Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

From the Telescope to the Microscope

The fourth gospel was written by John. John is thought to be the youngest disciple and the first one to follow Christ. He is called the bosom companion of Christ. Someone was complaining that Jesus was being partial. I have no doubt that Christ loved John more than the others, but perhaps it was because John loved Him most. I think John got into the inner circle, and we can get in too if we will. Christ keeps the door open and we can just go right in. You notice that nearly all of John’s gospel is new from what is in the other three gospels. All of the eight months Christ spent in Judea are recorded here.

Matthew begins with Abraham, Mark with Malachi, and Luke with John the Baptist, but John begins with God Himself. Matthew sets forth Christ as the Jews’ Messiah, Mark shows Him as the active worker, and Luke writes about Jesus as a man, while John portrays Him as a personal Savior.

John presents Him as coming from the bosom of the Father. The central thought in this gospel is proving the divinity of Christ. If I wanted to prove to someone that Jesus Christ was divine, I would take him directly to this gospel. The word repent does not occur once, but the word believe occurs eighty-five times. The controversy that the Jews raised about the divinity of Christ was not yet settled, and before John went away, he took his pen and wrote down these things to settle it.

John gives us a sevenfold witness to the divinity of Christ:

Of course, there are many other verses that show His divinity, but I think these are enough to prove it to anyone. If I went into court and had seven witnesses who could not be broken down, I think I would have a good case.

Notice the I am statements of Christ from the gospel of John:

In the gospel of John, we find eight gifts for the believer: the bread of life, the water of life, eternal life, the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, and His words.

Now that we have looked at the Gospels through the telescope, let’s take a look at the book of Acts. A good lesson to study is how all through the book of Acts, defeat was turned to victory. When the early Christians were persecuted, they went everywhere preaching the Word. That was a victory, and so on all through the book.

Luke’s gospel tells of Christ in the body, while Acts tells of Christ in the church. In Luke, we read of what Christ did in His humiliation, and in Acts, what He did in His exaltation. With most men, their work stops at their death, but with Christ, it had only begun. Greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father (John 14:12). We call this book the Acts of the Apostles, but it is really the Acts of the Church (Christ’s body).

You will find the key to the book in Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.

We would not have seen the struggles of that infant church if it had not been for Luke. We would not have known much about Paul either, if it had not been for Luke.

There were four rivers flowing out of Eden (Genesis 2:10-14); here in Acts, we have the four Gospels flowing into one channel. I believe that the nearer we keep to the apostles’ way of presenting the gospel, the more success we will have. Some want to reach the lost by imitating the world. It is far better to follow the example of the apostles.

There are ten great sermons in Acts, and I think if you get a good hold on these you will have a pretty good understanding of the book and how to preach. Five of the sermons were preached by Peter, one by Stephen, and four by Paul. The phrase we are witnesses runs through the entire book. Today, though, we say, “We are eloquent preachers.” We seem to want to be above being simple witnesses.

1. Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Someone said that it takes about three thousand sermons to convert one Jew, but here three thousand Jews were converted by one sermon. When Peter testified of Christ and bore witness that He had died and risen again, God honored it, and He will do the same with you.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21)

2. Peter preaches in Solomon’s porch (Acts 3). It was a short sermon, but it did good work. They did not get there until three o’clock in the afternoon, and I believe the Jews could not arrest a man after sundown, and yet in that short space of time, five thousand were converted. What did he preach? Listen:

But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:14-15, 19)

3. Peter preaches to the high priests (Acts 4:1-12). They had arrested Peter and John and were demanding to know by what power they did what they did. Peter answered, Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead -by this name this man stands here before you in good health (Acts 4:10). When John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, was told he would be released if he would not preach anymore, he said, “If you let me out, I will preach tomorrow.”

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

4. Peter’s testimony before the council (Acts 4:13-22). They commanded Peter and John not to preach in the name of Christ. I don’t know what they would have done if they could not preach Christ. Some ministers today would have no trouble; they could get along very well without preaching Christ. About all the disciples knew was what they had learned in those three years with Jesus, hearing His sermons and seeing His miracles. They saw the things and knew they were so, and when the Holy Spirit came down upon them, they could not help but speak them. Do people see your life and hear your words and conclude that Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus (Acts 4:13)?

5. Stephen’s sermon (Acts 7:2-53). Stephen preached the longest sermon in Acts. Dr. Bonar once said, “Did you ever notice that when the Jews accused Stephen of blasphemy against Moses’ law, God lit up Stephen’s face with the same glory that He had given to the face of Moses?”

An old Scotch church usher once warned his new minister: “You may preach as much as you like about the sins of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but stick to their sins and don’t come any nearer to ours if you want to stay here.” Many church people don’t mind condemning the sins of those outside the church, but they do not want to deal with the sins inside the church. Stephen began with the Jewish forefathers, but he came right down to the recent crucifixion, and he stirred them up.

You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord , do not hold this sin against them! Having said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:51, 54, 59-60)

6. Peter’s last sermon and the first sermon to the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-45). Notice the same gospel is preached to the Gentiles as to the Jews, and it produces the same results.

Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. (Acts 10:43-44)

Now the leading character changes and Paul comes on the scene.

7. Paul’s sermon at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:16-41). An old acquaintance once said to me, “What are you preaching now? I hope you are not still harping on that old gospel.” Yes, thank God, I am spreading the old gospel. If you want to get people to come hear you, lift up Christ. Jesus said, And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself (John 12:32). Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you. (Acts 13:38-40)

8. Paul’s sermon to the Athenians (Acts 17:22-31). He got fruit at Athens by preaching the same old gospel to the philosophers.

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31)

9. Paul’s sermon, his testimony, at Jerusalem (Acts 22:1-21).

Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name. (Acts 22:16)

10. Paul’s defense before Agrippa (Acts 26:1-29). I think this is the best sermon Paul ever preached. He preached the same gospel before Agrippa and Festus that he did down in Jerusalem. He preached everywhere the mighty fact that God gave Christ as a ransom for sin, that the whole world can be saved by trusting in Him.

So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. (Acts 26:22-23)

We have looked at the telescopic method in order to see the big picture. Let me now briefly show what I mean by the microscopic method. Take the first verse of Psalm 52: Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long. This verse naturally falls into two divisions: man on the one side, and God on the other. Man – evil; God – mercy. Is any particular man addressed? Yes, Doeg the Edomite, as the preface to the psalm suggests. You can find the historic reference of this verse and psalm in 1 Samuel 22:9. Now take a concordance or topical Bible and study the subject of boasting. What words mean the same thing as boasting? One synonym is glorifying. Is boasting always condemned? In what does Scripture forbid us to boast? In what are we exhorted to boast?

Thus says the LORD, Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Treat the subject of evil in a similar manner. Then ask yourself if this boasting, this evil, is going to last always. No. The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment (Job 20:5). I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found (Psalm 37:35-36).

The other half of Psalm 52:1, The lovingkindness of God endures all day long, suggests a study of mercy (or goodness) as an attribute of God. How is it manifested temporally and spiritually? What verses do we have about it? Is God’s mercy conditional? Does God’s mercy conflict with His justice? Now, since the goal of Bible study as well as of preaching is to save the lost, ask yourself if the gospel is contained in this text. Turn to Romans 2:4: Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? Here the verse leads directly to the subject of repentance, and you rise from the study of the verse ready at any time to preach a short sermon that may be the means of converting someone.

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