April 6, 2014
Scripture:
Let’s go back to Isaiah 53. We have been thinking about the Lord’s suffering. Was it worth it? Read v. 11. Think of what He went through—was it worth it? He’ll say. “Every bit.” When we are there, He’ll be satisfied and so will we.
Hymn 341 – Jesus bids us shine
Prayer
We have finished the book of I Chronicles. Interestingly, the last three verses in 2 Chronicles are the same as first three verses in the book of Ezra. After the last king, Judah was taken into captivity for 70 years. At the end of those 70 years is where the story begins again. It is easy to look at the Bible as a story book in chronological order, but it’s not. 2 Chronicles and Ezra are part of the books of history. Another group of books of the Bible is the books of prophecy. The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years and then would be allowed to go back to Judah.
While Daniel was in captivity, he read Jeremiah’s prophecy of Judah’s return and prayed for that return. God had a plan for Judah and knew about everything that was going on. Read Proverbs 9:1 & 2: In these verses we find out that God is in charge of those who rule. It is encouraging to know this with everything that is going on today. God had a plan for Judah.
Ezra 1
The 70 years had come to an end. Cyrus was now King of Persia. God stirred up Cyrus, as told in Jeremiah, to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus addressed the captives and asked if any of them wanted to go back to Judah and to rebuild the temple. He was also asking those who could not go back to donate supplies for the trip to Judah and for the rebuilding of the temple. They needed lots of supplies and workers. God is working through the king even though he wasn’t an Israelite. As those who are part of the body of Christ, we each need to be willing to help where the Lord would have us help. God raised up hearts ready to go to Judah. Cyrus gave back the vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple to those who were heading back to Jerusalem.
This is how the book of Ezra begins. I think it interesting to see the fulfillment of the prophet’s prophecy.
Acts 11:16-30
We read last week about Peter telling the leading disciples in Jerusalem about his visit to Cornelius. He connected the Holy Spirit falling on the Gentiles with Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the hundred and twenty Jewish believers. What had happened was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some people think that you need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit after you are saved, but it was the Holy Spirit that worked in us to repent in the first place, and He indwells every believer. These people think that you can be a believer and not have the Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit only happened at Pentecost and at the bringing in of the Gentiles. The purpose was to create the body of Christ. In proper biblical wording, we are not baptized with the Holy Spirit today.
Peter was just as surprised as anyone that the Gentiles were given the Holy Spirit. All the brethren that he was speaking to agreed that this was a work of God. (The fact that they all agreed was a work of God too.) The Lord worked to let all people have a chance at being part of that special body which we are still a part of two thousand years later.
God granted the Gentiles repentance unto life. That’s interesting wording. “Repentance unto life” instead of “salvation” or “to be part of the kingdom”. These people didn’t have life before; they were dead in trespasses and sins. Through repentance they were granted life. We receive new life when we repent and believe on Jesus Christ.
Our narrative now moves on to—or moves back to—the disciples that were scattered throughout the land because of the persecution that Saul helped start. They preached the word to the Jews only, because they hadn’t heard about Peter and Cornelius. They didn’t know that things had changed and that the gospel was now open to everybody.
Some of the brethren (regular people, not special apostles) from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and preached the Lord Jesus to the Grecians. Many of them believed and turned to the Lord. Paul told the Thessalonians that they had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9) Also, in Acts 26:15-18, Paul says that he was commissioned to turn the Gentiles from darkness and the power of Satan to light and God. Turning is linked to conversion because we do an “about-face”. Even as Christians we need to turn to the Lord, as we’ll see later on.
This was the beginning of a new assembly in Antioch. There was the church in Jerusalem, and now it expanded to another assembly at Antioch. We may be almost at the end of the church age, but it’s good to be able to look back to the very beginning and see how things developed.
Those in Jerusalem heard what was going on and sent Barnabas—the nice, comfortable, brother who had befriended Saul when no one else would—to Antioch. He came, saw the grace of God, and was glad. He didn’t have a problem accepting the Gentiles, even though he had been raised to despise them. He exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. We need purpose. Purpose is determining that something will happen in your life. It reminds us of Daniel, who purposed in his heart that he wouldn’t defile himself with the king’s meat. We are to purpose to cleave to the Lord. Ruth clove to Naomi: she wanted Naomi’s God, and she was blessed for her purpose of heart. Husbands are to cleave to their wives. That’s a marriage covenant, and to cleave to something you have to be close to it. We need to purpose to be close to the Lord; to keep going on, pressing on, for Him.
Barnabas preached, and many people were added, not to the church, but to the Lord. That’s precious. When we are saved we are joined, as additional members, to Christ as a part of His body.
Barnabas went as far as he could go, but when he saw how many people were coming to the Lord, he said, “We need someone like Saul here.” So he went off to Tarsus, found Saul, and brought him back to Antioch. They stayed there for a year and taught many people.
We now have Jerusalem as the first Christian assembly, and Antioch as the second. (Actually the first mention of the word translated “assembly” by some is here in Acts 11.) It’s good to see how the word went on!
Hymn 380—Standing by a purpose true
Prayer