10/08/09

Peter Addresses the Crowd
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[a]
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[b] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'[c]

29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,[d] that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet." '[e]

36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38Peter 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. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."

Peter made the point of saying that these people were not drunk. He wanted everyone to know that these people were being filled with the Holy Spirit. He states in his sermon that the Old Testament prophecies had been fulfilled by Jesus, and they should listen to the testimony of other believers. Jesus is the Messiah and he can change your life. The “last days” include all the days between Christ’s first and second comings. The whole Christian age is known as the whole Christian age. This is the point where the Holy Spirit was released onto everyone. Think about that. Moses had the Holy Spirit put upon him singly and he wanted God to give it to everyone then. The Holy Spirit is very powerful and we are fortunate that God blessed us with it. God planned and achieved his goal with Christ, which is once again mentioned in Verse 23. How comforting this should be to those of us struggling today. The ends justify the means. The church was initially started 50 days after the Resurrection. There were many witnesses, therefore many testimonies. This was no accident either. The Resurrection proved that what Jesus said about himself was true. Verse 33 tells us that God gave Jesus the authority to send down the Holy Spirit because he was obedient. The people were moved after Peter’s powerful speech and asked “What shall we do?” We must ask the same thing. We must let God forgive our sins, and then live in obedience as His children. As God what you should do and then obey Him. To follow Christ, you must change the direction of your life from selfishness and rebellion against God’s law (repentance), and you must depend on him for forgiveness, mercy, guidance, and purpose. God is the only one who can save us. Be baptized if you haven’t already because it is a condition of discipleship and a sign of faith. 3000 people were saved at Pentecost. They began small groups to learn. We should also seek out other believers for fellowship, prayer and teaching. This is the way we grow.

Always remember that there are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. We cannot rush our attempt to become like Jesus. It takes time. God is never in a hurry because He sees our lives from an eternal standpoint and for an eternal life. Sometimes Christ has to get our attention by allowing problems in our lives that are bigger than us. The moment we finally open up to Him is only the beginning. Even though you think you have given it all to Him, there is still a lot in your life that you are unaware of. You can only give Him as much as you understand at that time. Like a military invasion, He will begin to take over more and more territory until you completely belong to Him. Jesus begins a good work in you and He will complete his mission. To be like Christ is your destination, but it will take your entire life to reach it. This journey involves believing, belonging and becoming like Him. God is more interested in our strength than our speed. Real maturity is gradual, and our lives will become brighter and more beautiful as we become more like Him after He enters our lives.

There are several reasons why it takes so long to grow up and change:

1. We are slow learners. We have to relearn a lesson many times before we get it right. We may be punished for doing something, but we often turn around and do it again. We need repeated exposure to change our way of thinking.

2. We have a lot to unlearn. Most of our problems and bad habits didn’t happen overnight and they will not disappear overnight. We must remove bad habits and replace them with new and good habits.

3. We are afraid to face the truth about ourselves in a humble way. The fear of our flaws causes us to live in denial. Only when we allow God to shine His light of truth on our faults and failures can we begin to see them for what they really are. We must be humble and teachable to grow spiritually.

4. Growth is painful and scary. Change comes with fear and loss. It is a package deal. You have to let go of old ways to experience new ones. We often build our identity around our defects. We worry that if we give up this habit, we will not be ourselves anymore. This can definitely slow down our spiritual maturity.

5. Habits take time to develop. Your character is the sum of your total habits. To be Christ like, you must practice Christ like habits and that takes time! Paul said “Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress.” These are called “Spiritual Disciplines”. Repetition causes a habit whether it be good or bad.

As we try to grow in our spiritual maturity, there are several ways to cooperate with Him as we proceed:

1. Believe he is working in your life even if you don’t feel it. Sometimes you will have a short, intense burst of growth like a tree in the Spring, which will be followed by stabilization. Don’t be disappointed if your problems, habits and hurts come through a gradual change.

2. Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned. Write down those life lessons that God teaches us. This is very helpful. You can review them as needed if you do this. Remember that we must relearn lessons. This is the basis of these journal entries. I didn’t even realize that I was following a plan at the time, but God has a way of leading us down the right path. It is very important to keep a grip on what we have learned so that we don’t stray.

3. Be patient with God and with yourself. Don’t get frustrated if things seem to be moving too slow. God uses a long process to develop us; especially if we are chosen to be leaders. He took 80 years to prepare Moses. God makes a mushroom overnight, but he takes a hundred years to build a giant oak tree. Don’t try to rush things. Let Him work so you become mature and well developed.

4. Don’t get discouraged. Things won’t happen right away, but His vision will be fulfilled eventually. Be patient, and they will come right on time. A delay is not a denial from God. You may not be where you want to be, but I bet you are not where you used to be if you are focusing on God. Keep moving forward. Remember that even the turtle made it to the Ark by taking one step at a time.

Our dear, precious, Heavenly Father. You are the reason that I breathe. You created the Heavens and Earth and everything in between. I cannot begin to fathom the power that you have. Lord thank you for this day and I pray that you give me opportunities to witness. Thank you for reminding me that you are there whether I feel you or not. Please help me to move when you say move and stay still when you say stay still. I ask again today for you to show me your will for my life. Lord I ask you to be with Steve in the loss of his father especially. I praise you for giving him the faith to know that you are also Lord of his life. I pray for his entire family to be given the strength that you have so generously afforded me. I pray for the rest of my friends and family that you will meet their needs so that they will grow closer in their walk with you. We know the sacrifices that you have made for us and we praise your name for it. Lord if there is anyone that does not know you that I may come into contact with, please impress on my heart to act and I also ask that you give me the words to say because any communication I have comes from you. I ask that you forgive me of my failures and sins as I am a sinner and can only survive with your love and mercy. In your precious name I pray.....amen