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Welcome

  • Good morning… thank you for joining us today as we continue our "Devoted to" series.

  • If you have any suggestions or questions just go onto our website and there you will find our number … Maurice our fulltime worker will be thrilled to hear from you and will assist you wherever possible.

Reading

Introduction

  • Melanie Verwoerd… writing for News24 asks a challenging question…

    • How much are you prepared to give to save a life…

  • As we speak today I want you to remember it because we will be coming back to it later…

  • Last week…

    • Spoke about the importance of being "Devoted to"

    • We noted that Jesus calls us as believers to be devoted to Himself alone

    • We saw how devoted Apostles influenced the growth of the church.

  • Today we address the question of the Apostles doctrine.

    • Which in fact was the doctrine they were taught by the Lord Jesus.

      • Which God put in place to fulfill His plans and purposes before the creation of man

    • This was not some new-fangled philosophy…

      • It was all part of a progressive revelation by God from the beginning.

Background

  • Jesus was crucified, buried and has risen from the grave…

    • He appears to many including the Apostles

      • Giving many convincing proofs that He was alive… Acts 1:3

    • The Apostles were eye witnesses of all this

      • The Apostle John testifies and says…

        • He saw, heard and touched the resurrected Jesus… 1 John 1:3

  • Jesus instructs them…

    • Not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit from God

      • This gift will empower them in their calling to be Jesus witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth… Acts 1:8

    • As this instruction is completed…

      • We read of His ascension into heaven…

        • With the promise by the angels… that He will return … John 14:3

  • Ten days after the ascension the disciples are all together waiting…

    • And the fulfillment of God’s promise takes place…

      • And they are all filled with the Holy Spirit…

        • And as the Spirit enables them they are able to speak in different languages… Acts 2:4

  • A crowd has gathered and they are amazed and somewhat perplexed that these Galileans are able to speak all these different languages ... Acts 2:12

    • And start asking questions.

  • This is when Peter stands up and explains this phenomenon.

    • And in his sermon we see the basic structure of the Apostles doctrine.

      • A doctrine that we hold to too this day…

        • Because it reveals the purposes, plans, promises and the person of the Lord Jesus.

  • So for our purposes today we will discuss 4 basic points of Peter’s message…

    1. Gods plan

    2. Gods prophets

    3. Gods promises

    4. Gods person

  • As Peter addressed the people he says to them "Listen carefully to what I say"… Acts 2:14

    • And I humbly ask you to do the same today…

      • Not because I am a great speaker

      • But because the truths he reveals, are today, for us, life changing and have eternal consequences

1 Gods Plan…

  • Acts 2:23 This man who was handed over to you by God’s set purposes and foreknowledge… and you put him to death…

  • The first thing we must recognise is that the death of Jesus was not just another incident in history…

    • Peter tells us in verse …

      • This man (Jesus) was handed over to you by…

        • By… GOD…

          • Not Judas, the Jews, or Romans

      • Why would God handover His Son?

        • To fulfil his set purposes.

    • Peter tells us He was put to death…

      • Why…

        • His death was there to fulfil Gods set purposes.

  • Come with me to the writings of another Apostle… Paul…

    • Writing to the Ephesian church he says…

      • (God) chose us in Christ (Jesus) before the creation of the world… Ephesians 1:4

        • To be holy and blameless.

      • In Him, we were chosen according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purposes of His willEphesians 1:10

    • God had a purpose

      • So He develops a plan that will fulfil His purposes

        • Then He creates a place where His purposes can be carried out.
      • Before God created the world He purposed to create man for relationship with Himself…

        • Do you see how this flies in the face of evolution.

          • The universes did not just happen by chance…

          • It is not a co-incidence of nature that this world is perfectly suited for mankind…

      • The God of all creation created it for a purpose…

    • In order to accomplish that purpose He created the world we live in…

      • The world was made for man…

        • Man is not a co-incidence of nature as evolutionists would have us believe.

    • God created man for His purposes…

      • His purpose is to make man… holy and blameless

        • So He permits Judas to betray Jesus

        • He permits the Jews to put Him to death

      • And the Romans were permitted to hang Him on a cross

        • All of which was prophesied centuries before…

    • The death of Jesus was permitted because God’s plan was to make sinful men holy and blameless…

      • And to achieve that Jesus had to become the sin bearer because Gods law demanded it…

      • But that having been accomplished on the cross…

        • Death could not hold Him so He arose from the dead… Acts 2:4

      • The final piece in God’s plan was to glorify Him and bring all things in heaven and on earth under one head even Christ… Ephesians 1:10

    • Do we get the picture…

      • All of this is in the purposes and plan of God before the world or man is even created

      • God has a purpose, a plan, creates a place. Introduces a people for Himself.

      • But ultimately everything in heaven and earth must come under Christ.

2 Gods Prophets

  • In order to reveal His plans and purposes God speaks through the Prophets… Hebrews 1:1

    • At various times and in different ways…

  • Peter quotes two of the prophets…

    • Joel and David…

      • But there are many more like…

        • Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah and others…

    • He reveals over a long period of time who He is… E.G…
    • To Moses… the Great I am…

      • Ever present, ever able, ever faithful, merciful God

      • The all-powerful saviour, redeemer and provider

    • To Isaiah…
    • To David…

      • He reveals the one over whom death has no hold…

      • The one who is to be resurrected from the dead… Acts 2:27Psalms 16:8-11

        • The everlasting King… sitting on David’s throne

    • Through Joel... what He is going to do…

      • He intends to… Acts 2:17-21Joel 2:28-32

        • Pour out His Spirit on all men

        • To save all who call upon the name of the Lord…

  • Slowly but surely that revelation paints a clear picture…

    • All of Gods purposes and plans are centred in one person…

      • Jesus… Gods Messiah… promised one

        • Rejected by ma…

        • Made Lord and Christ by God… a name above any other… Acts 2:36

    • Despite the fact that these prophets never met and lived in different eras

      • They all pointed in one direction and to one person…

        • Jesus Christ.

  • Peter concludes…

  • Paul concludes…

  • The great purpose of all prophecy was to bring us the Lord Jesus Christ… Galatians 3:24

    • The one sent by God to make us holy and blameless.

3 Gods Promises

  • So this God who reveals himself as holy, righteous and sovereign…

    • Makes promises that He is obliged to keep… and able to keep…

      • In order to preserve His integrity

  • To Abraham He promises…

    • A people and a place to dwell

      • And his descendants end up in a land flowing with milk and honey

        • Living in houses they had not built

        • Harvesting crops they had not planted.

  • To David an everlasting throne… 2 Samuel 7:12-14

    • Upon which one of his descendants would sit.

      • Where righteousness will reign.

    • So when Jesus is born we can trace his lineage back to Jesse, David’s father

  • Through Joel He promises that… Joel 2:28-32

    • All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved…

      • Made Holy and blameless

        • Through the death and resurrection of Jesus…

          • We are born again into God’s family

          • A new creation indwelt by His Holy Spirit

          • Holy and blameless

  • So Jesus reveals his purpose…

    • I am come that you might have life and that more abundantly… John 10:10

      • He comes to fulfil the promises of God

4 Gods person

  • All of this to be accomplished and fulfilled in, through, and for one person…

    • Jesus

  • So we find… 44 prophecies coming from the prophets all of which are fulfilled in the life of Jesus…

    • From…

      • Place of birth to place of burial

      • Details of death to resurrection from the dead

      • The suffering that He would endure and the purpose of suffering

  • Peter concluded…

    • Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, signs and wonders which God did among you through Him… Acts 2:22

      • You saw them… you know what happened… no excuses

    • This Jesus, God has made Lord and Christ… Acts 2:36

      • Lord… Jehovah… the supreme one… God with us

      • Christ… Messiah… the chosen one … Promised Saviour.

  • Jesus is the central core of all God is accomplishing…

    • Without Him there is nothing…

      • Jesus confirms this when He says

        • No one comes to the Father but by me… John 14:6

Summary

  • God has a purpose…

    • Creating man for relationship with Himself

  • God used the prophets to convey His purposes…

    • Today we have the Bible in which we have a record of their writings

  • God made promises…

    • All of which have been and are being fulfilled in order to bring His purposes and plans to finality

  • God does all of this through one person…

    • Jesus who He has appointed Lord and Christ

Conclusion

  • This is the Apostles doctrine that changed the world…

    • Within a hundred years it had spread throughout the entire Roman world…

      • Rome tried in vain to stamp it out

      • But in actual fact they had created a perfect situation for it to spread…

        • Augustus’s census was in fulfilment of prophecy

        • The road infrastructure made travel easier

        • The new cities, theatres, market places, public buildings all lead to ideal places for evangelism to take place.

        • The use of common Greek as a universal language made communication easy

        • Their brutality in dealing with Jerusalem cause Christians to move throughout the Roman world

        • And Pax Romana created by Augustus Caesar was politically ideal.

      • Paul and others use these situations to the very good effect.

        • None of this was co-incidence…

          • It was all in the perfect will and purposes of God

  • Throughout history there have been many attempts to eradicate this message…

    • Rome tried in vain to stamp it out

    • The Jewish leaders tried as well

    • Communistic Russia tried

    • China is trying but is not succeeding

    • Muslim extremists are trying

    • Humanists are trying…

      • But they will never succeed because Jesus said…

  • Why will it not pass away…

    • Because nothing can stop the Sovereign God from accomplishing His purposes.

    • A study of prophecy and the history of Israel proves that point.

  • The purposes and plan is…

    • To bring mankind into permanent relationship with Himself

    • To do that He created the earth as a temporary place to prepare us for Himself

    • And as the angels promised the disciples at Jesus ascension… He will come again

      • To take us to be with him so that where He is we are also…

  • To this purpose God the Father is totally devoted

    • And so is the Lord Jesus

Challenge

  • Believer…

    • How much are you prepare to give, to save a life…