The Apostles Were Sent to Encourage Morality in the the World: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 We’re going to uh take a look this morning in the book of acts to watch how the apostles dealt with things in their time the early church Jesus we found in our last session he came to advance morality into the whole world not just Judah not just one kingdom but the whole world and today we’re going to look at the apostles they were also sent like Jesus was to encourage morality honesty right and good to the whole world not just one. Nation in Matthew 28:19 this familiar scripture at the end before Jesus ascended he said to his disciples his apostles I should say.

▶ 0:53 Go and make. Disciples king James says teach all nations make disciples is a better translation a follower not just a person that believes in Christ but one that follows Christ’s commandments and his dictates and he said make disciples of all nations don’t just stick with the Jewish kingdom anymore it’s got to be all nations and teach them to observe all things I command you and the only right anyone has ministers pastors evangelists or just Christian believers the only thing we have a right to teach is what Jesus said to teach and even in the book of acts they said they would continue in the apostles doctrine Jesus taught the apostles we can’t come in with our own ideas and our own opinions we got to teach what he said to teach now now we find that they obeyed and preached moral repentance in Luke 24:476 again at the end before Jesus ascended he told his apostles it is written for Christ to.

▶ 2:17 Suffer he was going to be beaten he was going to be ridiculed verbally he was going to be killed and he was going to rise from the dead the third. Day and and after all of that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations and so Christ sent the apostles to preach repentance feel bad for doing wrong and turn from doing wrong and bring forth the fruit of repentance by doing right and good in Acts 238 Peter said to the people repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and so we find the apostles following Jesus instruction their basic teaching was turn from wrong and do what’s right turn from error and turn to.

▶ 3:24 Truth we find also in Acts 3:19. That the apostles preached repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so acknowledging that you’re wrong admitting you’re wrong and God is right remember we got to do what’s right in the eyes of the Lord not what’s right in our own eyes Acts 8:22 repent of your wickedness and pray to God that the thought of your heart may be forgiven you in Acts 17:30. These times of ignorance now they’re talking about idolatry idolatry worship and idols and eating meat sacrificed to idols and these things he says in times these times of ignorance God overlooked he he winked at he didn’t hold men accountable he kind not that he didn’t hold him account he kind of overlooked it he was merciful but now he commands all men how many men all men and it is it a suggestion no it is a command now he says I’m not overlooking these things anymore I command all men to repent because he has appointed a day in which he will judge mankind in righteousness by Jesus then we remember there’s five signs of moral.

▶ 4:53 Decline Ahaz gave them first was the children and in Acts 21:4 this is a very good scripture finding disciples in Tyre. Tyre was a city on the mediterranean sea coast basically a heathen town heathen city we stayed there seven days with the disciples the followers of Christ and they told Paul by way of the Holy Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem we departed and went our way after 7 days of services and teaching and they all accompanied us every one of these disciples took off from the day stopped what they were doing to escort and and say goodbye to these uh teachers of God’s word and they accompanied us with their wives and their children they did not just send their children to church and stay.

▶ 5:50 Home like a lot of Christians do today and when we were out of the city we knelt down on the shore and prayed those kids got to see dad. Kneeling they got to see mom kneeling before the king of kings and the Lord of lords you see you teach by your actions when you do what God says to do you don’t have to keep verbally telling people what God says to do they assume you’re doing it because God said to do it because people don’t go around kneeling publicly and they publicly knelt down and prayed and sought God and these kids knelt with them they saw mom they saw dad kneeling. Down the early church they brought their kids in they advanced morality in their children and in their family.

▶ 6:46 We find the early church was threatened by corrupt. Leaders. Paul declared to the people in Judea. And the people of the Gentiles that they should repent religious people non-religious people you got to repent and then he says what you repent to you turn to repent is turn the other direction so you turn from Satan and sin to God he plainly tells you what you’re turning to you’re turning to God you’re turning to truth you’re turning to. Right and do works suitable for repentance. Don’t just say I’m sorry for being this way change. It and he goes and on and says for this reasons or these reasons the Jews.

▶ 7:46 Seized and tried to kill me you see corrupt leaders they don’t want you telling them they’re. Wrong parents don’t want you telling them they’re wrong but the major doctrine of the Bible is you’re wrong if you’re not embracing God’s. Ways you’re not a disciple you’re not a follower you need to repent no matter how little you think it is you need to repent Acts 2425 as Paul reasoned of righteousness self-control and judgment to come. Felix the roman governor he is a roman leader a roman.

▶ 8:38 Governor and he hoped for a bribe he kept bringing Paul in hoping Paul would pay him and he would let him go but Paul would not follow the bribe you got to control your actions and he said this to a roman leader and the roman leader was corrupt they didn’t give in they didn’t close the church’s doors like Ahaz. Did they kept speaking the principle of righteousness and repentance. Now they also rejected efforts to change Bible doctrines and church patterns in acts. 4:18 the Jewish council called them and commanded these apostles not to teach or speak at all in the name of Jesus well that’s the opposite of what Jesus said to do he said go and teach in my name see preach repentance in my name so Peter and John answered the Jewish counsel and said whether it’s right in the sight of God to hearken unto you to listen un you and obey you more than God you decide you judge but we are going to decide we’re going to judge that we got to speak the things which we have seen and heard when we leave we’re going to speak you do what you want but we’re going to preach repentance in Christ’s.

▶ 10:09 Name they let him go that time Acts 528 did not we strictly command you here they are you see they here they are back in the Jewish council didn’t we tell you didn’t we command you not to teach in Jesus’ name and look you have filled your Jerusalem with your doctrine and what was that doctrine. Repentance see they obeyed God rather than man and so they answered again to the Jewish.

▶ 10:44 Council and the other apostles Peter and the other apostles answered the counsel we ought to obey God rather than men don’t you get it you guys now in 1 Corinthians 5 they were so strong in obeying God rather than man and not allowing people to bring in their own opinions into the church and Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5 put away evil from you and then he lists these things that they were to put away from them and he’s talking about believers when believers say they’re believers and they are living a sexual immoral life whether it’s homosexuality sex with children uh sex plurality of sex sex outside the marriage adultery whatever it is he says if they’re going to claim to be a follower of Christ they can’t do these things and if they do you got to put them aside that’s the capital punishment of the church the American church confronts no one on any sin and he lives and this guy is having sex with his father’s wife that means his stepmother.

▶ 11:53 You. See and the church is doing nothing about it so Paul comes in and says I’ll do something about it I’ll judge it this is wrong you put that guy out of the church until he. Learns he also lists the covetousness when believers say they’re believers or followers of Christ and they are given over to covetousness. Idolatry drunkards. Intoxicats and the American church is filled with alcohol. People I’ve seen them on the board stone. Alcoholics the board of churches but the early church stood up for repentance they stood up for turning from evil and they called it.

▶ 12:54 Evil and extortioners and revilers people that use their mouth to talk down people you know people can tear people up with their mouth. Man he said when you’re a believer and you are ripping people with your mouth get them out of the church until they learn not to do that now rome permitted these. Things the civil government permitted these things they don’t civil government didn’t have a problem with any you notice stealing isn’t mentioned. Now murder isn’t. Meed these are things that God says is wrong whether civil government agrees it’s wrong or church government agrees it’s wrong or not.

▶ 13:51 Amen the people’s own ways in the church they rejected and so many people want to bring their opinions into the church and folks a real church will follow God’s pattern God’s message. Regardless allelujah even if they don’t feel like it they challenge the plurality of God’s the plurality of God’s mandate that we have in America today that all roads lead to the same God in Acts 17:22 Paul came to Athens and he went through the city and he saw all these idols man they had a God for the sea a God of light the God of the plants the God of fertility the God of luck uh they had a God for everything not realizing if a God is supernatural he isn’t limited to one area if there’s a deity he has no human.

▶ 14:55 Limitations and so Paul saw all these idols and then he c cried out you men of Athens in the marketplace where they were assembled together you’re very religious I saw the objects of your worship I saw all these idols and gods that you have and in the middle of that I found an altar to the unknown. God and then he starts explaining the unknown God the one this one God whom you worship without knowing it. I proclaim to you he’s the God that made all things in heaven and in earth and he’s Lord of the heavens and the earth he’s in control of them he not only created them he’s in control of them he needs nothing he don’t need anything don’t you get it worship is for us prayer is for us assembling in church is for us it’s for our benefit he needs.

▶ 16:00 Nothing he doesn’t dwell in temples made by hand he doesn’t dwell in in the Crystal Cathedral or some building he dwells in. People people are his temple nor is he worshiped with men’s hands you can’t you can’t use a cross you can’t use a a dove you can’t use statue of mary or st christopher in your car to protect you on on the road and he gives life to all. Things and without him our preaching’s worthless without him our worships worthless he puts the life in it now let me tell you something else in America. Today bakers. Photographers corporation executives sports casters and professors in our colleges are getting attacked and pushed out of of their careers because of their expression.

▶ 17:03 Of moral convictions accepting the Bible moral convictions and Jesus who taught. Them we need to challenge the plurality of gods are you out there see they got us thinking their way so. Strongly that we’re for we just we’re just told to turn your cheek turny other cheek turny other cheek don’t say anything don’t stand up and the early church stood up are we seeing that the early church stood up the apostles and everybody else is they did not keep silent or compromise with bad laws nor did they quit serving Christ and obeying Jesus Christ they did not quit they never gave up they weren’t silent and they never.

▶ 18:09 Compromised Acts 81 there was great persecution against the church of Jerusalem they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea. Samaria except the apostles except the apostles these apostles were so authorative so anointed so empowered by God that in spite of this great persecution they could remain in the city without being harmed. Wow a lot of people call themselves apostles today folks this is real. Apostleship when everybody else in the church had to run from Jerusalem for their life these guys had a covering that they could stay right there in Jerusalem just like Moses remember that’s a meus man he stood against evil he stood against wrong when everybody was against him he stood for God that’s what a meekest man does Jesus was more meek than Moses and he stood against everything for the righteousness of God hallelujah so don’t give me this thing.

▶ 19:29 You got to be some kind of wimp to be. Humble are you. There. Anyway the apostles had such authority remember they could do miracles and this is my argument with the churches you’re appointing apostles and they can’t do miracles the Bible says the signs of apostle is they can do miracles that is a sign of an apostle don’t give me it’s a because they build a church or they go with the message everybody can go with the message you guys can take the message you’re an apostle because God makes you an ambassador with all the authority of heaven backing you.

▶ 20:14 Up and they could stay in Jerusalem and nobody could touch them why because God protected them and he didn’t protect the rest of he wanted the church to scatter because there’s a destruction coming and he wanted the church out of Jerusalem if you know your history and your Bible Titus is coming with his armies in a little while and they’re going to destroy and he wanted his people out but he knew the apostles could handle things and get everybody out and at the right time they would leave too and that’s how it happened do you know that and don’t think you can appoint yourself to be an apostle or appoint yourself to be a miracle worker or whatever God sets in the body as he sees fit accept your gifts accept your talents and live with that look at this Acts 11:19 those scattered abroad by the persecution traveled as far as fenus cyrus cyprus and antioch preaching the word the Jews only and a great number believed and turned to the Lord look how powerful this is they didn’t keep silent they didn’t compromise with bad laws and and keep quiet they had to run from persecuting to protect their and so forth they had to run but that was in God’s plan God’s order and God’s timing a great number of beli in turn to the Lord and folks there’s no apostle here they’re back in.

▶ 21:40 Jerusalem there’s no evangelist here there’s just church people sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and repenting from sin and dead works and multitudes are getting saved and it got so big at antioch that they had to send apostles up there to see what was going. On are you there see the church is powerful the members are powerful when they share the basic teachings of Jesus Christ and they live them and where were the believers of Christ first called Christians at anyia with no apostle around with no evangelist no pastor. No one with a spiritual office but when the offices heard of it they sent apostles up to check this thing out and it was.

▶ 22:41 Saw amen don’t we need a little that in America where God is just moving on a pew people or where you know things are growing so fast they got to bring in a real leader to you know confirm and and structure it and and and approve things wouldn’t that be great instead of all of us looking for the great mega church pastor to give us the word for the day or some prophet in the pentecostal circles of a prophecy of the week and yeah you know and and us spirit fills. Circles I’m a tongue talker I was baptized in the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues I actually did it and I learned to interpret them and if I told you I didn’t I would be lying okay but in our circles we had a tendency to rely on. Sensationalism we had a good service if we felt God to the bone whoa wasn’t that a great service and then we go out and we don’t pay our bills.

▶ 23:44 We don’t teach our children the right way to go we’re just messing up all you but boy we get in the next service yeah sensation. And I love the sensation don’t get me wrong I love the presence of God and and he is sensational but folks he is sensational if he’s doing nothing whether he comes with his fire whether he comes with his cloud where he comes with healing the sick and raising the dead he is still God amen. And this is what the early church stood. For and these people just preached repentance in Jesus Christ and they built churches throughout the nations and the apostles had to go and shore them up and make sure they were ran right and all that what I I would love to see that in America.

▶ 24:51 Hallelujah in closing the gates of hell. My point is this Jesus said I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it and I’m trying to show you an early church that fulfilled this. Scripture the early church literally fulfilled this. Scripture and remember death and hell were cast into the lake of fire this is the second death all right hell winds up in the lake of fire and then Revelations 2818 tells us who goes in in now you got to remember a gate is a defense to keep people out but it’s also an entry way to invite people in you see what causes you to be welcome to.

▶ 25:47 Hell what are the requirements to get through the gates. And we know that Jesus went into hell and preached. And we know that we have authority to go out into this world and snatch people from the gates of hell by the gospel of Jesus but let’s talk about the entryway the entry way into hell the cowardly the unbelieving the abominable the murderers the sexual immoral the sorcerers idolators and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death so when I’m too cowardly to confess Christ before my friends in the community when I am under such peer pressure that oh man you know serving Christ isn’t cool you know I’m too big of a coward Jesus said if you don’t confess me before men I won’t confess you before my father when I am too big a coward to tell people like these Christians at this college that just got shot they had the courage to say yes I’m a Christian bam they’re.

▶ 27:03 Gone unbelieving they won’t believe that Jesus was born of a virgin Jesus did miracles there was no sin in Jesus he had to lay down his life cuz no one could take it and he picked it back up again that fleshly body the fleshly body died but Jesus didn’t die just like your body will die but your spirit will live on come on it’s not hard to understand. Muslims the body of Christ died but Jesus you can’t kill the Spirit the spirit lived on and then that spirit connected back with the body on his resurrection you got it you got to believe and Jesus you got to believe the truth of the Bible the abominable there’s all kinds of abominations these these listed afterward are all abominations in the Bible and there’s a whole bunch more it’s detestable things abomination means detestable he hates them.

▶ 28:00 Murderers sexually immoral sorcerers witchcraft the occult idolators and all. Liars will find them themselves in the lake which burns with fire when these people in the book of acts said that you had to be circumcised to be saved they were lying to. Them you remember that story and Paul had to confront them they they went down to jer church in Jerusalem and they confronted the issue and when it was over the apostles the elders of the church and the whole congregation including this group that came out from the Jerusalem church preaching false doctrine including them changed their thinking and got back to what salvation was isn’t that powerful the church was united don’t we need that in America. The the apostles the church leaders the congregation united people keep telling me that it’s impossible for the church to be in unity I see it in the book of acts and I see it written in the scriptures and God can do it.