November 3, 2013
Hymn 201 - When we walk with the Lord
Prayer
2 Chronicles 27
The next king of Judah that we will look at is King Jotham. Jotham began his reign of Judah at age 25. We are told that he did what was right before the Lord. The only thing is that he didn’t go into the temple to worship the Lord. It seems that he was afraid of going in there because of what happened with his father Uzziah.
In v. 6, we are told that Jotham prepared his way before the Lord. When you prepare to make a cake, you get the recipe out, read it, and figure out what ingredients you need; it takes time. When Jotham prepared his way before the Lord, he needed to find out what the Lord’s will was. In 1 Samuel 2:30 we read “them that honour Me, I will honour.” Jotham did this and he prospered. Read Proverbs 3:4 & 5.
We are told that Jotham was a builder and a soldier. Each one of us does some building in our lives: not necessarily in the physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. This can mean to either grow or increase. Read Acts 20:32 and 1 Peter 2:2. In the Bible, we are told to grow in wisdom, understanding, love, and so on. To be able to build (grow in) these, you need a good foundation: the Bible. However, not only do we build in our own lives, but we can also build in others lives. Read 2 Thessalonians 5:11 When we give some words of comfort, we can encourage and build up; and when we are together, we can encourage others in the Lord’s things. Being kind and generous is another way to encourage others.
Jotham was also a soldier. In Ephesians 6:17, we are given a weapon to use against the enemy. It is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. The Lord Jesus was a good example of using this: He quoted scripture to Satan when he tempted Him. For example, when you are playing with other children and they suggest doing something mean to someone, you can say that the Bible says to be kind.
I trust we can learn from king Jotham. He prepared his heart before the Lord. He took the time to figure out what the Lord wanted so that he was able to do that which was right.
Acts 3:12-26
The Jews in the early part of Acts were amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit. They wondered when the apostles spoke in tongues they had never learned, and that gave Peter an opportunity to speak. Peter and John then went up to the temple in this chapter, healed this cripple, and he began to walk, leap, and praise God. The people were astonished at this, and wondered, giving Peter another chance to preach.
Now the disciples were still in Jerusalem, and so they still used examples and phrases that were very Jewish. Peter wouldn’t take any credit for the miracle, saying that it was not his power that had done it. He told them that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—a very Jewish title—had glorified His Son Jesus, and that it was the power of His name that had done the miracle.
Acts 2 tells us that God did signs and wonders through Jesus. Now He was doing them through the apostles. It was still God working through the Holy Spirit, just now through those that believed.
Peter didn’t treat the topic of the Lord’s death delicately; he told it as it was. He told the people that Pilate would have freed Jesus, but they clamoured for His death. They condemned the Holy One—the only person without sin, the only One that had done nothing amiss. Romans tells us that we all sin; Christ is the only Holy One. He is also the Just. These people, however, did the most unholy and unjust things to Him. Isaiah tells us that the Holy One of God would be despised. They claimed that He was unjust—a malefactor, a blasphemer—and desired His death. They wanted a murderer instead, and they killed the Prince—Mr.Darby says “originator”—of life.
These people killed Jesus and put Him in a grave; but God raised Jesus and put Him at His right hand. What a rebuke to this nation! It showed how wrong they were.
In verse 15, Peter couldn’t say “the Bible says so” like we can. He still had to help write the Bible. What he could say was, “We are witnesses”, which we can’t.
By Jesus’ name, through faith in His name, this man was healed. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth is important to God. A name represents all that a person is, and all that they stand for. We are told to believe in the name of Jesus. We pray in that name. It has power. It’s the name above all others. Peter had that name, and he gave this cripple healing through that name. Through faith in the name of Jesus this man was made completely whole.
Verse 17 is so loving of Peter, recognizing the people’s ignorance. Even our Lord while on the cross said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”He interceded for people then as now.
Peter was speaking to Jews, so he could refer to the prophets because those were documents that the people knew. Today, we have the whole Bible.
Next week we’ll see the people’s response to Peter’s sermon. In his Pentecost address, he told the people what they had done, and they cried, “What shall we do?” The answer was, “Repent.” We’ll see something similar here.
Hymn 350 – I will make you fishers of men
Prayer