Abounding Grace

Guest (Male): Today on Abounding Grace, Pastor Ed urges us to get into the word and let the spirit of God do his work in and through you.

Pastor Ed Taylor: If you want to be the man or woman that God uses, you have to know the word. You have to be able to say, "This is what the Bible says." I know it's quicker and easier to give our opinions, but people don't need your opinions. Nobody cares what your opinion is.

What does the Bible say? What does the Bible say? What does it say in its context? What did God mean when he wrote it to the audience that received it?

Guest (Male): Today on Abounding Grace, we're spotlighting God's undying love for you and the lost. Pastor Ed Taylor will have us look at Peter's sermon in Acts chapter two for inspiration and application. 3,000 people were saved on the heels of this message, and it's all connected to the power of the spirit of God working through the word of God. Let's lean in and listen.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Take your Bibles and open them to Acts chapter two, where we're going to pick up right where we left off last time in verse five. I've entitled our Bible study today, "God's Undying Love for You and for the Lost." We see that lived out in God's undying love for Peter, and Peter becomes representative of us individually. He loves each one of you as followers of Christ. But also he has a love for the lost. His love for you comes to you and in you, and then it's designed to come through you because God loves the lost. He loves those that are separate from him even in our own communities and in our own families.

When we look at the book of Acts, it's easy to step back and think that sometimes we need to be some superstar to be used of God. We think God only uses the smart ones, or God only uses those that have been to seminary, or God only uses those that know all the Bible, or whatever list we come up with. But it's not true. God wants to use all of us exactly who we are and where we are. He uses imperfect people because that's all he has. There isn't anyone else. There's no perfect one among us. There's no one that's so smart or so important that only they get used. God's desire is for all of us.

He wants us to live out the book of Acts. What is the book of Acts? It's the spirit of God using the word of God through the people of God to a lost and dying world. That's the book of Acts, and this is our heritage. We are living out now 2,000-plus years later the book of Acts in our own lives. God loves you. He wants to use you because he loves you, and he loves the lost.

In Acts chapter two, remember we just saw how God captured the attention of Jerusalem supernaturally. As the disciples were waiting for the promise, the Holy Spirit came upon them in a very miraculous way with sounds and sights. Not only were they blessed, but God is going to use this event to draw people's attention so that the gospel can go forth. Pick up with me in verse five now in Acts chapter two.

It says, "Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were confused because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, 'Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,' verse 10, 'Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.'"

So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" Others mocking said, "They are full of new wine." When God moves among and through his believers, there are always people that see it, watch it, and observe it. You could even say that in your life there are people watching, seeing, and observing your life. They recognize your relationship with Jesus. Whenever God is working through someone and working through the church, people see it and observe it. This supernatural event took place and the multitude gathered together. God wanted to grab their attention.

He knows what he's doing even though the disciples don't yet know. He knows what he's doing. It's always good to be reminded that in your life, God knows what he's doing with your life even if you don't know yet. Even if you're not sure and you're looking and thinking, "I'm not sure how this is going to turn out. I'm not sure what this is." That's okay. God knows and you can follow his lead.

Notice how they responded. It says in verse six that they were confused. This word in the original language means that God caught their attention. They're living life and this event caught their attention. Their minds were disturbed from going through the normal routine of worship on the day of Pentecost. Also in verse seven, it says that they were amazed. Down in verse 12, it also says they were amazed. This word means to be besides oneself or to be thrown out of position. It really speaks to how they're going through the motions, doing what they do every year, and this event stopped them and caused them to think differently.

The Bible says in verse seven they marveled. They were surprised by it all. Then notice also down in verse 12, they were perplexed. This word means they don't have an explanation. They don't know what's going on. They're stuck in a place with all these questions and they are uncertain of what's happening. Then of course in verse 13, whenever God is doing something, there will always be the mockers. There will always be the mockers. This word speaks of making fun of. It also covers those that are critics and skeptics. There are always going to be those that mock when God is at work on the earth.

Notice the different responses. There are always different responses to the work of God. There are always different responses when the word of God goes out, when the teaching of God goes out. Not everybody likes to hear it. Not everybody wants to see it. So they respond. Peter here is filled with the Holy Spirit. We are literally talking moments after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. A great event happens, all this is happening, and it's like after service when we start to leave or we have people hanging out talking and praying for each other, going downstairs, and getting the kids. God works suddenly in that environment.

There was a sudden appearance of the Holy Spirit and then there was a sudden opportunity. Peter was ready. He's not bummed out by it. He's not overwhelmed by the mockery. I think Peter's listening and he hears all that's being said in all of the noise and everything that's happening. He hears the mockers, we know that because he answers them, and I also think he overhears verse 12. He hears the question, "Whatever could this mean?"

He's listening to the crowd and he hears this question, which reminds us how important it is for us to learn to listen. It's one of the best things you can do when you're serving someone or when you're in someone's life. I think it was J. Vernon McGee's Bible study of years ago where he said something like, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason." The ratio's important. We would do well to listen and value and respect the person that's in front of us. We should learn their story before we come to any snap judgments. We would never come to snap judgments at all if we would learn to listen.

As you're listening, you're not only listening to the person in front of you, but you're also listening for how the Holy Spirit wants to use you in their life. There's not just one answer for everyone and one way to reach everyone. Peter is in the midst of all this. It's an amazing experience. The Spirit's come upon him. He hears the mockery, but I also think he hears this question. Notice what he says here in verse 14.

"Peter, standing up with the 11, raised his voice and said to them," and he addresses the mockers first, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words. For these are not drunk as you suppose, since it's only the third hour of the day."

Then he goes on to answer the question, "What could this mean? What's happening?" What does he say in verse 16? "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days,' says God, 'that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and on my maidservants, I will pour out my spirit in the last days and they shall prophesy.'" That is a definition of when the last days began. The last days began on the day of Pentecost.

They continue to this day. We are certainly closer to the coming of the Lord than they were, but we're still living in the last days. We are in dark days, difficult days. Verse 19 hasn't happened yet. "I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

This is amazing what Peter does here with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He goes, "You want to know what this means? Let me tell you what it means. Joel already told us. God told us years ago what was going to happen in the last days, and here you are. You are now officially living in the last days." He gives us the definition. It starts on the day of Pentecost and the last days end at the coming of the Lord. So everything in between that day and the coming of the Lord are the last days. Certainly we see throughout scripture that the closer we are to the coming of the Lord, the darker the days become.

That shouldn't surprise us. This is what we've been teaching verse by verse as long as I've been here. I've been teaching through this church of what would happen in the last days and what the Bible has to say about dark and difficult days. Peter says, "You guys should know the Bible. What you're experiencing right now is in the Bible. This is what Joel said. This is it." Verse 16 says, "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel."

For anything that you answer, you want to be able to say, "This is what was spoken of by the author," whatever author you're referring to. If you like to write in your Bibles, at verse 16, you can just write, "This is what the Bible says." You want to be able to say that. When people are coming to you with questions about what this means and what's going on, and they're watching the news and seeing this happen, you need to respond, "This is what the Bible says."

What you don't need to do is respond with your opinion, with your anger, or with your angst. That will not help them. Remember we learn in Acts chapter two that the whole outpouring of the Holy Spirit wasn't about the gift of tongues. It wasn't about the supernatural. It wasn't about the mockers. It's not about that. What Peter is going to do here is take this event and bring a group of people right to the cross and to the empty tomb.

Is that a pattern in your life? Do you take all of the events that happen around you and take someone to the cross? Are you able in a very simple way to talk about spiritual things? You take the natural things and even the supernatural, perhaps what God is doing in your life, and are you able to bring someone to the cross and the empty tomb? Are you able to speak about what's really important? What's really important is the soul of the person that you're speaking to. That person was created in the image of God. That's what's important.

This is the moment for Peter. None of us really know when our moments come, but we live them out all the time. This is a pivotal part of Peter's life that will forever change him. He wasn't normally like this. Peter was a guy just like us. He was impetuous and imperfect. He would often speak out of turn and say things he would regret. This is the kind of guy that would look Jesus in the face and rebuke Jesus Christ. That's how confident he was.

He's the kind of guy that says, "All of my friends will deny you, Jesus, but I got your back." He's a denier. He did it three times, not just once. Peter's the kind of guy that when he sees Jesus in danger, he's just going to take out his sword and start swinging it around without even thinking about the consequence. But that's not the Peter we see here. Something changed in him. He was endued with power from on high. He was changed by the spirit of God.

Today you'd see a man like this and you would say, "Peter, what changed? What school did you go to?" Peter would say he didn't go to school. "What YouTube video did you watch?" He didn't watch some video. "What seminary did you go to?" He didn't go to seminary. "Then what happened to you?" Later on, people could tell that they had spent time with Jesus. How do we spend time with Jesus today when he's not here physically? We spend time in his word and his prayer.

We open up the Bible, we pray, and we live out our life like any real relationship. We enjoy him. It's not just formal religious activity. It's life. It's the spirit of God working through us and knowing the word. How is it that he could pour out this scripture out of the blue? It wasn't out of the blue. He had deposited it in his heart. He had memorized it, retained it, and meditated on it.

Because the word of God was in him, the spirit of God could pull the word of God out of him. I can't emphasize enough how vital it is for you to know the Bible. Just read it. You don't have to look up every Greek word in the New Testament or every Hebrew word. You don't have to dissect it and study it like a seminary student. Just start there and read it. Take in a chapter of Proverbs a day and learn the wisdom of God. Take in a few chapters of the Psalms and have a worshipful heart. Follow along with Jesus in the gospels like you were with him.

Present yourself to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is your reasonable service. If you want to be the man or woman that God uses, you have to know the word. You have to be able to say, "This is what the Bible says." I know it's quicker and easier to give our opinions, but people don't need your opinions. Nobody cares what your opinion is. What does the Bible say? What does it say in its context? What did God mean when he wrote it to the audience that received it?

In the last many years, I've just been really praying and asking God to train my ears to hear what's from God and what's not from God. You hear a lot of voices. I get all kinds of notes, emails, and thoughts. Everybody's talking to me. I just want to hear: is this really from the Lord? Does this sound like God? Somebody might send me an email and I don't even know if it's from the Lord. I want to pray and ask God if it sounds like his character and his nature.

If somebody would send me a note about some criticism they have, I want to pray through that. Does this sound like God? Is this the kind of help that God wants to give me? Does he want to help me grow, or is it just somebody's opinion? If it's somebody's opinion, I have no time for your opinion. I only have time for the word of God. That's really all I have and I barely have that. I don't want to waste my time chasing things down that have no eternal value.

I want to be a part of a church that can hear the word of God and do it. We should be able to discern in a culture that is filled with voices and say, "That's not from the Lord. That's not God. That's somebody's opinion. They're not even talking eternity here. They're not talking about the souls of men." If you're watching or listening to something where they say, "Don't worry about those people," that's not from the Lord. Anyone telling you not to worry about people is not from the Lord. Anyone telling you to treat somebody and demean them is not from the Lord.

Putting them in a second class or a third class is not from the Lord. You and I need to train our ears to hear only the voice of the Lord. Otherwise you will get carried away with the course of this world. It's like when you're at the beach and you're playing in the water, and before you look up, you're a mile away from where you went in because the current just takes you. If you're not paying attention, you look up and wonder where everyone is.

The world's like that, and you don't want to be a part of this world. We are in this world, but we're not of this world. If anyone should hear the voice of God today, it should be the church. If anyone's going to represent the voice of God, it should be the church. Even within our fellowship gatherings, for anything that we're doing, we should be able to say, "This is what it says in the Bible." This is it, right here. This is what was spoken of by the prophet Joel.

I can't emphasize enough—I'll even take a position of begging you—to read your Bibles. If you read your Bible all week, it'll do more for you than a sermon will because you're giving time to the Holy Spirit all week. You know what you'll find when you start reading the Bible a lot and just soaking it in? By the time you gather together midweek or on the weekend with the saints, you'll find the Holy Spirit affirming and expanding upon what you read. You'll just be like, "Man, what's going on here?"

The spirit of God is working through the word of God in your life. That's what's happening. It's amazing and you can't manufacture it. You can't make it up. Only God does that work. As you present yourself to him, he will meet you there.

Guest (Male): Thanks for listening to Abounding Grace with Pastor Ed Taylor. You can hear these radio programs on our website anytime at aboundinggraceradio.com. Another way to go and grow in the word is by downloading the Calvary Church app. This is a great way for you to take in the word of God wherever you may be.

Pastor Ed Taylor: This is Pastor Ed, and I want to let you know about my brand new book, "Letting Go of Your Past." It's only a few months old, but it is being used in wonderful ways in so many lives. When we gave it to the publishers for their editing, they said, "Pastor, you need to add a couple of chapters." When I was praying about what chapters to add, I realized there's such a warfare that's attached to moving forward and receiving the healing and forgiveness of the Lord. Dealing with things like anger, resentment, and bitterness is a battle.

So we added two chapters. The first one was "Eight Ways the Devil Attacks You," and the next chapter was "Eight Ways to Defeat the Devil." Those two go together and they fit so well in this book on how to help you move forward. God doesn't want you stuck. Whether that's for you now or for the future, or even for a friend or a family member, be sure to get a copy. Get one for you and get one for someone else. It's great for small groups because there's a study guide involved, and it's great for one-on-one discipleship.

We were really blessed and I'm very happy with how this came out. I'd love to get it in your hands. You can get it at our store here at the church, calvarystore.com, or you can get it wherever you get books. It's available everywhere. Here's the thing: all the net proceeds go to missionaries. Isn't that cool? It's a double win. There's also an audiobook. Thanks for supporting us and praying for us. All the resources here continue to go out in the word and in worship, and so many lives are changed. What an honor to be a part of it all.

Guest (Male): Request a copy of "Letting Go of Your Past" today when you give a gift of $25 or more to Abounding Grace. Call 877-30-GRACE or order online at calvaryco.store. Please remember we are listener-supported. We'd very much appreciate your standing with us. If the Lord is leading you to take an active role in this ministry through either a one-time gift or ongoing support, please visit us online at aboundinggraceradio.com or call 877-30-GRACE.

Well, that'll do it for today. Come back next time when Pastor Ed will pick up where we left off here on Abounding Grace.