THE HAND OF THE LORD

Acts Chapter Eleven

Sermon of the Week #200609—March 3, 2006

           And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number of them that believed turned unto the Lord. When Stephen was murdered the members of the Church were scattered abroad. His blood was the seed of expansion for the gospel of Christ. The slaying of Stephen resulted in a tremendous growth of the Church.

If the Church, then and now, had called a meeting to discuss by what means they could make it grow, they would never have thought of this idea. The Church today jeers at the past, cheers for the present, and fears for the future. If the Church of the first century had been like today, they would have said, “The best way to make the Church grow is to change the name to some kind of Community Church; that way, nobody knows exactly what it is. Offer all who come a cup of coffee and a donut and tell them to come as they are, even if you look like you just got out of bed in the morning.”

The Devil thought the killing of Stephen was the best way to stamp out the Church, but actually his plan backfired and the gospel spread like wild fire. The persecution that followed scattered the disciples everywhere. Some of those that were scattered abroad had the unmitigated gall to actually preach Jesus to the Gentiles also. The upshot of all this is when it says, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and many of them that believed turned unto the Lord.” We can be sure that whenever and wherever the gospel of Jesus is preached, the hand of the Lord is in it. The hand of the Lord was with them.

The hand is a powerful instrument of mankind. The hand is mentioned over twelve hundred times in the Bible. No other created form of life has hands like mankind. Other living creatures have claws but because a man has a thumb that works with the other four fingers, he can make a watch, a needle, a computer, and a thousand other things. If the hands of man are so great, think of how powerful the hand of God must be. The hand of the Lord was with them.

You could take this statement and make a rubber stamp of it and stamp every page of the Book of Acts and it would be true about everything that was done. How else could you explain the onward march of the Church in that one-generation of the lives of the Apostles? The Book of Acts has twenty-eight chapters; over one thousand verses and is the greatest do-it-yourself movement in history, because the hand of the Lord was with them.

Since the hand of the Lord is with us in preaching the Word, our work in preaching the Word on this broadcast is in the hands of the Lord. If it had not been we would not still be bringing it to you after more than forty years. And the hand of the Lord seems to be with them throughout this chapter. Notice that the hand of the Lord was with them in the CONTENTION.

CONTENTION

The chapter begins with Peter being called on the carpet for preaching to the Gentiles, “When he was come to Jerusalem they contended with him, because he went into a gentile’s house and ate with them.”

Many a preacher has become upset when confronted by a disgruntled bunch of elders, but think of Peter facing the Apostles as well as other leaders of the Jerusalem Church. Wonder if they said, “Peter, you have gone too far this time, we are going to fire you.” Did Peter think to himself, “I’d better pull in my horns, er ah, I mean pull in my halo, I might get fired; before long I will be fifty years old and where could I find a Church that would want an old codger like me?”

Peter took a different method. He told them what happened. He said that he had been in the city of Joppa praying. He could have said, “I was in the city of Joppa raising the dead.” Actually that is what he had done. That might have given him more clout and a greater effect on his critics. He further told them that he saw a great sheet let down out of Heaven by four corners, and it came even unto me. Think of that! The sheet let down from Heaven by four corners came unto Peter personally. That is the only way to look at the revelation of God. The Bible has come down out of Heaven and it has come even unto me. It is God’s personal message to me. Take the Word of God personal. He then said that he fastened his eyes on it and considered the thing. Since the Bible has come down to us from Heaven, we ought to fasten our eyes on it. Not very many can fasten their eyes on the Bible because their eyes are fastened on television about four hours every night and for some, most of the day. Not only did he fasten his eyes on the sheet let down from Heaven, but also he considered the thing. What better advice is there in the Word of God? Fasten your eyes on the sheets of God’s Word and consider what you read. Billy Sunday, an evangelist of yesteryear, used to sign all of his letters with Second Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God.”

Peter told them about a great sheet that he saw in a vision let down from Heaven, filled with all manner of beasts and creeping things. A voice came from Heaven saying, “Rise Peter, kill and eat.” Peter looked at all those oysters on the half shell, he saw all those shrimp cocktails, those succulent catfish, all of which would have been unclean to a devout Jew, and said something like this, “Lord, I’ve done some terrible things in my life, I have cussed and swore, I have even cut people’s ears off, but I have never sunk so low down, I have never been so depraved, that I have ever succumbed to the fleshly temptation of eating a ham sandwich, and Lord, make that a ham on rye.” Actually he said, “Not so Lord, I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

There are many people in the Not So Club. The Bible has come down to us from Heaven, even as that great sheet, and many look into the sheets of God’s Word let down to us from Heaven and see a lot of things they don’t want to see and they say, “Not so Lord!” If they see the verse that says, “Whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” They say, “Not so Lord!” If they look into the sheets of the Word and see a verse that says, “Man shall not lie with man kind as with woman kind, it is an abomination”, they say, “Not so Lord, you are politically incorrect.” If they see a verse that says, “It was on the first day of the week that the Church of the New Testament observed the Lord’s Supper”, some are quick to say, “Not so Lord!” To say, “Not so Lord” is the same as saying, “I know better than you, Lord.”

Sometimes in our personal lives we say, “Not so Lord!” Everything is going well and life is going according to plan. And then something happens; the Doctor informs us that we have a terminal cancer, a triple bypass is needed, we lose our job, and we say, “Not so Lord!” Something called Nine Eleven happens, a hurricane wipes out many homes and lives, and we say, “Not so Lord! This is not the way it is supposed to be. I never planned it this way.” Sometimes people are apt to say these things that happen are the judgment of God. If a hurricane is the judgment of God, one wonders while God was at it, why did He not send a tornado down the main street of Las Vegas, and a first-class earthquake to wipe out Hollywood? The question is asked, “Where is God?” God is in the same place He has always been. The same place He was when mankind, including us, nailed His Son to that ugly Calvary’s cross. Not so Lord! We will all get the answer to all these things on the Judgment Day. For the Christian, a better way to say it is in the words of the gospel song, “Not now, but in the coming years, it may be in the better land. We’ll read the meaning of our tears and there sometime, we’ll understand.” Whether we like it or not the scripture still says, “All things work together for good even to them that are called according to His purpose.”

Peter said, “Who was I that I could withstand God?” Peter finely realized he could not argue with God. What God said was plain enough. If God said, “Preach to the Gentiles,” he had no choice but to do it.

In Peter’s defense he said of the household of Cornelius, “It happened unto them even as on us in the beginning.” It had been about eight to ten years since the Day of Pentecost and Peter referred to the baptism of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius as the second time it happened. He was surprised to see it again. He was convinced that God wanted everybody to hear the gospel and have access to eternal life.

Actually the Great Commission had been plain enough, but even the Apostles had missed what Jesus said. He said, “Preach to every creature.” They thought He meant every creature that is a Jew. At last they understood. The gospel is for everybody. Many people read Acts 2:38 about repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, and just can’t see it. They think it says, “Repent for the remission of sins and then be baptized because your sins have already been forgiven.” It may take more than ten years for them to see the obvious, and many will never figure it out. They say they have to follow their conscience in this matter, but in many cases following their conscience is following their prejudice.

As in this case of contention, the Church was on the verge of explosive growth. For the hand of the Lord was with them. Notice now that the hand of the Lord was with them in the commission.

THE COMMISSION

At last the Church was ready to roll. They therefore that were scattered abroad upon the persecution that began about Stephen went everywhere preaching the Word. It was not just a matter of preaching sermons in a house of worship, but speaking to others in conversation in the normal activities of the day.

A survey was once made about the best method of advertising and the conclusion was that the best way to spread the news about a product is by word of mouth. They went everywhere preaching the Word by word of mouth. He, who whispers down a well about the product that he sells, will never collar all the dollars as he who climbs a tree and hollers. Jesus tells us, “What ye hear in the darkness speak ye in the light, what ye hear in the ear, preach from the housetops.” Give the winds a mighty voice, Jesus saves, Jesus saves. So they evidently understood that the Great Commission was to preach the gospel of Christ everywhere. Some of us have the idea that Jesus wants us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to middle-class white folk. It is a common experience to see a thriving congregation re-locate when the wrong kind of people begins to move into the area. The hand of the Lord was with them in the contention and the hand of the Lord was with them in the commission, and next we note that the hand of the Lord was with them in the name Christian.

CHRISTIAN

When they were scattered abroad some of them went to Antioch, the third largest city of the Roman Empire, and preached to the Gentiles.  And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great many of them that believed turned unto the Lord.

Because the hand of the Lord was with them it says that many of them that believed turned unto the Lord. They did two things; they believed and turned. Before they turned they were facing the Devil. After they turned they were facing the Lord. There are many now that believe in the Lord but never turn. They were facing the Devil before they believed in the Lord and after they believed in the Lord they were still facing the Devil. The Church is filled today with many believers who have never turned. Like the Devil, they believe and are still facing Hell.

The report came to the ears of the Church at Jerusalem and they sent forth Barnabas as far as Antioch, “And when he came and saw the grace of God was glad; and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord: for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.” His advice was good, “Cleave unto the Lord.” Many cleave unto the Lord for a short time and then leave the Lord. Cleave unto the Lord, but don’t leave the Lord. He that endureth unto the end the same shall be saved. Then seeing the need for more help he went to Tarsus to seek for Saul and the two of them worked together for a whole year, and the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

One time I received a letter from a man who told me that he lived in a community where there was no Church. He said there was an abandoned church building of one denomination that was not being used, so the people of that area began to assemble there for services. He said that since they came from different religious backgrounds they decided to call themselves a name that all could agree on. They called themselves Christians just like they did at Antioch. He further stated that they decided to agree on a baptism they could all agree on and that was by immersion. He said that no one objected to that way of doing it. In his letter he said that he had been listening to me on the radio and I seemed to preach what they were already doing. He asked me if I would come and hold them a revival and I did. One woman told her husband that he ought to come and hear this guy. Her husband said, “If that preacher is any good what is he doing in a place like this?” He did attend and believed on the Lord and was immersed into Christ. A short time later he was instrumental in starting a Church of Christ congregation in a city nearby. The hand of the Lord was with them primarily because they had chosen a name that all could agree on, the name Christian.

Think of what the religious world could do if we could all agree to wear that name and that name only. The world is not going to be conned, fooled, duped and hoodwinked into thinking that three hundred odd denominations are indeed all one. People are not that dumb.

Why not be satisfied to be a Christian and a Christian only. Look at these people at Antioch. They were not known as Catholics or Protestants, nor did they call themselves by any other denominational name. If you had asked them what they were they would have said, Christians. Why not get rid of all excess baggage and be Christians and Christians only?

Some seem to think that the name Christian was given by the enemies of the Lord. For one thing, the Apostle Peter recognized it as an official name when he urged Christians not to be ashamed to suffer for that name. Followers of Christ were called many things in scripture more so than Christian, such as saints and disciples, but the name Christian is the name that is recognized above all others. Personally, I can’t see how that glorious name was given by the hand of the Devil. Why would the Devil want to give them such a flattering name that glorified Christ? If the Devil had anything to do with naming the followers of Christ, he would have influenced them to wear the same denominational names that people wear today. All of the various names today that divide believers in the Lord were a masterstroke of the Devil to tear the Church apart. Remember how James said, “They blaspheme the royal name by which ye are called.” What is the royal name by which we are called if not the name of Christian? Your denominational name is not the royal name that James referred to.

The name Christian sets that person apart from the rest of society. People hold the Christian to a higher standard of conduct than anyone else. If a Christian makes a mistake the world is quick to sneer and retort, “And you call yourself a Christian!” The world may find excuse for the conduct of anyone else, but for the Christian; they expect us to be different. That is why Peter said, “For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a meddler in other men’s matters: but if a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name. For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God.” There is one thing you can say about the Church at Antioch in the matter of contention, commission, or on the wearing of the name Christian, “The hand of the Lord was with them.”