Righteous Invasion of Truth

Dr. Abel Damina: Praise the Lord. Abel Damina is mine. I want to welcome you to this broadcast, a time of learning, a time of unlearning, and a time of relearning. The essence of this broadcast is to bring to you the revelation of Jesus Christ. The mandate of God on our ministry is the revelation of Jesus, reintroducing Jesus to this generation, equipping the believer to know who you are in Christ, what you have in Christ, and what Christ can do through you.

So get ready. Fasten your seatbelts today. We're going to adventure in the scriptures. The scriptures tell us in John 5:39, Jesus speaking to the Jews, he said, "You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; but they are they which testify of me." The Bible is Christ-centric. It's a message centered on the person of Jesus Christ.

Why do we study the Bible? Let's look at the book of Acts and see the progression. Let's examine what they were studying in the scriptures in the book of Acts. The book of Acts opens up the evolution and the progression of the early church, or the New Testament church, or the apostolic foundation for how the church emerged.

Remember Jesus already said that Genesis to Malachi testifies of me. That would mean that the people in the book of Acts studied primarily and totally Genesis to Malachi. When he said in John chapter 5, "The scriptures testify of me," the disciples were there listening. When he said it in Luke 24, the disciples were there. He said these books are about me. He was referring to Genesis to Malachi.

If they had known, he wouldn't have said it. It's because they didn't know that he made reference to it. He now said to them in verse 40 of John chapter 5, "You will not come to me that you may have life." So the background is: this book is about me. What did it do to them? They were about to start a teaching ministry upon his resurrection. So that study was instructive, beginning at Moses and all the prophets. He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

That Bible study for forty days was a turning point in the ministry and the teaching ministry of the disciples and those apostles. So he gives them a background. If this book is about Jesus, the teaching must be about Jesus. The preaching must be about Jesus. You must use this book to talk about Jesus and not anything else. So let's examine the content of the early church sermons, the content of the sermons that these disciples that were in that Bible study for forty days. When they began to teach, what was the content of their sermons so you see the level to which they understood what Jesus taught for forty days?

Let's begin with the sermon of brother Peter on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, verse 17 to 21. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: and I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

So Peter gets up and he talks about Joel's prophecy. He said this is what Joel prophesied. Remember, they are teaching from Genesis to Malachi. So Peter stands up, the first message of Peter, he quotes from the prophecy of Joel. How does Peter explain Joel's prophecy after quoting it? Acts chapter 2, verse 22: "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know."

So Peter is beginning to explain and teach from the book of Joel. Peter continues in Acts chapter 2, verse 25. He goes to the book of Psalms. "For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day."

Peter is speaking this because Jesus had told them this book is concerning me. So everything Peter will now be saying from the scriptures will be to reference Christ. He gives them a logical teaching, a very sound logical teaching. Acts chapter 2, verse 30: "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."

Verse 33: "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." That is to say prophecy has been fulfilled. Peter is teaching. Look at verse 34 to 35: "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool."

That shows you that nobody went to heaven in the Old Testament because Peter said David has not yet ascended to heaven, but David was dead. So that already establishes that nobody went to heaven in the Old Testament. That was the first sermon. He sticks with the Old Testament, but in Christ. Peter sticks with the Old Testament. He quoted from Joel, he quoted from Psalms, and he stayed in Christ.

Acts chapter 3, verse 12, second sermon: "And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" Remember, this is when Peter and John were going to the temple at the hour of prayer, and they met the lame man at the gate who was begging alms. He said to them, "Silver and gold have we none," and the lame man stood up and walked. The people were looking at them in wonderment. Peter stood up and began to preach to that audience that gathered to watch a miracle.

Acts chapter 3, verse 18: "But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled." What he said is that God put in the mouth of the prophets is about Christ. Verse 22: "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed."

Verse 26: "Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." I told you that the blessing of Abraham is not money, but the forgiveness of sins or righteousness through faith. Peter now affirms that in the second sermon in the book of Acts. He is saying that when God said to Abraham, "In you shall all families of the earth be blessed," he is talking about Jesus.

Because Jesus takes away sin on our behalf. So they are preaching from the scriptures and talking about Jesus. The third sermon in the book of Acts is the sermon of Stephen. Stephen gave them a lot of historical details. Stephen was very detailed historically. He gave so much history and concluded his history in Acts chapter 7, verse 52: "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it."

These are the things Stephen was saying. They didn't even allow him to finish his sermon. When they started throwing stones because he was punching them with heavy stuff. Stephen says all your fathers spoke about Jesus. All the sermons from the resurrection of Jesus were clear that they pointed to Jesus.

Sermon number four, Acts chapter 8, verse 5: Brother Philip in Samaria. "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them." How did he do it? He preached Christ from the scriptures. When you want to know in Bible study what happened in the general, look at the individual case because in this particular account of Philip's message, we don't have details in the general crusade. But we will have details in an individual encounter that he had with an individual.

In order for us to know what Christ and how he preached Christ at the crusade ground, we have to follow his individual encounter. Acts chapter 8, verse 27: "And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship." This is like the federal minister of finance. He went to worship in Jerusalem and he was on his chariot. He was on his chariot coming back from Jerusalem, and he was reading.

The Holy Ghost said to Philip, "Join this chariot." Verse 28 and 29: "Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot." Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, "Understandest thou what thou readest?" You're asking a federal minister of finance if he understands what he is reading. And the guy was humble enough. Verse 31: "And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?"

The reason why many big people cannot understand the Bible and native doctors use them to sweep the floor is because so many big people don't know how to behave like little children. When Jesus was teaching on discipleship, he said, "Except you become like little children, the kingdom of God will be far from you." You must have the attitude of a child in learning. You must be humble to say, "I don't know it." You must be humble to admit, "Oh, I've never seen it." You must be humble enough to admit that you don't know so we can teach you. All this cockiness, you will end up rolling on the floor for a native doctor.

Joseph of Arimathea was a multi-billionaire. He was a rich guy. Bible even recorded Joseph of Arimathea, who was rich, then it added, "a disciple of Jesus." That is with all his wealth, he took on the attitude of a little boy to be discipled by Jesus. It's key. The man said, "How can I understand, except some man should guide me?" He desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

"The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: in his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth." The eunuch answered Philip, and said, "I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

Because he remembered that Jesus already told them the scriptures testify of me. He saw the Bible study beginning at Moses and all the prophets. He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning him. So in their teaching ministry, that was the same pattern they brought to the people, which is apostolic. None of them was teaching how to sew clothes. None of them was teaching agriculture. None of them was teaching business dynamics in the 21st century. That's not Bible teaching. That's not Christianity. That's humanistic and secularism. It has no bearing on scripture. We feed on Christ, we learn of Christ, we live in Christ.

The fifth sermon in the book of Acts is Acts chapter 10, Peter in the house of Cornelius. Verse 42: "And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Again, he is preaching and he is preaching about Jesus. "What is this you're doing?" they asked Peter on the Day of Pentecost. "These men are drunk." Because they saw them speaking in other tongues.

Peter stood up and answered them, "These are not drunk, as you suppose: but this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." He goes back to the scriptures, Joel chapter 2, verse 28. "I will pour out of my Spirit." So the question is, who is the "I will"? Peter now explains who the "I will" is in Acts chapter 2, verse 33: "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." So who shed forth this? Jesus. Because it is Jesus that was at the right hand of the Father exalted. Jesus is the one who poured out his Spirit.

Acts chapter 2, verse 38 and 39: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Now what's the promise in verse 39? "I will pour out my Spirit." So that promise is for you and for your children.

How does he explain prophecy in scripture? He explains the prophecy in scripture through Jesus. So their teaching and preaching was centered around Jesus. That's apostolic. Their preaching and teaching was centered around Jesus. That is what defines the church. The church is a sacred place where the focus of their preaching and teaching is around Jesus. It doesn't matter what name is on the billboard or the notice board of the church. If the teaching, the content of their message is not Christ, if it is soap making, how to sew clothes, it is not church. Apostolic foundation is centered around the person of Jesus.

Acts chapter 5, verse 30: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, and said, "Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men." Gamaliel's advice was to let them alone, for if this work be of men, it will come to nought, but if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it. And to him they agreed. And when they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. When a man is fed the gospel of Christ, that is how he responds to persecution. He sees persecution and shame as a worthy attainment. When Christians are not taught Christ, to even preach is an embarrassment. They were celebrating the beating. They were rejoicing in the beating that at last we have been counted worthy to be flogged for Jesus. There's a way you feed on Christ; persecution becomes an achievement.

Six sermons, all focusing on the same thing: Jesus. Because Jesus' teaching was the same way in Luke 24:27. So as believers, we ought to believe the same thing. No Catholic, no Pentecostal, no Charismatic, no Anglican—when we come to faith in Christ and all of us are feeding on Christ, it is called "one faith." It is the diet that makes it one faith; it's not the label on the building. The unity of the faith is the knowledge of the Son of God. The unity of the faith is the knowledge of the Son of God. Then that brings all of us to a perfect man, that henceforth we are no more tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. We have arrived at a place where we have stabilized in Christ.

The scriptures don't have dual messages. It's one message: the person of Jesus. If two preachers are preaching two different things, one of them is lying or all of them are lying. It is only the truth when it is Christ. If it's not Christ, it's not the truth. "I am the truth." So for a message to be the truth, the message must be Christ. If it is about you making it, it's a lie. It is only the truth when it is Christ.

Sermon seven, Acts 11:16: "Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." This is Peter quoting from Acts 1:5. Notice he did not say, "It is written." He is quoting. See what he also said in Acts 20:35: "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." You know that quote there is not anywhere in the Bible. You will never find it anywhere. They just quoted from a body of truth Jesus taught; they took and gave a summation.

Acts 11 was the last sermon of Peter in the book of Acts. After Acts 11, brother Paul showed up. And when brother Paul started talking, they were quiet because the only way you can learn is to be quiet. You can't be talking and your teacher is talking; you will learn nothing. The other time you hear about Peter, he is defending Paul in Acts 15.

Acts 13 is where Paul enters. Notice up until this point, what they were preaching was Jesus, because Jesus is the promise of the scripture. Paul comes forward and he is speaking in Acts chapter 13. He quoted the same scripture Peter quoted earlier on, but notice where he started from. Acts 13:32: "And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: but he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption."

So the corruption is not death. Because if Jesus saw no corruption and Jesus died, then the corruption is not death. Did Jesus die? Yes. Did he see corruption? No. "Thou shalt not allow thy Holy One to see corruption." Acts 13:37: "But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption." Acts 13:38 and 39: "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."

He again points to Jesus, but he takes it a step further. Brother Paul takes it a step further. There's an addition in verse 39. He lets us see the futility of the law, which wasn't in Peter's sermons. It wasn't in Philip's sermons or in Stephen's sermons because the book of Acts is a book of discoveries. Remember, they were growing. It was a baby church. These baby Christians were growing, so the book of Acts is an account of the growing stages of the early church. That's why it's not a doctrinal material; it's a journalistic account of how the early church took all the baby steps and the mistakes they made. So you will see how Peter's teaching of forgiveness changed over time. His sermons in Acts chapter 2 were different from Acts chapter 5. Acts chapter 5 is different from Acts chapter 10 because Peter was growing up in between, and his growth was reflected in his teachings.

Luke gives us a background of a certain person, but before we get to that background, look at Acts chapter 19 because brother Paul's speech in Acts 19 is critical. He came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. The word "disciple" is not a spiritual word because we have the disciples of Gamaliel, and Gamaliel was not a pastor. So the word "disciple" is not a spiritual word; disciple simply means student. Acts chapter 19, verse 1: "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples." He didn't say disciples of Christ; he said finding certain disciples. These guys were adherents of something, but not Christ.

Verse 2: "He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. We are not aware of his existence. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism." Now let's do a background on this because there's a background that leads to this Acts 19. I believe that Luke put it there intelligently. Luke was writing to Theophilus to convince Theophilus of the faith they have found in Christ.

The background is two words. Notice that John the Baptist was discussed in a stretch of eight verses. John the Baptist was a prophet of the Old Testament. John the Baptist didn't write a book. Acts 18:24: "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus." Verse 25: "This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John." Knowing only the baptism of John. He is mighty in scriptures, means he can quote and quote and quote. He can just be dropping Bible quotations. And when you hear such people, we call them "Bible Encyclopedia." All the scriptures they are dropping have no connection with one another. That was the first CV of Apollos.

He spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord. Notice the Lord is mentioned twice, which means Apollos was a believer, a believer with limited knowledge. So he was preaching constantly Jesus, but what was he saying about Jesus? He was limited to the baptism of John. Again, remember John is an Old Testament prophet. John the Baptist didn't write a book. Where is Apollos quoting from? He was quoting from the scriptures, Genesis to Malachi, talking about Jesus, but his knowledge was limited.

Acts 18:26 and 27: "And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace." That means his teaching ministry after Aquila and Priscilla took him, his teaching ministry grew.

Notice after he was taught by Aquila and Priscilla, he now helped the brethren who had believed through grace. There's a reason why Luke included that statement. His teaching ministry was now advanced. Acts 18:28: "For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." He was no longer quoting scriptures anyhow. He now could articulate and expound and take the scriptures and open them up, bringing Christ out. But remember, he now went to the Jews. For you to preach to Jewish people, these are custodians of the Torah. He mightily convinced them beyond a shadow of doubt. His ministry has advanced.

When they heard him, the guy is mighty in scripture. They took him and expounded unto him "more perfectly." I love that word. The word "more perfectly" is one word in the Greek: *akribos*. Knowing only the baptism of John. All of them, the entire apostolic teachings revealed Christ. They started with Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Ghost given by Christ. It was the entire gospel that they communicated, and the entire gospel is factored around the sacrificial work of Christ. You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; but they are they which testify of him.

Oh my goodness, the word of God is life. The Bible tells us the entrance of God's word giveth light, and it giveth understanding to the simple. As you keep listening, the light of God's word rises out of the rightly divided word of truth, illuminates your mind, illuminates your heart, and brings you face to face with your realities in Christ Jesus.

In Ephesians chapter 3, verse 3, brother Paul speaking about the mystery, the Old Testament. He said whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. So there's a knowledge in the mystery of Christ. The word "mystery" is the word *musterion* in the Greek; it means that which is concealed. And then he says how that by revelation—the word revelation is the word *apokalupsis*; it means that which is revealed. So the revelation of the scriptures unveils the mysteries. Revelation is the New Testament; mystery is the Old Testament. But it will take reading and learning to come to a place of full understanding, precise and accurate knowledge. Brother Daniel will say, "I understood by books," so there's a place of books in equipping you soundly with the message of Christ. Brother Paul would write to Timothy, "Till I come, give attendance to reading."

Jesus speaking to those Jews says you do err because you know not the scriptures nor the power of God. Oftentimes Jesus would say to the Jews, "Have you not read?" It means: are you reading and not paying attention? I want to quickly recommend for you a plethora of books I have written. They are written with an intent to bring you doctrinal clarity, answer your questions doctrinally, and bring you to a place of accurate understanding, a precise knowledge of Christ and you in Christ. I want you to order for those books today. The number and the list of books available will be read to you right now. And if you call today, we'll be glad to make sure you get a copy or more copies of the books so you can enrich your spiritual life and enrich your walk with God and build a quality relationship with Jesus Christ where you are also able to teach others the same truths you have learned to liberate them and bring them to the fullness of God. Glory to God.