Acts 4:13- When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus
You will need to read the entire account that takes place in the 4th chapter of the book of Acts to gain the background needed for my comments. Go ahead, I'll wait. I see that you're back. It is a great story isn't it? I see 4 mistakes that were made by those that were questioning Peter and John.
1- They considered Peter and John ignorant men…….
Although it was true that these men were rough neck fishermen and they were not considered intelligent, formally trained scholars with regards to the intricacies of the law, they were far from spiritually ignorant. They had an education unequal to all others. They had sat at the feet of the Master for over 3 years and been trained by the greatest teacher of all.
2- They came to the conclusion that these me HAD been with Jesus....
Although the compassion and love and the teachings of Jesus could not have helped but influenced their lives, Jesus was not simply in their past. Through the person of the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus was still with them every step of the way, guiding their every word and deed.
3- They came to the conclusion that they could silence them with threats....
The early church and it's leaders had one thing in common. They couldn't be stopped. These early church leaders were tough on the outside and tender on the inside. They were unbending, strong, determined, disciplined and empowered by the Holy Spirit. They were people who didn't know what it meant to quit and had an unconquerable sense of power. Yet they were Tender before God. They had an immediate awareness of His presence and they were sensitive to God's voice. They were passionate and unswerving in their dedication to God. They stood alone and knelt often. How could you ever silence these men with simple threats?
4- They should have never arrested them in the first place.......
In their feeble attempt to quite these men, they arrested them. This did nothing but draw more attention to the miracle that God had performed in the life of the lame man and the resurrection of Jesus they so feared. You can arrest the messenger, but the message will live on. Acts 4:4- But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand
When people of the world look at our lives, what is it they see? Unfortunately, many times in todays situations we are just the opposite of what these men were. We tend to be fragile on the outside and stubborn and tough on the inside. The slightest thing can derail us. When we are criticize, or something doesn't go well, maybe no one will help us, or it takes to much effort, possibly the cost is too great then we end up in the corner some where licking our wounds out of self pity. God then tries to speak to us in that condition and we are so stubborn that we refuse to hear Him. We tend to be to concerned with public opinion or what others might think more than what God is saying to us. If someone of the world would look at your life, would they take note of your compassion and love and say to themselves that you have been with Jesus?
May we be people who sit at His feet, learn of His ways and His heart, be emboldened by the Spirit, and be tough without and tender within. I pray that people are astonished by our lives and that they take note and recognize that we resemble our Father.
Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation
Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation that follows is taken from the collection of Lincoln's papers in the Library of America series, Vol II, pp. 520-521.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
Abraham Lincoln
Acts 2:38- Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
To repent of something to most people simply means to "feel sorry" for a particular act, but in the Greek the word "Repent" is made up of two words-
a- “to turn” around
b- “mind”
It actually means to turn your mind around. It more closely means to change your view. This is always then followed by an action of changing your behavior. I believe that there are a lot of worldly repented sinners around who feel sorry every Sunday morning regarding their actions of Saturday night. The problem is that feeling sorry does not mean that they have “scripturally repented unto salvation” Peter has just preached a powerful message proclaiming that Jesus is the true Messiah. He then tells them to repent and change their view about the one whom they have crucified…. Acts 2:37 tells us that "they were cut or pierced to the heart". They came under a Godly conviction.
Heb 4:12- For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Following the conviction of their heart, Peter instructs them in verse 38 to: Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins
The word “and” in the middle is a descriptive word. It is describing a process. Change your mind and your view about Christ (repent) and then publicly testify of your new faith or view by being baptized in water. Notice also the word “for” the forgiveness of sins…. FOR means, either as a means to, for the purpose of, being forgiven, or as a direct result of being forgiven. It does not indicate that the act of water baptism can somehow provide you with forgiveness of sins. A.T. Robertson is quoted as saying: "I understand Peter to be urging baptism on each of them who had already turned and repented and for baptism to be done on the basis of that forgiveness, which they had already received". A perfect example of this would be found by going back to the 1800's. If you were to find yourself in a post office back then, you would have seen a sign that read "wanted for robbery"- Jessie James. The sign did not mean that they wanted Jessie James in order for him to commit a robbery, the sign meant that they wanted Jessie James for the robbery which had already been committed. This is true as well for this verse. The instructions were for them to be baptized “for the forgiveness of your sins” Not that you can have forgiveness by being baptized, but because you have been forgiven already, you are to be baptized. Baptism is simply an outward sign or symbol of a declaration of the work of the Holy Spirit that has been done within your heart already.
We are then promised that through conviction and repentance, by proclaiming what Jesus has done in our hearts by the act of water baptism that we will also then receive the wonderful gift of the person of the Holy Spirit. What an incredible promise made to all who will receive.
Ps. 130: 4- But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Are we to fear the Lord? Why would forgiveness cause us to fear? Why would such a lovingly Heavenly Father want us to fear Him? Are we to walk around with trepidation and dread, trembling with fear when we think of our God? Yes and No. Over and over again in scripture when people came into contact with the presence of God, one of their responses was fear. When the mountain was ablaze with the might and power of God, He told Moses to bring the people close to Him and they were terrified. When John was on the island of Patmos and he saw the glorified Christ, he fell at His feet as a dead man. Jesus instructed him to "fear not". Psalms 103:14 tells us that "we are but dust" and mortal man within himself can not encounter the almighty, creator of all things and stand undaunted and unafraid in His holy presence.
Yet is that how God would wish us to view Him as we think about Him? Is this the persona that God would have us to present to the world? Again, yes and no. I believe that it is healthy and rational for us to have this understanding of God and to make clear to an unbelieving world that this Holy God will judge all things and that his power and might is beyond all reaches of our comprehension, and yet His compassion and mercy, His love and forgiveness is greater still. A hardened prisoner, condemned to death may not respond to the certainty of judgment and the dread of punishment and yet will no doubt be overcome with tears of gratitude with a unexpected and unmerited pardon.
Thomas Adams once said, "One would think that punishment should procure fear, and forgiveness love; but no man more truly loves God than he that is most fearful to offend him". Again he says, "We fear thee for thy justice, and love thee for thy mercy; yea, fear thee for thy mercy, and love thee for thy justice; for thou art infinitely good in both".
Robert Rollock is quoted as saying; This only is forcible to allure the sinner: for all the judgments of God, and curses of the law, will never allure him....Even so is it with the sinner; it is not terrors and threatenings that chiefly will move him to come to God, but the consideration of his manifold and great mercies.
Our fear of God should come to us as we realize the unbelievable truth that we are forgiven. Our fear should be that we may some how offend such a loving and generous God. Fear of not pleasing him, fear of not receiving His ultimate kindness, fear of the withdrawal of His presence. Fear of worldliness creeping into our lives. C.H. Spurgeon wrote: "None fear the Lord like those who have experienced his forgiving love. Gratitude for pardon produces far more fear and reverence of God than all the dread which is inspired by punishment." May we be overcome with fear as the forgiveness of God finds its way to us today.
Ps. 125:2- As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.
As the sun is coming up every morning, the people of Jerusalem get up from their beds and go outside their homes and look around to see the mountains encircling their land. It is normal and natural for them to be surrounded by the mountains. It is common place. It is all they know. It would be an unnatural event, or some kind of catastrophe if they were to walk outside their home only to find that the mountains were no longer there. When the sun goes down and the moon is lighting up their night sky, the outline of the mountains make up their sky line in the distance. The mountains can be a safe haven as they surround them. They have a sense of security and strength knowing that the mountains are there.
That is the way it should be with our lives as a Christian. Our lives are to be surrounded by the presence of the Lord. When we rise up in the morning and we step out of our beds, we should have a sense of the presence of the Lord. It should be as sure as the mountains that are surrounding Jerusalem. It should be common place in our lives. It should be unnatural not to know that God is there with us and is surrounding our lives. When we go to bed and the sun has went down, we should be aware that the presence of God is encircling our homes. There should always be this faint sense within our spirits that the sky line of our life is surrounded by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. His strong hand is a safe haven, security and strength for our lives.
The wonderful part of that verse is that the Presence of the Lord has always been around us (even before we knew Him and His great love for us) and will continue forever throughout eternity. The mountains will eventually be destroyed and this world will pass away (it doesn't say that the mountains will always be), but God will always and forever be with us. We can walk in great confidence, knowing that the Holy Spirit is all around us as sure as the mountains are around the city of Jerusalem.
May the breath and the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit be strong upon your life today. May He draw you close to Himself throughout your day.
