Year Two, August 1
The Lord Has Risen Indeed1
John 20:1-17
1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. (She and her companions had asked, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”2 When they arrived they found the stone missing. God often removes our difficulties out of the way long before we come to them.) 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. (If anyone had stolen the body by night, they certainly would not have left the grave-clothes, much less folded them up. Our Lord did not come out in a hurry, like someone breaking out of prison, but as a captive who had been lawfully set free. Jesus has made the grave a furnished apartment for rest and the folded face cloth may be used to dry the mourner’s tears.) 8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
Though the truth of the resurrection had often been repeated to them, they had not understood the real meaning. There is great need for the Holy Spirit’s teaching!
10Then the disciples went back to their homes.
11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (Heaven was rejoicing over the risen Lord. The happy fact of Christ’s resurrection was a promise of joy to the world. So why was this holy woman crying? It was ignorance that kept her sad. If we would learn more of the truth about Jesus, we would soon find comfort and encouragement.) She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Her love made her feel equal to any task. However grim and heavy the burden, she would handle it. Love would make it light.
16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (There will be time enough for another meeting. Do not attempt to delay me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go, tell those whom I still love. Tell them I have called them brothers and want to see them before I rise into my Father’s glory. Notice the tender love of Jesus. Remember, he has carried that same loving heart to heaven.)
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1 Luke 24:34
2 Mark 16:3
Year Two, August 2
Jesus Himself Drew Near1
While our Lord remained on the earth he showed himself to his disciples on several occasions.
Luke 24:13-35
13That very day (the day that the Lord arose,) two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. (When Christians make their Lord the topic of conversation, they may hope to be favored with his company.) 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. (Mark explains why they did not recognize the Lord. “He appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.”2 Jesus sometimes hides himself from those whom he loves best. He may be very near us and yet we may not recognize him.)
17And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! (He called them foolish ones, or lacking in thought and understanding. The original words do not imply disrespect. Our Lord was gently rebuking them because they did not see what was so plainly revealed in the Scriptures.) 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Did the prophets not predict it? How could it be otherwise?) 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, (No doubt he would have continued on if they did not seem to care if he stayed. Jesus never forces himself on us.) 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. (Love can always find a reason for the Lord to be with us. He is always very willing to fellowship with his people.)
30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. (The Lord often gives evidence of his presence in the precious ordinance3 of “breaking bread.” This is one reason his chosen take such great delight in it. Let none of us forget to do this in remembrance of him.) 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem, And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (The returning travelers immediately confirmed what the apostles had experienced.) 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
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1 Luke 24:15
2 Mark 16:12
3 ordinance - Religious rite or ceremony specified by God. In this case, the Communion Service, the Lord's Supper.
Year Two, August 3
Do Not Disbelieve, but Believe1
After his resurrection, our Lord showed himself to a group of his disciples.
John 20:19-31
19On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (The Lord’s appearing to the disciples when the doors were closed and locked must have both astonished and delighted them. When they were trembling with fear, Jesus came to reassure them with his words and smiles.) 20When he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
And well they should be glad, because his presence is the bottomless source of joy. See the loving harmony between Christ and his disciples! Jesus shows them his scars as encouraging proof that it is really he. Even today, the Lord shows himself to his chosen in a way the world cannot know. Oh, to see Jesus by faith.
21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.” (He gave them a command along with the power to carry it out; that is, the gift of the Holy Spirit. In addition, he authorized them to declare forgiveness in his name when they preached the gospel to repenting sinners, as well as to declare that the sins of unbelievers remain unforgiven. The good news is from Jesus. We are only his messengers.)
24Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
He did not attend the weeknight service and lost a blessing, as many have done ever since.
25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (He had no right to require that kind of proof. Unbelief is unreasonable in its demands.)
26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (Our Redeemer’s willingness to lower himself to our level is infinite. He understood the doubts Thomas had and, because he knew that Thomas was sincere and willing to be convinced, he agreed to his demands.) 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and My God!” (A look was enough. The moment Thomas saw the wounds he understood that Jesus is Lord and God. This is a sweet lesson. May each of us learn to trust in Jesus again every day.2) 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (The richest blessings are enjoyed by those who simply believe the word of God, even when they are surrounded with difficulties and have no visible sign that God will keep his word. The more childlike the faith the happier the heart.)
30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (Have we believed yet? If not, our reading of the Bible remains fruitless.)
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1 John 20:27
2 Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Year Two, August 4
Do You Love Me?1
John 21:1-6; 9-13; 15-19
1After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. (It was a good decision to stay together and enjoy the fellowship of other saints. Good company makes good people better.) 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. (They had no instructions about their spiritual business yet, so they did the right thing by continuing in their regular career. Nothing is more dangerous than idleness.)
4Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
9When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. (Everything tended to remind them of the previous times with their Lord. Fishing in the old place, the old failures, the old miracles, and the old meal, would all help them to recognize their Master. But what a new meaning all these things now had!) 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many the net was not torn. (“Be useful! Move forward! Follow Christ’s commands!” These were guiding principles for Peter and they should be for us too.) 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. (Jesus showed himself here to be what he still is: The Provider, the Host, and the Husband of his Church.)
15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (In this third question, the Greek word has a deeper meaning than the first two. It could be translated “Do you love me dearly?”) Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. (Peter had openly denied his Lord three times. He must now openly declare his love three times.)
18“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) (That is, by crucifixion.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Guilty Peter is now completely brought back into the fold. How powerfully those words “Follow me” would ring in his ears and influence his entire future. Follow me in doctrine, follow me in practice, follow me in sufferings, follow me in death, and follow me to glory. May the Lord say to each one of us with power, FOLLOW ME.
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1 John 21:15, 16 & 17
Year Two, August 5
If There Is No Resurrection of the Dead, Then Not Even Christ Has Been Raised1
The apostle Paul has collected the evidence of our Lord’s resurrection; from it he shows how it also proves the grand doctrine of the resurrection of all believers. His wonderful words have cheered the hearts of mourners in all ages and encouraged the faith of the saints. Let us read them with serious attention.
1 Corinthians 15:1-18
1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
This is the gospel. It is made up of great facts. Christ died for our sins; he has made the payment for our crimes against God. Christ was buried and has risen from the dead. This is the gospel in a nutshell! Those who genuinely believe these facts, and depend on the risen substitute for sinners, are saved.
(Paul goes on to say that Jesus really rose from the dead.) 5And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (No other event in history has better proof. The witnesses had nothing to gain and many of them even lost their lives for insisting that they had seen the risen Lord.) 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (Paul is talking about the time he was converted. This was when Jesus spoke to him from heaven and told Paul that the one he persecuted was indeed the Son of God.2)
9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (God had forgiven Paul, but he never forgave himself. Tears were always in his eyes whenever he remembered his sin.) 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (He always remembered the grace of God. We should think little of ourselves, but it would be dishonoring to God to belittle what he has done for us.) 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
Christianity stands or falls with the resurrection of its founder. No person can be a Christian and doubt the resurrection of the Lord. If Christ has not risen from the dead, then Jesus was an impostor and Christianity is a lie.
15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. (Who can believe the apostles are guilty of deliberately lying about this? Their characters, their holy teaching, and their martyr deaths all forbid us to include them with common cheats and liars. Their testimony is worthy of being trusted in every detail. Jesus did rise from the dead.) 16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (If Jesus did not rise, those who died relying on him were deceived, and have no one to defend them in God’s courtroom, and are therefore lost forever. The Christians in Corinth did not want to believe this, but if Jesus did not rise from the grave, Paul’s conclusion is correct.)
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1 1 Corinthians 15:13
2 The story of Paul’s conversion is found in Acts 9:1-19.
Year Two, August 6
But in Fact Christ Has Been Raised From the Dead1
The apostle Paul continues with his proof for the resurrection and speaks in the interest of all believers.
1 Corinthians 15:19-34
19If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
If there really is no resurrection, then the apostles suffered for no reason. If they, the leaders of the church, had been tricked, then their disappointment would be bitterer than others.
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
The risen Savior is the promise and guarantee of our resurrection. We will certainly live again.
21For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (Through Adam’s sin all who belong to Adam die. And by Christ’s righteousness all who belong to Christ will be made alive. There are two great covenant2 leaders. The first was Adam’s leadership under the covenant of works, by which we have fallen. The second is the leadership of the Lord Jesus under the covenant of grace, by which we rise to eternal life.) 23But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
24Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (As Mediator,3 all power is given to our Lord Jesus in heaven and on earth. He will continue to use this power until he has defeated every enemy. Then he will no longer need to act as the person who pleads for us before the Father. Then the universe will come under the direct and sovereign authority of God as God. Then the Blessed Trinity will shine brightly before all the redeemed. Then all believers will enter in to direct fellowship with the Triune God.)
29Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?
As one believer died another came forward to take their place and positions in the church were filled by new converts. Why would anyone be so eager to do this if our existence ends at death? Baptism is a picture of burial and resurrection. It loses its entire meaning if there is no rising from the grave.
30Why am I in danger every hour? 31I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!
His life was always in danger. What was the use of enduring such hardships if, after all, death turned out to be an endless sleep? The suffering Christian is the greatest of fools if the dead do not rise.
32What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (If this life is all there is and there is nothing after it, then the most sensible thing to do is to enjoy all the pleasures we can while the days fly by us. The apostle had been tortured before the crowds in the Roman amphitheater and had escaped. But why run such risks for a mere dream?)
33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. (The Corinthian Christians lived among philosophical skeptics and learned to doubt. Here, Paul is warning them of the danger of close fellowship with unbelievers and rebukes them for so shamefully questioning the necessary teaching of their religion. God save us from the evil influence of this unbelieving generation.)
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1 1 Corinthians 15:20
2 covenant - A contract, promise, guarantee, pledge or agreement between two or more persons.
3 mediator - a person who attempts to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement; a go-between. As used in the Bible, Jesus Christ intercedes between God the Father and Christians; that is, he prays for them.
Year Two, August 7
O Death, Where Is Your Sting?1
We will now finish Paul’s wonderful chapter on the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
35But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come? (The implication is that a dead body decays and cannot be raised back to life. Paul has little patience with this kind of unbelieving question. His answer is powerful.) 36You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. (You cannot tell by looking at a seed what kind of plant it will be. Neither can we look at our bodies and know what they will look like in heaven. The dried up seed is nothing compared to the lovely flower that comes from it. The bodies we live in now cannot begin to compare with the wonderful bodies we will have in eternity!)
39For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. (All of these things are different from each other. In the same way, our resurrection body will be different from the one in which we now live. It will still be our body, but it will be different in many ways.)
42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown a natural body; (It is like the body of any animal in that it lives and breathes and moves.) it is raised a spiritual body. (Our new body will be immortal, designed for the immortal spirit that gives it life.) If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, (Our soul lives in our natural body. This applies to all mankind.) and then the spiritual. 47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (Blessed assurance! We were born in Adam and inherited his body and sinful nature; we are born again in Christ and will inherit a perfect body and a sinless nature.)
50I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. (Those who are alive when Jesus comes must be changed before they can enter heaven.) 53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
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1 1 Corinthians 15:55
Year Two, August 8
It Is Good to Sing Praises to Our God1
Having now completed our reading of the life of our Lord up through his resurrection, we have selected a few choice psalms on which to meditate.2 The first is full of praise and worship.
Psalm 147
1 Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
Not many things are both good and pleasant. Medicine is good, but not pleasant. To the ungodly, sin is pleasant, but it can never be good. However, praising God is both good and pleasant!
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
The Lord builds up his church with poor souls who condemn themselves and are rejected by the world. His grace delights to select people like this and do great things for them.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Read these two verses again. The Lord who names the countless stars also bends over wounded sinners and heals their broken hearts. Amazing love! We are lost in wonder just thinking about it!
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
The Creator takes care of his creation. He hears the ravens cry and feeds them. Will he not hear us when we confess our sins and ask for pardon? Yes, he will.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
We value people by how strong they are, but God cares more about their weaknesses. We admire those who can run very fast, but he favors those who have learned to rest in his mercy. Let those who are weak in body and mind be comforted, knowing that the Lord of Mercy is concerned about them.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
The Lord is our strength and our shield.3 Our protection comes from him; even the bars on our doors will not help unless the Lord strengthens them. It is the word of the Lord that brings peace to us in this world and peace in our hearts. Nothing will stop God from accomplishing his will.
16 He gives snow like wool;
So that the tender plants are protected from the frost.
he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
Those who live in severe climates understand the force of these words. It is a striking expression. If God should remove his grace and works in nature from us, we would quickly die. Who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
Ice, snow, frost, all vanish at his command.
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the LORD!
Those of us who live in free countries should be as thankful as ancient Israel. As a family we have been highly favored. Let us all praise the Lord together.
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1 Psalm 147:1
2 meditate - Think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence. Contemplate, think, consider, ponder, reflect.
3 Psalm 28:7
Year Two, August 9
He Satisfies the Longing Soul1
Today’s instruction is from that holy hymn of praise, Psalm 107.
Psalm 107:1-22
1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
If all the rest of mankind is silent, the redeemed must not be. They must lead the song and tell how the Lord leads them through the wilderness to the promised rest. The psalmist talks about the Lord’s goodness to those who travel across the desert. We are those travelers.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
The English proverb goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” But we say necessity is often the mother of prayer and prayer comes before deliverance. Our soul may faint, but as long as we can pray we will not perish.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
The part of this psalm that refers to God’s people who are travelers ends here. The song now tells about the Lord’s goodness to prisoners. All the saints have been spiritual captives and therefore, they should praise the Lord as they remember how he set them free.
10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
“They cried to the Lord.” What caused them to pray? They were chained by conviction for their sins. They were weary from trying to please God with their good works. They felt utterly helpless. This is what forces people to pray. And then their deliverance comes. God has made his grace famous by liberating prisoners who hope in the Lord.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of men!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
Now the psalm deals with the sick, especially those whose sickness is brought on by their own foolishness. Here again, we see ourselves.
17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of good,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
Sick people play with their food, because they have no appetite. In the same way, people who suffer from sickness of the soul refuse the best of comforts. They cannot believe the very promises that would cheer them if they accepted them.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
See the order here? The soul is very sick and it begins to pray. The Lord sends his word and the soul is healed. Praise is given and God is glorified. May these steps be the experience of each one of us.
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1 Psalm 107:9
Year Two, August 10
He Raises Up the Needy Out of Affliction1
It will be rewarding to finish the psalm we began in our last reading. May the Holy Spirit sweetly bless it to all of us.
Psalm 107:23-43
The divine poet now sings of the Lord’s mercy to sailors during storms.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
What a pity that they had not prayed earlier! What mercy on the Lord’s part to listen to them now! However long we may have neglected prayer, it is never too late to begin. If the ship is sinking, it is still not too late to cry to God.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
The Lord is in complete control. He commanded the stormy wind to blow and he ordered it to stop. Some so-called wise men give the credit to “Mother Nature.” But the more they distance themselves from God, the more their “wisdom” becomes depressing foolishness. True happiness comes from knowing that the Lord is near.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
Sailors should go to the house of God as soon as they land and join in praising the Lord. We are afraid that many who prayed on the sea curse on shore.
The song now deals with the various stages of human life and how the mercy of God can be seen in all of them.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
God, who turned the fruitful land into a wilderness, also changes the wilderness into a garden. He can bless or curse as he desires. Who would not agree with his choices? If we are in the worst condition, let us have hope, because the Lord turns dry ground into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
The Bible often points out these differences. We see them especially in the songs of Samuel’s mother Hannah and our Lord’s mother Mary. The Lord throws down the high and lifts up the low. Let his name be praised, because he deals with the wrongs of this evil world.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
The psalm is a spiritual riddle. Those who are taught of God will discover the meaning. Providence2 is often a mystery too, but faith sheds light on it, and sees the love of God in everything.
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1 Psalm 107:41
2 providence - refers to God’s will, his divine intervention, and his predetermination (predestination).
Year Two, August 11
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Help Me!1
We have previously selected portions from Psalm 119. It is so precious that we will continue to study it. Today’s reading begins at verse 81.
Psalm 119:81-104
81 My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
82 My eyes long for your promise;
I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
We have the word of God in the Bible, but we want the Holy Spirit to apply it to our hearts. We want this very much oh Lord, please grant our desire.
83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
Like an old wineskin blackened and dried up by smoke, he was worn out with pain and uneasiness. But he did not leave the path of holiness and, come what may, neither should we. It should not even cross our mind.
84 How long must your servant endure?
When will you judge those who persecute me?
85 The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to your law.
86 All your commandments are sure;
they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
A prayer as sweet as it is short. Let us use it: “Help me!”
87 They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.
We are always in need of the Holy Spirit’s revitalizing influences. Our hearts cannot remain loyal to the truth if they become disabled by concerns for the things of the world.
89 Forever, O LORD, your word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Other things can change or they only last for a brief moment, but the promises of the Lord are anchored and certain. This is our certain hope in times of trouble. What would we do if God could break his promises?
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 By your appointment they stand this day,
for all things are your servants.
Nature carries out God’s will. The laws of nature are set and permanent because the Lord makes them that way. In the same way, God’s plans and promises of grace last forever.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
94 I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I consider your testimonies.
Thinking about God’s laws and promises was far better than thinking about the danger he was in and planning ways to escape. Faith remains focused on God and is not disturbed by the rage of her enemies.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
but your commandment is exceedingly broad.
Perfect happiness in this world or living a perfect life are only dreams. But the law of the Lord is perfect and so is his marvelous plan of salvation. Rest in the Lord comes from turning away from the dreams of this world.
97 Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
He became wiser than his enemies in awareness, more understanding of God’s laws than his teachers, and more experienced than his elders. David reaped a fruitful harvest in the field of Scripture. Each of us may find the same wisdom if we learn from the same word of God.
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
No other teaching is so practical, useful, and effective. “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit.”2
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
May each of us have the same holy hatred of sin from this point on.
1 Psalm 119:86
2 Isaiah 48:17
Year Two, August 12
I Am Your Servant; Give Me Understanding1
Psalm 119:105-128
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
God’s word is a practical guide. It is not a book only for my study, but also for my daily walk.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.
107 I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word!
Our greatest need in times of trouble is more spiritual life. Afflictions will be holy to us if they wake up our need to trust in the Lord and live by his word. We have a promise that this is the case. The psalmist says, “Give me life, O LORD, according to your word!”
108 Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your rules.
109 I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
Fear will often drive the believer away from thinking about holy things and urge them to sin. Faith equips the believer to continue in quiet fellowship with God, even when their life is in danger.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
112 I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.
113 I hate the double-minded,
but I love your law.
114 Your are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
115 Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.
Bad companions must be chased away, because they are great enemies to holy living. We must be clear with the ungodly and tell them that their company will never please us until they learn to please God.
116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually!
118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,
for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,
therefore I love your testimonies.
A holy mind is not bothered when God, in his justice, crushes and destroys the wicked. Quite the opposite! We love him for being angry at evil and ridding the world of those who devote themselves to it. A God who would not punish wickedness would not be a God in the eyes of righteous people.
120 My flesh trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
When we see others punished for their evil, we feel a holy fear in our own souls, knowing how easily we too can be deceived by sin.
121 I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Give your servant a pledge of good;
let not the insolent oppress me.
123 My eyes long for your salvation
and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love,
and teach me your statutes.
We do not dare to ask for justice. At the same time, we do not ask for mercy that would allow us to continue sinning. We hunger for the grace that teaches us to pursue holiness.
125 I am your servant; give me understanding,
that I may know your testimonies!
A good master will teach their young servant their business and tolerate his ignorance. They can teach, but they cannot make their servant learn. But our heavenly Master can both instruct and give understanding.
126 It is time for the LORD to act,
for your law has been broken.
When bad living and bad doctrine2 give our religion a bad name, we may aggressively beg the Lord to become involved to protect his own interests. Are we not living in precisely such times?
127 Therefore I love your commandments
above gold, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;
I hate every false way.
David was a determined person. He held high principles and would not compromise. He loved right and hated wrong. That is the only safe place to be. Let it be where we are found.
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1 Psalm 119:125
2 doctrine - the belief or teaching of a church or group.
Year Two, August 13
My Soul Thirsts for God1
Psalm 42
This is a favorite psalm. It has cheered the hearts of God’s people many thousands of times.
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
As the hunted deer instinctively looks for the river to cool its hot body and to escape the dogs, even so my weary, persecuted soul pants after the Lord my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
He repeats himself to emphasize his strong thirst for God. He longed for God as the drooping flowers for the dew, or the moaning turtle for her mate. It would be good if every time we attended worship services we saw ourselves as appearing before God. If we did and found happiness in doing so, it would be a sure sign of God’s grace in our heart.
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
He had lost his appetite, because God was blasphemed. His tears of grief were his only food. It is healthy when we can cry because the Lord has been dishonored. Men do not often shed tears, but it is honorable to do so for the right reasons. Shakespeare referred to “honorable grief” displayed by “honorable dew” (tears).2 Our tears can be like so many drops of holy water, the kind Jehovah puts into his bottle.3
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
“I sigh to think of happier days
When thou, O God, was nigh;
When every heart was tuned to praise;
And none more blest than I.”4
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6and my God.
Verse five is a soliloquy. The psalmist talks to himself as if he is two persons. His faith reasons with his fears. His hope argues with his grief. Will these current troubles last forever? Not being able to attend the holy day celebrations in Jerusalem felt like he had been permanently banned from God’s people. As John Trapp5 says, “David scolded David out of the dumps.” There is a lesson here for those losing hope. The best surgery for grief often begins by searching out the cause of our sorrow. The saying, “Ignorance is bliss,” does not always apply. In this case, ignorance is misery.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
He thinks about his wonderful times of fellowship with God by the river and among the hills. He especially remembers the very special hour on the little hill, Mount Mizar, where love spoke her sweetest language and showed her closest companionship. It is great wisdom to store in our memory those times when our wonderful fellowship with God is almost like being in heaven itself. They may be even more special to us at a another time, when the Lord seems to withdraw his presence from us.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
David’s heartache was constant and overwhelming. It seemed to him that heaven and earth united to create a storm around him like the thunderous roar of waterfalls and ocean breakers crashing over him.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
To know the reason for our sorrow is in part to know how to escape it. At the very least, it helps us to endure it.
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
This last sentence is especially sweet. The enemies had said, “Where is your God,” and the persecuted one replies, “He is here. He is my joy and my all.” Faith is not ashamed to identify with God, even when her God is testing her very much. If we can keep our grip on the Lord when we are in the middle of great trial, we will come out of it safely.
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1 Psalm 42:2
2 William Shakespeare. King John, Act 5, Scene 2.
3 Psalm 56:8, “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” When God’s people are treated badly for his sake, the Lord notices and remembers.
4 From a hymn based on Psalm 42. Author unknown. The earliest reference we could find was a Methodist Episcopal hymnal dated 1857.
5 John Trapp (1601-1669). English puritan and Bible commentator.
Year Two, August 14
Wait for the LORD!1
We will now read the very excellent song of David’s walk with the Lord.
Psalm 27
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall
Experience is a great help to future faith. If the Lord has defeated fierce and powerful enemies in the past, we have no reason to be afraid now.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
Multiple goals tend to distract us. They keep us from focusing all of our strength on what is most important, and usually end in disappointment. “Beware the man of one book.”2 The person of one book is well-thought of, the person of one goal is successful. Let all of our love be tied up in one love and that one love be for the things of heaven. Above all things, David wanted to be a part of the family of God, a child of God, living at home with his heavenly Father. This is our dearest wish. Only we extend it to beyond this life, to the days of our immortal life that have not yet begun. We long for our Father’s house above, the home where our souls are really at home. If we can live there forever, then we do not care a lot about the good and bad things that happen to us in this poor life. What a day that will be when every faithful follower of Jesus “will behold the King in his beauty.”3 Oh, for that infinitely blessed vision!
5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
Under the divine protection of sovereignty, in the holy place of sacrifice, with the unchanging God who is our rock, we live securely. “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”4
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
To sing in time of trouble glorifies faith. We do not need to wait until full deliverance comes. We may shout the victory even while our enemies surround us, because success is certain.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, LORD, do I seek.”
If we want the Lord to listen to us, then we must be careful to respond when he speaks to us. The true heart should echo the will of God; like the cliffs in the Swiss Alps repeat, in sweetest music, the notes of the peasant’s horn.
9 Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
Here is a prayer for the future based on experience. If the Lord had intended to leave us, why did he begin with us in the first place?
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the LORD will take me in.
Our dear parents will be the last to desert us. But even if the milk of human kindness should dry up, there is a heavenly Father who will never forget us. Some of the greatest saints in history have been kicked out of their families and “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”5
11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Our enemies will trap us if they can, but the path of simple honesty is safe from their fury. It is wonderful to observe how simple honesty perplexes and outwits the craftiness of wickedness.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!
We must believe to see, not see to believe. We must feed our soul’s hunger with tastes of the Lord’s eternal goodness. We will feast and sing with the Lord soon enough.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
David’s words are inspired. They were given to him by the Holy Spirit. He was moved to write them for our sakes as well as his. At this moment, he says to us as a family, “Wait for the Lord!”
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1 Psalm 27:14
2 This phrase is generally attributed to Thomas Aquinas (circa 1225-1274). It means, “Fear the person who has chosen to master one subject or branch of knowledge, because he will be a formidable opponent.”
3 Isaiah 33:17
4 Psalm 18:2
5 Matthew 5:10
Year Two, August 15
You Ascended on High1
Luke begins the Acts of the Apostles with the following introduction.
Acts 1
1In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (The best cures for excessive curiosity are humbly waiting on God and cheerfully working for him.)
9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (When we stand gazing and doing unimportant things, thinking about our Master’s second coming should wake us up and get us working. When we stand gazing and being afraid, the same truth should comfort and encourage us.)
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Prayer welded them together. We no longer hear about conflicts. Their days of arguing who should be the greatest are over.
15In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, 16“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. (What a gentle way of putting it. Harsh words should not be used, even when talking about the worst of people. We are glad to hear Peter speaking in such a calm way. Surely the memory of his own fall had made him tender.) 17For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” 18(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
“‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“‘Let another take his office.’
21“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
No instance of the use of the lot occurs after the Spirit was given. It was an Old Testament custom, and to use it now would be good-for-nothing superstition.
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1 Psalm 68:18
Year Two, August 16
Lift up Your Heads, O Gates!1
The psalmist David saw the ascension of our Lord by the eye of prophecy. He sang about it in
Psalm 24
1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
All creation belongs to the Lord and he rules the entire universe. But there is a place where his glory may be seen more completely by those who are his in a special way. The psalmist asks, “Who are these people? Why are they allowed to climb ‘the hill of the LORD?’ where the divine palace is built?” He describes their character and their leader.
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
No one can enter God’s holy place except those who are completely pure in life and motive, those who are faithful and upright. Jesus is the only person, of the entire human race, who meets these qualifications. Therefore, he is the only one who can lead the way and open heaven’s gate for those he, himself, has made qualified to enter.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
These verses show us who this great man is. He is the only one who lived a perfect life. He is the only person authorized to “ascend the hill of the Lord.” We see him lifted above the little group of disciples, and as “a cloud took him out of their sight,” the angels reverently escort him to the gates of heaven. The ancient gates of the eternal temple are called on to “lift up” their heads, as if, with all their glory, they did not have enough to praise the all-glorious King. Let the highest heavens be lifted up in honor of the “the King of glory.”
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle!
The watchers at the gate of heaven, on hearing the song, look over the walls and ask “Who is this King of glory?” Here is a question so full of meaning that it is worthy of meditation2 for all eternity. Who is this person? What he is like? What kind of person is he? What is his role? What does he do? Where does he come from? What position of authority does he have? The answer is given in a mighty wave of music: “The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!” We know the power of Jesus by his victories over sin, death, and hell. We clap our hands as we see him leading “a host of captives”3 in the majesty of his strength.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
The words are delightfully repeated. There are times of deep, intense feeling when repetition is meaningful and full of force. In the eastern world, the gates were often taken from their hinges to show how welcome a guest was. Others were raised as high as possible in their vertical grooves and would stick out over the top of the wall, as if literally lifting their heads. The picture is highly poetical and shows how open heaven’s gate was made by the ascension of our Lord. Blessed be God, it has never been closed since. The open gates of heaven invite the weakest believer to enter.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
The closing note is too grand to be adequately described. Jehovah of hosts is Lord of people and angels. He is the King of glory. It is he who, having once descended to earth, now returns to his throne. The ascended Savior is declared to be the Head and Sovereign of the universe, the King of Glory. Our Immanuel is sung about with the most exalted music. Jesus of Nazareth is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts.
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1 Psalm 24:7
2 meditation - Thinking deeply or focusing one’s mind for a period of time, in silence. Contemplation, thinking, considering, pondering, reflecting.
3 Ephesians 4:8 quoting Psalm 68:18
Year Two, August 17
I Will Pour Out My Spirit on All Flesh1
Acts 2:1-21
1When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. (Ancient Israel observed the Feast of Harvest during Pentecost as a celebration “of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field.”2 At this Pentecost we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and three thousand souls are gathered into the Lord’s storehouse in one day. Notice also, that unity and prayerfulness in the church was widespread when the blessing of God descended on her.) 2And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
The Greek word we translate “spirit” means wind or breath. They could hear the wind, as if to indicate the presence of the mighty “Breath” of God the Spirit.
3And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. (The wind attracted their hearing and the fire attracted their sight. Fire is an instructive symbol of the spiritual energy of the Holy Spirit. A tongue “set on fire by hell”3 is a choice weapon in Satan’s arsenal; but tongues inflamed from above are the special instruments of grace.) 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians--we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
People are sure to have different opinions about the best and most holy things. Some wonder ignorantly while others ridicule maliciously. A few adore reverently.
14But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. (Again we notice the mildness of Peter. He does not grow angry when accused of drunkenness, but answers with the gentlest argument. The words that follow are mostly quotes from the Old Testament. Christ’s students never become wiser than the Bible. The Holy Spirit is not given to replace the Scriptures, but to equip us to understand and use them.) 16But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last day it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my males servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below, blood,
and fire and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.’”
These signs of God’s wrath began to show themselves when Israel killed its King upon the cross. “There was darkness over the whole land.”4 These signs were even more evident and powerful during the destruction of Jerusalem. Then “blood, and fire and vapor of smoke” filled the whole city. The year of the redeemed is also the day of the vengeance of our God.5
21 “‘And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
This passage from the prophet Joel is still read by traditional Jews during their services on the day of Pentecost. It was most likely the lesson for the day in Peter’s time. Therefore he was doubly wise in using it for his text.
The last verse is so encouraging that we will read it again. “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Is any one of us seeking the Lord now? Let him find comfort in this gracious promise. No soul ever perished while calling on the name of the Lord.
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1 Acts 2:17
2 Exodus 23:16
3 James 3:6
4 Mark 15:33
5 Isaiah 63:4 (alternate reading), “For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed had come.”
Year Two, August 18
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Who Are These That Fly Like a Cloud, and Like Doves to Their Windows?1
Peter continued preaching on the day of Pentecost and soon came to the main point of his sermon. He told the Jews about Jesus!
Acts 2:22-42; 47
22“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- 23this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Peter used plain language that could not be misunderstood. He had no fear of people and drove the truth home to their consciences. Pray for all pastors, that they will be just as courageous as Peter.) 24God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. (The prophecy of David was what the apostles had seen and about which they testified. This was convincing evidence for all sincere seekers and that was not all. The miraculous gifts they were now seeing for themselves was more proof that Jesus was the expected Messiah. Peter continued reasoning with the Jews about Jesus.)
33“Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’”
David could not have been talking about himself. The person who was his Lord was Jesus, the one who had risen and ascended and now sits at the right hand of God the Father.
36“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (As a good fisher of people,2 Peter uses a sharp hook to catch the hearts of his hearers: “Jesus whom you crucified.” Their first response showed their consciences had convicted them. Peter showed his love for them by calling them “brothers.” They now show their love for him and the other despised disciples by also calling them “brothers.” If anyone in this family is unconverted, let them ask right now, “What shall we do?”)
38And Peter said to them, “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. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” (The gospel is very simple. Believing repentance and demonstrating that belief by being baptized is all that is required. Nothing else! The same gospel was offered to their children as well as to them.) 41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
47[And all who believed were] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Let us pray that the same thing may happen again among the people of God and let us try to produce it.)
1 Isaiah 60:8
2 Matthew 4:19, Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Year Two, August 19
Declare His Glory Among the Nations1
The spread of the gospel to people of all nations had been the subject of some of the psalmist’s holy songs. We will now read two of the psalms that mention it.
Psalm 96
1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth!
Not just Israel, as in olden times, but all mankind.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
This was what happened on the day of Pentecost. This is the work of all the saints at all times.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Prayers and praises are to be presented by all mankind. The sacrifice of Jesus has ended all other offerings.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!
yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
The reign of Jesus ends abuse, war, and crime. Therefore it is the reason for all mankind to rejoice.
Psalm 97
1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Our Lord’s birth was mostly unknown. To the world, his teachings were mysterious, like something wrapped in a cloud. Yet everything about him was perfect holiness.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
The fire of his Spirit destroyed idols and false beliefs.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The truth lit up the nations and amazed all people.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
All difficulties vanished, all enemies were defeated, the gospel was victorious over all.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
The gospel was proclaimed under the whole heaven. It was as well known as if it had been written across the skies.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Happy times are in store for us. The seed that will produce them is already sown and will soon bring forth its harvest.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!
Joy is the privilege and the duty of Christians. They cannot have too much of it if it is the right kind. Never let us give way to depression. Instead, let our holy cheerfulness cause others to ask, “From where does your happiness come?”
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1 Psalm 96:3
Year Two, August 20
God Has Bestowed on Him the Name That Is Above Every Name1
Acts 3:1-21
1Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. (They were interrupted on their way to worship, but it was a blessed interruption. As a result of this seemingly chance meeting, they were able to worship all the more enthusiastically, because another person was added to the number of those who praised the Lord. May we have the grace to turn every encounter into a good reason for promoting the glory of God. A beggar’s cry would not annoy us if we were looking for opportunities to do good.)
4And Peter directed his gaze at him as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Oh, the power of that name! If we only believed in it like Peter did, we would also bless poor sinners, as well as enriching ourselves with something better than silver and gold.) 7And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. (The beggar’s joy was so great that he could not simply walk to the temple. His joy was too great for him to go at an ordinary pace. When the heart is healed by grace, it overflows with enthusiasm. If we remembered how much we owe to the Lord Jesus for making us complete, we would also display our happiness by our actions, and feel like we must dance for joy.)
9And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. 12And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. (He points them away from himself and John to the Lord Jesus. This is very different from those Roman Catholic priests who tell us to look to saints for help and even urge us to seek blessings from their poor sinful selves.)
14“But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. (He charges them with their sin. As the sharp needle makes way for the silk thread, so does conviction of sin prepare people for the glorious gospel.) 16And his name--by faith in his name--has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.”
See how he persuades them, as a mother does her child. He explains their wicked behavior as kindly as he can.
19“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” (Jesus will come again to restore this fallen earth. Until then he reigns above.)
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1 From Philippians 2:9
Year Two, August 21
We Cannot but Speak of What We Have Seen and Heard1
After Peter and John had healed the lame man, they preached the gospel in the temple.
Acts 4:1-30
1And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. (Quesnel2 says, “Truth may be oppressed, but it cannot be suppressed. The preacher may be shackled, but not the word.”)
5On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man is standing before you well. 11This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
How Peter glories in the name of Jesus. How he brandishes it in the face of the enemy! Almighty power lies in it. Blessed is he who trusts in the name of Jesus.
13Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (The sun might as easily quit shining as good people hold back from speaking about Jesus.) 21And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
23When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’--
27for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (They lifted their voices together, and presented psalms and prayers to God, and the work continued on victoriously. We, too, have equal reason to rejoice in the Lord. The Lord of hosts is with us and continues working for the glory of his Son.)
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1 Acts 4:20
2 Pasquier Quesnel (1634-1719). French theologian.
Year Two, August 22
It Is Time for Judgment to Begin at the Household of God1
Acts 4:32-37
32Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. (There was a need for this kind of generosity at this time. Most of the Christians were poor and likely to have everything taken from them by persecution. Greedy people would have been very uncomfortable in the early church. Indeed, they would not be comfortable in any church at any time.) 33And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (As it turned out, when Jerusalem was destroyed and Judea devastated, the Christians had less to lose, and less sorrow when “they were all scattered throughout the regions.”2)
36Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Yet while some were showing such high principles, there were “weeds among the wheat.”3 There were those who professed to be Jesus’ disciples who could lie like the devil who “is a liar and the father of lies.”4)
Acts 5:1-14
1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (He wanted others to believe that he had given everything, just like Barnabas had done. He was not required to give all of the proceeds. It was his choice. His sin was in pretending to be more generous than he really was.) 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
This was the first act of divine church discipline. A discipline that is still carried out by the Lord Jesus who walks among the golden lampstands.5 Even now, the sins of church members “is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”6 The closer we come to God the more truly we will find that he is a jealous God who will not wink at sin. It was not Peter’s word, but the judgment of God that killed Ananias.
6The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
7After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
She had time to think about it and yet she stuck to the falsehood. It is a sad thing when husband and wife go hand in hand to hell. It is sadder still when they make a profession of religion.
11And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. (It is better to have this kind of fear come upon us, than to be found false to God, and perish in our sin.)
12Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.
The empty professors of Christianity were driven out and kept out, but this made the true saints all the more willing to join the church. Holy discipline does not reduce the size of the church. It is the sure way of increasing it with the right people!
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1 1 Peter 4:17
2 Acts 8:1
3 Matthew 13:25
4 John 8:44
5 golden lampstands - A reference to Revelation 2:1. In other words, the Lord continues to oversee his church today.
6 1 Corinthians 11:30
Year Two, August 23
We Must Obey God Rather Than Men1
Acts 5:17-42
17But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. (The Sadducees represented the liberal churches of their day. And like the Sadducees, those who represent churches that teach religion created by humans, and not God, are more than willing to persecute the lovers of truth. They are often the most intolerant people in the world.) 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20“Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, and all the senate of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported. 23“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. (They were surprised and confused, but the news did not stop their unbelief. They remained unconverted and went madly on with their persecution. Truly, when sinners are set on making trouble, nothing will stop them but the grace of God.)
25And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. 27And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” (As in Aesop’s fable of the wolf and the lamb, the sheep of Jesus are accused by the wolf with troubling the water.)
29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. (Peter does not flinch. He lays the great crime of Jesus’ death at their door.) 31God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”
Bad but sensible people have often, for the sake of keeping the peace, recommended toleration. In this way, God has used them to deliver his people from persecution. We should admire the great Head of the church who can find a protector for her, even in the enemy’s camp.
So they took his advice, 40and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. (Those who had suffered wrongful punishment rejoiced, but their enemies went home resentful and miserable. We should rejoice if we suffer for Christ’s sake. However furiously we may be opposed, we should persist in serving the Lord.)
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1 Acts 5:29
Year Two, August 24
Do Not Hold This Sin Against Them1
Acts 6:1-15
1Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists (or Christian Jews who had lived in other countries and spoke Greek) arose against the Hebrews (or Jews from the land of Israel), because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. (They may have been overlooked because they were strangers and not well known. We have no reason to believe that the neglect was intentional. Mistakes will happen. If they are not corrected they may create bad feelings and division.) 2And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. (Others can do this work. Ministers already have enough responsibilities.)
3“Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Prayer and preaching make up the entire life of a minister.2 By prayer he receives the word from God and by preaching he passes it on to his people. Other church officers should see to it that the minister’s mind is not burdened with nonspiritual matters.) 5And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
7And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
11Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us. 15And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (A flash of the glory to come lit up Stephen’s face. His holy and happy heart was obvious. Even his enemies were forced to see it. Yet neither seeing this nor hearing his powerful words could touch their cruel hearts. They thirsted for his blood and were determined to have it.)
Acts 7:54-60
54Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Jesus was seen standing to receive the martyr’s soul. What a vision! It took away the bitterness of death.) 57But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Asleep in the middle of the falling stones! He did not fall asleep in Jesus until he had left the church the gift of his prayers. Augustine says, “If Stephen had not prayed like this, then the church would not have received that young man named Saul.”3 We have no other description of martyrdom in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit foresaw that the church would have many, many of such records after the books of the Bible were written.
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1 Acts 7:60
2 Spurgeon’s comment here should be taken in the context of the many ministries he oversaw, including a college for pastors, two orphanages, editor of the Sword and Trowel magazine (among other things). while pastoring a church with thousands of members.
3 Augustine of Hippo (354-430).
Year Two, August 25
Those Who Were Scattered Went About Preaching the Word1
Acts 8:1-24
1And Saul approved of his execution. (He took pleasure in the execution of Stephen. He was absolutely determined to destroy the church.) And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
It is not wrong to mourn the death of holy people. They are a great loss to the community.
3But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
4Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (The church in Jerusalem fled for their lives and ended up carrying the gospel to other lands. The winds of persecution fan the fire of faith in the church and carry the sparks of truth a great distance. The Devil destroys his own kingdom, while he thinks he is crushing the rising empire of Christ.) 5Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.
Stephen is gone, but Philip comes forward. The church will not fail because she has no disciples to lead the way.
6And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8So there was much joy in that city. (Joy in forgiven sin, joy in healing mercy, joy in God’s gracious presence. See how even persecuted Christians make others glad.)
9But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women. 13Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. (But Simon’s believing was not a believing that saved. This is clear from his actions. He was fascinated by Philip and became convinced that his teachings were true. He made a profession of faith and became a church member. He might have done tremendous mischief if his own greed did not expose him. The church of God has many enemies. Saul troubles her from without and Simon from within.)
14Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (This is why the practice of buying pardon or purchasing positions from a church is called Simony. What a terrible honor, to have a new sin named after you.)
20But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (He did not say, “Pray that I may be forgiven,” His heart only got excited for the desire for power or trembled for fear of judgment. The divine light was spreading all around him, but he remained blinded by his corrupt desires. May the Lord give us the grace to rise far above the desire to use religion to make money.)
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1 Acts 8:4
Year Two, August 26
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1 Dr. John (Johann) Peter Lange (1802-1884), German Calvinist theologian.
[In this reading the first five notes are from Lange’s Commentary.1 All through the work we have gathered from every available source. —CHS]
[He] Went On His Way Rejoicing2
Acts 8:26-40
26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. (“How precious is one single soul in the sight of the Lord! In order to bring one person to the faith, he sends an angel to Philip, and sends Philip from populous Samaria to the desert.”) 27And he rose and went. (“A teacher of the gospel must go in the obedience of faith, even if that call leads them into the wilderness.”) And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. (“The word of God is the best reading on a journey; not only on the desert way from Jerusalem, but on the way through time to eternity. The word of God causes us to forget the hardships of the way and keeps us from looking aside to forbidden paths. It also results in giving us blessed traveling acquaintances as well as keeps us moving forward on the right path to the blessed goal.”)
29And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
“If a teacher, on their visit, finds people busy with the word of God, they must not waste a lot of time talking about the weather and the state of their health, but take the passage to which they have their Bible open as the topic of conversation.”
31And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
“It was the finger of God that pointed to this passage; because the grand total of all Christian truth is Christ, both humbled and exalted. This passage contains authoritative advice for all teachers: The most important thing is leading souls to the knowledge of Christ, the Crucified and the Risen One. As a rule, this is much more effective than preaching right and wrong. The missionaries to Greenland who, with sermons on the living God and his holy commandments, preached for a whole year to deaf ears, struck home when they changed to the evangelical message, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”
34And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37[And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]3 (See the order? The word of God is understood, then comes faith, and then baptism. Is the Lord’s order right? Then let no one change it. No one can have any right to church ordinances4 except those who believe with all their hearts that Jesus is the Son of God.)
38And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. (When the good man’s work was done, the new convert no longer needed him, because he had the key of the Scriptures in his own hands. Jesus is the key that unlocks the word of God.) 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (This chapter should be read as events that actually happened and its teachings should be accepted as truth. What is taught here is so clear that there is little need of explanation. Pay attention and read it carefully.)
1 Dr. John (Johann) Peter Lange (1802-1884), German Calvinist theologian.
3 This verse is in the ESV footnote that begins, “Some manuscripts add all or most of verse 37.
4 ordinance - Religious rite or ceremony specified by God. Spurgeon is referring to those who baptize people who do not already believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
4 ordinance - Religious rite or ceremony specified by God. Spurgeon is referring to those who baptize people who do not already believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
Year Two, August 27
Behold, He Is Praying1
Acts 9:1-22
1But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
His very breath was threatening. All of Judea was not a large enough hunting ground for him. What a rebel he was! What a saint he became! How mighty is divine grace!
3Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (What surprise filled the soul of Saul when he realized that the Nazarene whom he had hated was really God. Little had he dreamed he was persecuting the Son of God. He thought he was crushing out a troublesome impostor. Oh Lord, open the eyes of any other person who sincerely thinks they are honoring you by persecuting your church without knowing it is truly yours!) 6But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
He rises a changed man. He has seen the Lord and is conquered. He has become the willing servant of Jesus whom he had been persecuting. His days of bullying are over; his submission to Jesus is total.
7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. (And no wonder. The light had blinded him and the revelation from heaven was all he could think about. He forgot about everything else.)
10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him, in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”
Are we really surprised that this good man doubted? Would we not be slow to believe if we were told that the Pope of Rome had given up his superstition and was humbly seeking a Savior? Yet that would not be any more difficult to believe.
15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Paul was not only to be a saint, but a very well known and important one. Great sinners usually love much because they are forgiven much.2) 17So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized.
He did not neglect baptism, like some do. We must not despise what the Lord commands.
19And taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. (Electing love chose a persecutor. Almighty grace caused him to repent. The Holy Spirit made him a believer. And, he was divinely authorized to become a minister and an apostle. Grace works miracles.)
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1 Acts 9:11
2 An allusion to the story found in Luke 7:36-50. Jesus turned to the woman and said to the Pharisee in whose house he was a guest, “Do you see this woman?” “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much.”
Year Two, August 28
Jesus Christ Heals You1
Acts 9:23-43
Paul’s bold preaching quickly triggered the hostility of those who admired him when he had persecuted Christians.
23When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. (This was three years after his conversion. He had spent his first years rather quietly in Arabia.2 It must have been hard on Paul to find himself suspected by the brothers and sisters he loved.) 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. (This was a good and brotherly thing to do. New converts need a friend.)
28So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists (that is, Greek-speaking Jews). But they were seeking to kill him. 30And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
32Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. 35And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. (Christians are always ready to help the sick. We can no longer restore them by miracle, and, therefore, we must do the best we can to show that we care for them. However, spiritual healing is still with us and it is our joy to whisper in the discouraged sinner’s ear, “Jesus Christ heals you.”)
36Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas (or gazelle). She was full of good works and acts of charity.
Peter healed and Dorcas clothed. Grace prompts the saints to help the helpless.
37In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” 39So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.
These are the best proofs of sainthood. Many die and leave behind them wealth squeezed out of the poor. Dorcas left a greater legacy.
40But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; (Nothing can be done without prayer, not even by an apostle.) and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. (Luke describes the weeping of the widows at her death. But he mentions nothing about their joy at her being raised, because that was indescribable. Have we lived in such a way that the poor would rejoice to see us back again when we die? Christian women should make Dorcas their example and work, according to their ability, for the needy ones around them.) 42And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.
Simon’s hospitality has brought everlasting honor to his name. As a tanner, his job was to prepare animal hides for skilled workers to produce leather products. It was a hard and dirty job. It makes little difference what a person does for a living, if they serve the Lord in it. Are we serving the Lord in our jobs?
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1 Acts 9:34
2 See Galatians 1:17
Year Two, August 29
What God Has Made Clean, Do Not Call Common1
We are about to read a chapter of special interest to us Gentiles, because it shows how the wall separating Jews and Gentiles was broken down.2 Our Lord broke it down by his death and it was all but removed when a Gentile household was called to faith in Jesus. Until this point the only Christians were either Jews, Samaritans who came from Jewish ancestry, or Gentiles who had first converted to Judaism. Now a Roman captain and his family were about to be saved.
Acts 10:1-23
1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3About the ninth hour of the day (That is, about three o’clock in the afternoon.) he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. (Yet something more was needed. He must send for one who would tell him about Jesus, the Savior.) 5And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. (The tanner’s trade was greatly despised, but this did not keep the centurion from sending his servants to Simon’s home. It is better to learn the way of God from someone staying with a poor tanner than remain in ignorance. Meanwhile God was preparing Peter to agree to the centurion’s request.)
9The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour (That is, about noon.) to pray. 10And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
This is the same Peter who said to his Lord, “You shall never wash my feet.”3 Now he questions whether what the Jewish law calls unclean can be cleansed. How the old self rises to the surface, even in those who have been born again.
15And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
Do not be surprised if you have to teach children the same thing many times. Even an apostle needed to have his lesson repeated three times.
17Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. (See the hand of Providence.4 The timing of the vision and the arrival of the messengers was no accident!) 19And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” 21And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
These servants spoke highly of their master and that fact speaks favorably about them. God will surely bless those families where the heads of the house and the members of the household love one another because they all love the Lord.
23aSo he invited them in to be his guests.
They were offered a place to stay even though the accommodations were limited, and they accepted the invitation. Christians should offer warm hospitality even if they are poor.
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1 Acts 10:15
2 A reference to Ephesians 2:11-22 where Paul, a Jew, writes to Gentile Christians, including, “You were at that time separated from Christ” and “For [Christ] himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”
3 John 13:8
4 Providence - Usually, when used with a capital “P” it refers to God; when used with a lower case “p”, it refers to God’s will, his divine intervention, and his predetermination (predestination).
Year Two, August 30
The Gentiles Are Fellow Heirs, Members of the Same Body1
Acts 10:23-29; 33-48
The messengers Cornelius sent to ask the apostle to come to him did not need to wait long for Peter’s response. 23bThe next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24And on the following day they entered Caesarea. (It was a journey of thirty miles. No doubt the apostle and his six brothers in Christ had sweet fellowship on the road and discovered the three attendants of Cornelius to be kind and friendly.) Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
If Peter had acted like his pretended successor, he would have expected Cornelius to kiss his toe.2
27And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” (Notice how Peter wants to get right down to business. He wastes no time in shallow compliments. Matters of the soul are most important and should be dealt with at once. Cornelius was just as ready and immediately told Peter how the Lord had appeared to him and told him to send men to Joppa and bring Peter back. He continued and said,)
33“So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
This is the best kind of congregation a preacher can have. Bogatzky says, “We could wish that these words were inscribed on every church door, or on every pulpit, so that people might properly consider the purpose for which they should enter the church.”3 Peter’s congregation was all there; “We are all here.” They respected God’s word; “In the presence of God.” They paid attention; “To hear all.” They were teachable, they wanted to know; “All that you have been commanded by the Lord.” We should always go to church services in this spirit.
34So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. (God does not favor one country over another where the gospel is concerned. If there are any like Cornelius among the heathen,4 the Lord will be sure to send a Peter to them, because he has accepted them.) 36As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
“He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (The fact that they had already received the Holy Spirit so fully did not mean they did not need to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. It was the reason they were qualified to be baptized. This passage is instructive to those who wish to learn.) Then they asked him to remain for some days.
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1 Ephesians 3:6
2 This refers to the claim of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church to be the direct apostolic descendant of Peter and the head of the church on earth. At one time the custom of kissing the toe or feet of the pope was a sign of submission to his authority. Today the custom has evolved to kissing the pope’s ring.
3 Carl Heinrich von Bogatzky (1690-1774). Popular hymn writer in the German Lutheran Church. The quote is found in Lange’s Commentary. We have updated Spurgeon’s quote by using a revised edition of Lange’s.
4 heathen - In its lightest sense, it simply means an unbeliever. It is often used as a synonym for pagan, infidel, idolater, heretic, skeptic, agnostic or atheist.
Year Two, August 31
For Through Him We Both Have Access in One Spirit to the Father1
Peter had baptized the Gentile household of Cornelius. This was unheard of and could not possibly go unnoticed. The story soon reached the apostles in Jerusalem and Peter was called on to explain his action. He did just that, and everyone was satisfied, and rejoiced in what the Lord had done.
Acts 11:1-4; 18-30
1Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him saying, 3“You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (It would seem that a number of Jewish Christians made a big deal about Gentile believers not being circumcised. Their belief was so strong that there was infighting in the church. The Holy Spirit does not hide the faults and mistakes of good people. No histories and biographies are as impartial and truthful as those written by divine inspiration. Peter was no pope, even the ordinary disciples called him into question. But he did not become angry or claim to be infallible.) 4But Peter began and explained it to them in order.
Here is a beautiful example of humility and patience. Peter had been directed by the Lord to do what he did and what he did was most praiseworthy. Yet he stood up and defended his actions without anger, in a calm, loving way, and not only cleared himself, but won over those who had differed from him. We read:
18When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
19Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also (that is, Greek-speaking non-Jews), preaching the Lord Jesus. 21And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. (Getting into a new field they reaped large harvests.2 It took a long time to teach these good men that Gentiles could be saved. Yet their Lord had plainly told them to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.)
22The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. (Barnabas rejoiced over the good things that others had received. Being filled with the Holy Spirit not only gave him the wisdom to see that the Lord was working in Antioch, but also to encourage them in the faith and be a positive influence for the good of many.) 25So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
They were not named after the word Jesus, because we cannot join him in being saviors. They were named after Christ, the Anointed One, because, like him, we are also anointed with the Holy Spirit.
27Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. (They not only wore the Christian name, but also acted like Christians should. This act of true fellowship is one of the most beautiful things recorded in the Acts. The Jerusalem church sent a great teacher to Antioch and, in return, the Antioch church showed its love by supplying the needs of their brothers and sisters in Judea. Such a generous collection for a country suffering from famine might not astonish us now, but from new converts, at a time when Christian love was still in its infancy, it was truly worthy of praise. Let us be always ready to help the Lord’s poor.)
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1 Ephesian 2:18
2 John 4:35b-36, Jesus said to the disciples, “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together.”
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