April 1, 2018
Scripture:
Scripture:
Hymn 198 – There is a Name we love to hear
Prayer
We’ve been talking about Pentecost, the time when the Spirit of God came to live inside of Christians.
Acts 2:4-8
We’ve seen how cloven tongues came and sat on the heads of the disciples. The disciples then began to speak in different languages. There were many Jews in Jerusalem right at this time, and they spoke a lot of different languages. Each were able to hear the disciples speak in their own language, however. They were amazed; it was marvelous!
This reminds us of the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis. Genesis 11:1-4, 6-9. Here, everybody spoke the same language, which would have been very convenient. These people wanted to make a tower and a name for themselves, because they didn’t want another world-wide flood (like in Noah’s day). However, they weren’t seeking the Lord’s will, and were just doing whatever they wanted. So, the Lord changed the languages that they each spoke, and that was the start of all the different languages. The Lord used this to the end the city and scatter the people across the Earth.
Back in Acts 2, everyone was hearing the disciples in their own language. Vv.9-11. Usually, you would have to work a long time to learn a language, but here the disciples were able to do it immediately. Everyone was able to hear the disciples testify of the wonderful works of God. We can still tell people about the wonderful things that God has done, and how He is ready to accept those that come to Him in repentance and faith. It’s the same Gospel that the disciples preached. Maybe we can’t speak in other languages, but we have the same Holy Spirit to help us, and the same wonderful works to tell about.
V12. The people listening to these wonderful works asked, “What does this mean?” We hope that those who hear the Gospel today ask the same thing. It means that they should repent and take the Lord as our Saviour.
Next time, we’ll see how Peter got up here and gave a marvelous speech explaining how the Holy Spirit and come, and how God had reversed what these Jews had done. They had killed Jesus, but God had raised Him from the dead. He is still sitting at the right hand of God today, and is still our Saviour, just as He was the disciples’.
John 1
The beginning of this gospel is a marvelous chapter. The Gospel of John brings out the Lord and His glories in His ministry. Here, at the beginning, one of the trinity is singled out as doing creative work - the Lord Jesus. In this gospel we get a glimpse of the creation of God. Everything that was originally created in Genesis went to ruin, and then a new creation was made.
The “Word’ speaks of the Lord. Some translations say, “Before the beginning” in verse two. This is the beginning that had no beginning. We weren’t made to understand things that are infinite. God always was and is. That is hard to grasp. The Lord is eternal. The life He had was eternal life. Eternity goes on forever in both directions. “In the beginning” He was with God. He was always God. A God that is more then one. He doesn’t try to explain it; He just says that this is how it was. It was always this way.
In Proverbs 8 we have wisdom personified, but we can also see it as an example of Jesus. The Father delighted in the Son from the beginning, and the Son delighted in the sons of men. So this included men after the fall.
Hymn 338 - I love my Saviour, my precious Saviour
Prayer