact that God wants all to come to Him to receive salvation.
Some historical foundation. A quick review of thousands of years of history.
God spoke to a man named Abram.
Genesis 12:1-4 NIV
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
This began an amazing journey that is still impacting the world today. Abram and Sarai were old, too old to have children. Their descendants today are too numerous to count. God promised to be with them and their descendants. God promised a Redeemer, a Messiah to restore what was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. The prophet Isaiah wrote:
Isaiah 53:4-6 NKJV
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Abraham’s descendants had their spiritual ups and downs. But, they looked forward to the time when the Messiah would come. Finally, that day arrived.
Luke 2:6-7 NKJV
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
There was a heavenly celebration.
Luke 2:13-14 NKJV
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Jesus went to the cross and rose from the grave. He ascended to heaven and the church was born. Many miraculous signs were happening and thousands were believing. There was persecution against the believers by those who rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Yet, the church moved on.
***One very interesting fact: the church was made up totally of Jews, the descendants of Abraham. Jesus was Jewish and the Jews were looking for the promised Messiah. Many believed in Jesus. They didn’t realize that something was missing. That something was the rest of the people in the world, known as the Gentiles.
***Continuing to look at the Book of Acts --
Enter: Peter and a man named Cornelius.
Peter was visiting a friend in Joppa. It was lunch time and God gave Peter a vision. It included many animals the Jews were not allowed to eat.
Acts 10:13-16 NKJV
13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”
16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
Cornelius had been seeking God, to know the true God. God gave him a vision to send to Joppa to find Peter. He did this. Peter responded to the invitation and went to his house. He began to preach to them.
Acts 10:34-43 NKJV
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all-- 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
The response of the hearers: they believed the message and believed on Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
Acts 10:44-48 NKJV
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
After this adventure to the home of a Gentile, Peter was in trouble with the folks at the home church in Jerusalem for going to the home of a Gentile. But, when he told them the Gentiles were baptized in the Holy Spirit just as they had been, they accepted the fact that Jesus could save Gentiles as well.
Question: What’s the point of what I have talked about so far? There are many ways we could go. I want to focus on two things.
1. God loves the whole world and Jesus died on the cross for everyone.
The early church had a steep learning curve to recognize that Jesus really did die for the whole human race. They had to grasp the concept that “whosoever” calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. There was no elitism that put them above the rest of the nations.
So, we see the concept of missions. That is both home and foreign missions. Efforts must be made locally, regionally and internationally. We must see people in the same way Jesus sees them. Without salvation, they are lost. This includes the “strange” people you see regularly. There is one way to heaven, His name is Jesus.
There is no one we see that can’t be saved. The foundational need for anyone is to be saved. That decision will put them on the right track to turn their life around. Yes, Jesus died for EVERYONE and our heart must be focused on that. We must be involved in activities that will help lead people to Jesus.
Jesus said:
Acts 1:8 NKJV
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
This verse ties these two thoughts together. We are to reach out to all people. And, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to do God’s work.
2. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all believers.
What happened at Cornelius’s house? They were saved. How did Peter verify that to the skeptical church in Jerusalem? The Gentiles received the baptism in the Holy Spirit the same way they had. They had the sign, the evidence of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave them the utterance.
The power in the early church was the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers. The battle was hard and nasty back then. There was persecution. There were many unbelievers. Yet, the church grew and overcame the forces of evil. The power of the Holy Spirit gave them what they needed to do God’s work.
From the writings of one of our AG missionaries, Denny Miller:
In the Purpose of His Ministry
The Bible says that one of the purposes of Jesus’ coming was “to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). Even the demons understood that He had come to destroy them: “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?’” (Mark 1:23-24).
In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus revealed His agenda for ministry. He would focus on six things:
1. Anointing: He would minister under the anointing of the Spirit. (“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me...”)
2. Preaching: He would preach the gospel. (“...to preach good news to the poor.”)
3. Setting the prisoners free: He would liberate those bound by sin and the devil. (“He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners...”)
4. Healing: He would heal the sick. (“...and recovery of sight for the blind...”)
5. Releasing the oppressed: He would liberate those in bondage—spiritually, physically, emotionally, religiously, and socially. (“...to release the oppressed...”)
6. Proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God: He would announce that the time had arrived for the coming of God’s kingdom. (“...to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”)
Power Encounter, Denzil R. Miller, pp 19-20
Jesus came to give salvation to the world. He gave the power of the Holy Spirit to the church to equip us for God’s work. How can we apply this today?
Two statements we looked at. Think: What do they say to you? What difference should they make in our lives?
1. God loves the whole world and Jesus died on the cross for everyone.
2. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all believers.
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. What specific works of evil do you see that need to be destroyed in our area?
1 John 3:8 NKJV
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
PRAYER. Lord, we know that it is through your power that the victory will come.
