God's Promises fullfilled
Hello, I'm Pastor Greg of Calvary
Reformed Church and today for Father's Day.
We are going to be looking at Acts chapter two. We have been having a series on teachings about Pentecost and this is the fourth week next week. We are going to be looking at Acts chapter two also. Today is the fourth week of looking at Pentecost,
but today's Father's Day a day in which we celebrate dads. Some of us we had amazing dads, others of you may be struggled with your dad. I think one of
the most wonderful aspects about being a person of faith--- is to realize that Jesus Christ says to us that we can call Yahweh God, the creator of the universe, ABBA---the Greek word abba which means daddy----daddy that closeness that we're going to have. So whether you had an amazing wonderful earthly father whether you struggled ---know that we all ---when we become a child of God--when we give our life over to God--- we have the greatest DAD in the universe--- daddy.
Acts chapter two ---the Holy Spirit had just come down on 120 disciples, the eleven disciples plus the other people that were with them and I believe in the temple 50 days after the Passover. The Holy Spirit came down on them and then in Acts chapter 2 we –we read that Peter stood up with the eleven he raised his voice and he addressed the
Crowd--- fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem----- you got to remember this is Peter who just fifty days before this denied Jesus Christ… three times--- friends the Holy Spirit can change you. The Holy Spirit desires to change us.
The Holy Spirit changed Peter and Peter stood up with the rest and 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 for these men are not drunk as you know it's only 9:00 in the morning no this is what was spoken by the Prophet Joel. We are not quite
exactly for sure when the Old Testament minor prophet of Joel was written, some say different time frames, but I think probably in the ninth century BC and Joel wrote,
- in the last days God says I will pour out my spirit on all people
- your sons and your daughters will prophesy
- your young men will see visions
- your old men will dream dreams
- even on my servants both men and women I will pour out my spirit
- in those days and they will prophesy I will show great signs and wonders in the heaven above and signs and the earth below the blood and the flyer fire and billows of smoke the Sun will be turned to darkness in the moon to blood before the great before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
I love that last part of that verse, and everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Joel says-- that probably about 850 years or so before the Messiah comes ---that Jesus Christ the Messiah Peter quotes Joel by saying everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
We're going to look at that next week, that's going to be June 28th teaching but today we're going to look at simply verse 17 where Yahweh God says and then Peter quotes Joel by saying I will pour out my spirit ---I will pour out my spirit ----friends we're just going to just take 10 minutes to dissect those short words God says.
I will do it. I the creator of the heaven and the earth I. I am the one who met Moses on Mount Sinai and said Who am I. I ---the one who Jesus uses the seven statements the seven I am statements of
- I am the bread of life---I am the one says
who sustains you.
- I am the light of the world --I am the one that gives you light in your darkness
- I am the door of the Sheep--- I'm the one that protects the sheep from predators
- I am the resurrection and the life
- I'm the resurrection and the life
- I am The Good Shepherd I am the one that that that protects you that will lead you through Psalm 23 says our valleys to the cool waters
- I am the way the truth and the life--- Jesus is the knowledge of truth, he is the way he says I am the only way--- not multiple ways of what we hear today within society scripture says the one way and Christ says
- I am The True Vine---attach yourself to me as I am attached to the Father and you will bear fruit.
I sometimes I think that is all about us--- or me. I think that I need to build the church---we think that that the church is built around a person--- is built around a personality--- is built around a band --- or it is built around programs---- friends know the church is built on Jesus Christ alone! The triune God says I will build my church I. I am the creator Father, I am
the Redeemer Son, I am the Sanctifier—the Holy Spirit. Joel says I---- I not Joel for speaking for Yahweh God--- speaking for Jesus Christ.
I will I---- I love that word will. I will. There it is a word of determination it is a word of saying this is something that I am going to do. I am going to do it, the fact that I will do it Yahweh God says!!!
Takes me back to a story about my grandfather and this was before World
War II, during the Depression, in the Pella, Iowa
Area--- my dad's mom and dad were not wealthy but they were fairly well-to-do as a farmer. My grandfather co-signed a loan for a younger farmer and then the Depression hit. The younger farmer went under--- my grandfather sold his farm to pay for the younger farmers bills. My uncle who was about 10 years older than my dad--- grew up in one
household with having money. My dad grew up with having my grandparents having no money. My dad went off to World War two he came back, and he came back to Pella Iowa. Dad went to the bank in Pella Iowa to seek a loan for a car--- to get a car loan my dad used to tell the story that everything was going well and he felt good about it and having just come back from the war. The banker was all impressed with him and then he finally said
well, who was your father ---who was your father!!
My dad said at that point in time he almost left the bank because he realized that his father my grandfather had become a sharecropper after he lost all his money. Dad would tell the story that he said at that point he got up and said you know thank you very much for your time mister so-and-so.
As my dad got up and he started to leave in the banker said whoa wait--- wait who is
your father…. Garret sit back down---sit back down. Why was that--- because my grandfather was known as a man of his word. If he said he would do it he did it.
How much more friends, is not God when...God says I will do something I will do it!!! Friends you can take that to the bank, you could totally take it to the bank--- everybody else in your life, in my life at one point or another will disappoint me--- I will disappoint everybody in my life at times--- but there's only one who will never disappoint!!! The one who says “I will” do something-- it's not a maybe it's not a possibility--- it's not a we'll see--- but it's a definitive. Yahweh God says I am God the Creator. I will do this what does he say…Joel what does Peter
quoted in Acts chapter 2.
I will pour out ---I will pour out--- the generosity of God is immense, and the idea pouring out is to flow out is to gush forth three times in this chapter. The idea of pouring out is being used--- there is an emphasis that Peter is using ---the same
God who is sovereign over all--- has a determination to do that which he says he will do. Also has the generosity to carry it out. You ever think about grace ---grace yes, a lot of us use grace the acronym is God's riches at Christ's expense. I love that acronym God's riches at Christ's expense, but there is another aspect of grace. Grace is getting what we do not deserve getting--- what we do not
Deserve. I am a sinner saved by grace. I do not deserve grace Jesus says there is no one righteous, there was no one good---only the father is good. I do not deserve it--- but he gives it to me--- he gives it to you. That is grace ---that is the generosity of God that's poured out to us grace getting what we do not deserve.
Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Let me say that again--- mercy is not getting what we deserve. I deserve judgment from God --I deserve hell from God. I cannot have a goodness in my own life that is good enough for God, and yet out of God's mercy he does not give me what I deserve--
but out of out of his mercy he does not give me what I
deserve. He gives me what I do not deserve---which is a relationship with Jesus Christ. The generosity of God.
I--- God is sovereign
I will there is a determination and a definitive nature to God's Word it will take place!!!
I will pour out---- I will be gracious to you… I will give you mercy. I will pour out my love--- I will pour out my spirit for you.
My spirit---my spirit which is the personality of
God. If you come Sunday morning to Calvary I'm gonna get into this a little bit more….a little bit more
about your sons and daughters will prophesy--- your young men will see visions ---your old men will dream dreams--- the slaves will prophesy.
We are going to look at that Sunday morning a bit more when we are at the drive-in worship. But right now I just want to think about my spirit…my Holy Spirit which is the personality of God.
You got to ask yourself the question--- what is the basic element of God's personality? And then we got to go back to Jesus and what does Jesus say Jesus says--- God is love--- God is love and so much the fact that God loved us so much that He gave His only Son so that no one would die but that all of us could have eternal life--- if we accept his Son within our lives.
Do you hear that generosity of God? Do you see and do you hear that personality of the love of God. The Apostle John says to us in this way in 1
John 4:7 and 8, beloved let us love one another for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
I know I've said it the last four or five weeks---- I know other people online, have said it so much better than I have and yet the reality friends if we learned in our society to love one another--- if we
learn to love God first with our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves--- we would not have the protesting we would not have the disparity--- we would have people who say we want to walk in love with one another. Friends what we have is not a lack of education--- not a lack of wealth! What we have is a lack of love. What we
have is a lack of understanding and living out and having the Holy Spirit within our lives, the Holy Spirit being poured into our lives with the personality and the person of Yahweh God ---living through us by the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle John goes on here and in 1st
John 4 says for he who does not love--- does not know God for God is love!!!!! Isn't it beautiful--- God loves you God--- loves me but that calls for us to have an action of love for all within our lives.
So today, I just very simply with Acts chapter 2 verse 17 God says
- I will pour out my spirit
- I am sovereign
- I will--- God has a determination, God has a definitive aspect of what He will--- do that which he says he will do
- I will pour out----I will be generous to my people… I will be generous to you
- I will give you grace and mercy and
- I will give you my spirit. I will give you My personality--- your DNA will change and when our DNA changes--- as God is love ---we too are called to love our neighbors as we love
Ourselves.
I just want to close with the simple question today.
Are you living in your power or in the power of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit???
Are you living in your own power are you living in the power the one who says I will pour out My Spirit and I will give you life so you can walk in love with each other???
In the name of the Father Son the Holy Spirit.
May the Lord bless each person listening to this today. Amen.
